Rattlesnake Season Starts Early

Oh?  That tidbit was announced on the local Orange County TV news at the end of January.  Who knew?  My young granddaughters did, “Oh the rattlesnakes cross the Santa Monica Mountains hiking trails all the time, grandma.”  Remind me to stay off the mountain trails.  Apparently the normal rattlesnake season runs from April through October…  Add to that bears in the backyards in Pasadena and mountain lions routinely crossing the 101 and you have an altogether different picture of paradise.

But paradise it has been this winter. We enjoyed the warm southern California weather for two months while our neighbors have been enduring one of the worst winters on record.  I felt really guilty about that, at least until the rattlesnake warning.

All good things come to an end and we have been back in the frozen tundra for a week.  I can take a joke with the best of them but when are they going to roll up the snow and cart is away? Yesterday it reached the 50s for the first time since early December.  Much of the snow cover melted but not to fear, 4 to 8 inches are predicted for tonight!  I cannot complain because it was an unbelievably awful winter in the Midwest and we missed much of it.

On to more pleasant memories, our California vacation was wonderful.  We were able to spend a great deal of time with the granddaughters who are a miracle.  Weekly dinners, occasional sleepovers and special trips remind me just how lucky we are.  The girls rope me into reading to them, although I expect that they read far better than I.  The latest series I found was the Dear Know-It-All  books about a junior high journalist and her friends.  The situations and solutions presented are real, relevant, and rational.  I would recommend the series for young girls nine to twelve.  I may need to load some of the earlier books onto my Nexus 7 because they are not all in print now.

What of our California adventure this year?  We spent most of our time in Santa Monica again but were able to get down to Orange County for a couple of days.  Some of my favorite SoCal restaurants are the Sherman Gardens and Library Restaurant (Corona del Mar), Auld Dubliner (Tustin), Thyme Café and the Urth Cafe (Santa Monica), and C & O Cucina (Venice). We also visited the Observatory in Griffith Park which is a great place to take yourself or your kids because the displays are very fine and the docents knowledgeable.  Their sky show is OK, I’ve seen better. The Observatory is free except for the sky show. We also went to see Cirque de Soleil’s Totem—very enjoyable.  Most of our time was spent at the beach, usually reading on a park bench and watching the sail boats.

 I fulfilled my long held desire to visit the Central Coast and was not disappointed.  After a nice lunch at the wonderful Mexican restaurant, Cielito, in Santa Barbara we drove north on scenic highways 1 and 101 to San Luis Obispo, a small city about three and a half hours from Santa Monica.  The area we visited, from Santa Maria to San Simeon, has much to recommend. In San Luis Obispo we visited the historical part of town near the small downtown area, a variety of shops, the Mission, and their Carnegie Library Muesum.  The restaurants in SLO (as they like to be called) are very nice.  If you like beef a trip to Tahoe Joe’s is in order; for Italian try the Upper Crust Trattoria which is in a strip mall, but the food and décor are first rate.  Lunch at the Apple Farm Restaurant will delight you with good home cooking and a visit to nearby Morro Bay requires a stop at Rose’s Landing for seafood chowder as well as a view of the harbor seals as they swim by.

Morrow Bay was relatively quiet in February, but I expect it is much busier in the summer.  The Central Coast State Park Museum in Morro Bay is really worth the stop. The interactive displays are educational for adults and children and be sure to see the minke whale skeleton on the very breezy balcony.  The Park’s golf course looked challenging; the boat rental tempting.  There are other state parks nearby as well as a large salt marsh.  However the really nice part of the SLO area is the people who are just like your neighbors and friends back home.  They are eager to share a recipe, offer directions or suggestions, or just chat with you.  I hope we can return to this area and check out nearby towns because it is a great place (read, SANER than LA or Southern California). I wouldn’t mind living there either…

After a week home, the memories begin to fade.  The unpacking is finished; loads of laundry done; maps and brochures stored away for next year.  I voted in the primary today. (Early voting is very popular in our household.)  We attended one of the lectures at the Institute for Continued Learning at Roosevelt University and have another scheduled for this Friday.  The Spring semester begins soon.  Plans for Easter begin to emerge.  One thing for certain, there will be no rattlesnakes at the egg hunt!

Thanks for the Memories

We've been home for a week. The day we left California it was 78 degrees. The next day we arose to the coldest day of the winter and 4 inches of killer snow. For those of you not familiar with snow, killer snow has a large water content and is very heavy. The unwary might end up in the nearest emergency room if they don't shovel carefully.  Of course the hubby's snow blower wouldn't work even though he paid a goodly sum to have it overhauled in October!  While shoveling hubby and I looked at each other, not giving voice to what was in our hearts. "Why did we come home?"

A week of work, rain, wind, and the expectation of more snow describes our first full week back. My tan is fading fast. We missed our Wednesday dinners with the grandchildren.There will be no trips to Manhattan Bread and Bagel for bialys and cream cheese with chives. LACMA will need to wait until next year. All that remains are the good memories of sunshine, relaxing walks and picnics at the beach, reading aloud every Clementine book published so far, waking with no "need to do today" thoughts.  It was a lovely hiatus, but reality is in the Midwest. Thanks for the memories though. See you next winter.

Saturday

It's our last Saturday in California, a bright fresh day. We, like hundreds of others, take to the beach for a four block stroll along the sand and sea. Because it is only 11 in the morning, it is not too busy yet but there are several hundred people staking out their place in the sun. Yesterday's cold onshore winds have subsided and the day promises to be pleasant.

We are amazed how quickly the 2012 Spirit Awards tent has been raised. Only yesterday the ribs were erected with a few side tents clinging to the side of the low cliff that forms the boundary of the beach area. Today the tent is up and workers scurry in and out with wires, cables, boxes. The "laid-back" Spirit Awards are given for the best independent films and serve as an hors d'oeuvres  for the Academy Awards scheduled for next Sunday evening. All of LA has Oscar fever. For weeks the newspapers acclaimed each nominee's excellence in hopes that Academy members might cast a vote for their actor, director, writer, etc. In February LA is all about Image, Image, Image.

Getting back to our walk, we dodge the fierce bicycle riders and cross over to the walking path, dodging brainless skateboarders who don't care who they wipe out when they wipe out.  The air is cool with a hint of sea salt.  There is a mist covering the Palos Verde peninsula and the Malibu Hills.The sea plays host to several small sailboats. It looks as if some sort of regatta might be in progress. Two people soar above the water, held aloft by a yellow parachute that is tethered to a small power boat. A number of helicopters race along the shoreline while below the sea is as pacific as its name.

In the sand nearly all the volleyball nets are in use. We stop and sit awhile, watching the foursomes fight it out--the guys in tees and shorts, the girls in bikinis. Tents and umbrellas have been set out on the beach in expectation of family and friends gathering to enjoy the day.Dads are spending time with their children. Very few surfers use the Santa Monica area, the waves are much better elsewhere. Virtually no one is in the water. It is too cold; it's always too cold. Those '60s Gidget movies were never filmed in the ocean. The poor kids' would be sporting goose bumps larger than the polka-dots on their beachwear!

When we reach the end of our usual walking course, we climb a small hill and return through the park. There are a few benches and we often sit, watch the water, read our books and view the many dogs lucky enough to be given a walk along the shoreline. On a Saturday morning there are as many children in strollers as dogs on leads. Today there is plenty of entertainment to claim our attention. A group of 30 - to 55 - year old men are playing street hockey in the unused parking lot. My husband remarks that the game looks dangerous; I reply that that is the whole point.

We start back to our rental, stopping to purchase a Sunday paper. I like knowing the news before it happens. Saturday's a day to loll about and rest up. We will certainly miss the sun, sea, and our walks.

Road Trip!

Last weekend we nipped across the border to get a respite from Metro LA.  Lest you think we headed for Tijuana that's not the border I mean. We drove south on the 405 into the Newport Beach-Irvine area of Orange County. Wow, it was the day after Comps in college!  We knew it had been stressful in Metro LA but the feeling of relief, of having a weight lifted was tangible.  Life is very different 50 miles south of Santa Monica. To our way of thinking it was a change for the better.

The first thing we did after checking in to our hotel, where they know us and welcome us back, was to head for the bike/walking trail and head for the Bill Farmer Park.  Although there was no lovely blue ocean to follow, it was good to be able to kick out and up my pace, not having to fear slipping on sandy walks or being menaced by bikers. It was warm and I added to my pink tan before we got back to the hotel.

We planned to visit a favorite Greek restaurant for dinner but learned that it was closed. (What is it with the Greeks this year?)  I had read of an Irish place so we headed for Tustin's "The District" which is a massive shopping center designed by someone who hated automobiles. Let's just say that parking is strange there, but not impossible once you get the hang of the layout. Anyhow we found the Irish place, The Auld Dubliner, semantically challenged and allowing smoking outdoors.  The smoking kept us inside where we could appreciate a very authentic looking pub.  Since it was technically a sports bar there were lots of burgers and wings on the menu. There were also traditional Irish items. This place served one of the best Guinness Irish stews I have ever tasted! It was loaded with fork tender beef and vegetables you could identify. If you are ever in that area I heartily recommend the place. We had hoped to go back for the corned beef and cabbage or the Shepherd's Pie, but didn't make it. Next time.

Whenever we are in the area I check out the cultural listings. Symphony Hall in LA is a bit too intimidating for me but the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa is just right. This absolutely beautiful center has a number of separate venues for all sorts of arts performances. It is the home of Orange County's Pacific Symphony. There are family, classical, and pop concerts, and two theatres. Each venue is architecturally interesting.  Symphony performances are held at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Seniors and students can obtain "Rush" tickets for $20. if tickets are available an hour before the concert. This year we heard Nicola Benedetti perform the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 at the Beethoven & Benedetti concert. Very enjoyable and very comfortable. This beautiful facility is attracting top talent; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti conducting is performing later this month. Visit www.scfta.org for more information.

Another side trip we took was to the Great Park, which is not yet great. The city of Irvine is developing a massive park (to be larger than Central Park when it is finished) on the site of the former El Toro Marine Air base, aka where God lost his shoes.  The city is trying to entice visitors with free hot air balloon rides but it was too windy to go up when we visited. Meterologically speaking it was blowing at 15 mph. There was plenty of hot air on the site though--hot, hot, dry, dry. The park will be lovely someday with trees, trails and a lake, although I don't know where the water will come from. It must be costing a fortune! It should be interesting to see it next year to check on its progress.

Reality must be faced eventually and we were back in Santa Monica by Monday evening. Back to the sun, surf, and blood pressure medication.

On the Promenade

Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade is every bit as popular as its Pier.  Throngs of people visit the restaurants and pricey shops that line the streets from Broadway to Wilshire Blvd. especially on the weekend. We were there on Saturday evening after the never-ending Cirque du Soleil performance (review to follow) and we couldn't find any place to eat. That was not because there are few restaurants, on the contrary, there are many but the wait times were unbelievable as young and old played the culinary version of how many people can fit into a phone booth. It was frustrating to have two hungry little girls and no place to feed them.

We have actually visited the Promenade several times. In addition to hundreds of global visitors there are the natives and their dogs, street performers, market day vendors (on Wednesday), and way too many homeless,  beggars and con artists.  The stark contrast between customers carrying upscale store shopping bags--which are NOT PLASTIC and cost a dime each--and the indigent is remarkable. Santa Monica is very welcoming to the hundreds of homeless who sleep on park benches, in doorways and parks; who openly panhandle on the Promenade and course the neighborhood streets like city workers two weeks before an election in Chicago. I expect it is a salve to their Southern Cal Mercedes consciences. The Quickfacts section of the 2010 U.S. Census shows the 2006-2010 median house value to be in excess of $985,000, about double the California average.

I imagine you noticed the "NOT PLASTIC" description above. One should note that shopping bags, grocery and all others, must be paper per city ordinance. If you don't bring your own there is a ten cent charge. This is really a good idea anyway, except when purchasing leaking meat at the grocery store.  Another salve to their conspicuous consuming conscience is the fact the Santa Monica is scrupulously Green.

A day, or evening, on the Promenade is a bit surreal, but makes for interesting people watching. Anyhow the walk is educational. Some of the street artists are quite good, others should keep their day jobs. (Oh, this seems to be their day jobs!) One can pick up all sorts of foreign languages, even Australian. It seems that Southern California is a popular vacation, and business, stop for the Aussies.

Anyway I did promise a review of the Cirque du Soleil show entitled OVO.  It was held in a large tent just below the Santa Monica Pier and it was freezing inside.  The acrobats, tumblers, trapeze artists, and jugglers were wonderful, in the tradition of good circus from all over the world. OVO's theme was lame. All the performers were bugs, insects and spiders, and were creatively, if somewhat obsfucatively, costumed. The sound was deafening while the story line, assuming there actually was a story line, missed by a mile. In addition the show went way too long, beginning at 4 and continuing until nearly 7.  (There are few plays, a small number of concerts, and no operas I would sit still for for that long!)

Time marches on. Only three weeks until we return to the Midwest which has been having terrific weather too. I imagine they have been holding off the blizzards until we return.

North from LA

We traveled up to Santa Barbara County recently. Most of the journey was spent getting out of LA County. The problem is that the Santa Monica Mountains are in the way.  The weather has been a dream most of our trip and we wanted to take advantage of it by heading north to the Central Coast.


I love the Central Coast and Santa Barbara. We didn't manage to get as far north as San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, maybe next time.  Our aim was to visit both the city of Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. We have been in Santa Barbara before and it is a great place to visit and pretty nice to live in (except for the earthquakes which are a serious problem).  If you are ever visiting here, you MUST visit the Botanical Garden, home to a variety of beautiful and wondrous plants, including some giant redwoods.Go to the Mission if you like that sort of thing. We were not going to be there long so our visit focused on the Karpeles Manuscript Library and a nearby used bookstore.  The Library holds several original documents of interest to American History buffs. There are a small number of Karpeles Libraries sprinkled around the country but I had never heard of it before. The bookstore was very well organized and stocked. Of course I managed to liberate a treasure to take home.

After lunch in one of Santa Barbara's nice restaurants we continued north on 101 to the Santa Ynez Valley. For those of you familiar with the movie Sideways it was filmed here in the Central Coast's Wine Country. Wine tourism is very big here and tasting shops abound. It is also a nice place to get some really nice olive oil and other olive products. We stopped in Solvang which is a Danish American town.  Little shops, restaurants, and Danish bakeries abound.  If you haven't tasted Ingeborg's chocolate or Olsen's Danish Village bakery products you haven't lived.

The drive through the Santa Ynez Mountains and valleys was lovely. Much less hectic and crowded than LA. We stopped at Lake Cachuma to see several pairs of nesting American Bald Eagles. This lovely lake is open to visitors who can picnic, hike, and boat. Swimming is off limits however since the lake is the source of the valley's drinking water.

We were sorry that we hadn't planned a longer trip so we could explore farther north. I definitely want to get to San Luis Obispo County next year. Anyhow we returned to Santa Monica (however reluctantly) with a bottle of the valley's red wine, some to die for fig infused balsamic vinegar, olive oil, candy, and cookies.  Not a bad haul, and some consolation for having to return to mad, bad LA.

Lazy Days in SoCal

First I must correct my previous assertion that they never clean the ocean walkway in Santa Monica. They do, occasionally, but traction remains tenuous.  Sorry, Santa Monica.

There is something inherently wrong with crows perching in palm trees. We see them all along the beach area and on Ocean Avenue. It is eerie. However the weather has been nice and sunny so we're working on a tasteful tan to show off when we return to the icy north.

Crows aren't the only disturbing sight as we take the salty air.  There was a time when one would steer clear of someone walking, gesturing, and talking aloud to an "invisible person."  Now it's a common sight, no need to hold the children close; it's one of hundreds speaking on their phones with and without Blue Tooth. Of course this is not something limited to the seashore, we are treated to one sided conversations wherever we go. It's such a delight!  Sort of a Simon and Garfunkel  "Sounds of Silence" in reverse.  Nevertheless, we press on and enjoy the warm weather and sunshine.

An opportunity presented itself while here. We had the chance to visit the new headquarters building of the Rand Corporation. The lovely, green building was designed by DMJM Design. It's basic shape is a double ellipse. Nearly 85% of the people who work there have an office with a window that opens thus capitalizing on the benign climate while saving the environment.  The Los Angeles area alumni association of one of my alma maters arranged a tour with emphasis on the art collection. However we were given a thorough overview of RAND and its work, as well as a tour of the building.  I WANT TO WORK THERE!

The art collection was quite spectacular. 90% of it belongs to Peter Norton of Norton Security. He is an avid collector of contemporary art. In a serendipitous meeting, he mentioned his collection which was housed in a warehouse to someone high-up at RAND.  It just so happened that they had a great many empty walls. The result is a sheer delight. I am not one for modern art, but contemporary art is different. The collection is varied and quite eclectic. The first work we saw was titled "Crash." It looked like smashed glass, but was actually carefully placed mylar strips that made a pattern similar to broken glass.There are two paintings of a forest scene in Australia where the artist carpeted the ground. There are several works that show subway maps, including London's Tube. All the station names have been changed to famous persons who are grouped by "line."  For example, there are stations of Philosophers, Artists, Scientists. It's quite clever.  Other interesting ideas include someone's paintings of TV characters' homes as described in the shows.  There is a wonderful mural of downtown LA at Broadway done by John Valesquez, as well as many portraits he made in exchange for room and board.  The creepiest set of works was hung outside the boardroom. They appear to be geometric matrices done with short strokes making straight lines. Actually these are false eyelashes....

Anyway we are enjoying our vacation, especially now that the Midwest has had snow.  Next time I will describe our trip to Santa Barbara County.

La Dolce Vita

Eyeballs really can pop out of one’s head. But I’m getting ahead of my story.

We have just returned from a six week vacation from winter. Southern California was warm and sunny for 5 of those weeks and we sopped it up. My Puritan DNA was put on hold and, as Agnes Gooch in the movie Auntie Mame declared, “We lived!”

My husband and I decided to rent a furnished apartment from one of the many Irvine Company complexes. We chose the place where hubby suffered a sun burnt tongue. Actually the tongue had a couple of years to heal because we first looked at the model apartments a while ago. How did his tongue get burned you wonder?

The address of the Rental Office was a bit vague. We turned into the Villas, parked, and headed for what we thought was the main office. Quickly we realized our mistake. This was one of the apartment complexes and we needed to go across the street. I got back into the car, expecting to see hubby follow. He wasn’t there. It seems that he was struck dumb, mouth open and tongue hanging, watching the ladies at the pool. “Just wondering where all the men were” was his lame excuse.

Eventually we made it to the correct office and gathered brochures and information. This winter those brochures became reality. We returned to the scene of the sunburn to take possession of our two bedroom fully furnished apartment.

Our Dolce Vita was about to begin. After settling in, we headed for the beach. Driving down PCH (that’s Pacific Coast Highway 1 to you), we dodged three yellow Lamborghinis*. Yellow’s such a flashy color! Actually the laid back hues on the several Jaguars* and Mercedes* were more to my taste. Our modest rental car boasted Oregon plates so those Lamborghinis could just suck it up.

We quickly began to acclimate to the California Lifestyle. Nearly everyday we walked the “Mountains to the Sea” bike/hike trail that runs along the San Diego Creek part of the way to its destinations. How we envied those spandex* clad bikers with their speed bikes and classy helmets. We could only hope to emulate the hikers, joggers, and dog walkers.

Hubby walks a bit slower than I do but usually manages to keep within 50 feet of my lead. He enjoyed our walks but knew he had made it to Nirvana on our last walk. As we neared the end of our daily route we saw a hand-holding couple on roller blades coming towards us. The grey haired, 60+ gentleman looked fit in his head to toe black spandex and helmet. His lovely companion, cum “trophy wife,” was a blond goddess in her equally tight black outfit and Lamborghini stylish head gear. Hand and hand they skated past me and then past hubby.

When a decent interval had passed, I signaled two thumbs up. I dared not turn back; no man wants his wife to see him drooling all over his Nike's*. Unfortunately hubby missed the signal. His eyeballs had popped right out of his head and they were rolling into the Creek bed. Or maybe he was a lot closer than 50 feet… La Dolce Vita indeed.

*Note: Lamborghini, Jaguar, Mercedes, spandex (aka Lycra), and Nike are all registered trademarks of the following companies--in order--Automobili Lamborghini SpA, Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC, Mercedes-Benz USA LLC, INVISTA, and Nike, Inc.

Gullible's Travels

Travel should broaden one’s perspective. We have just returned from a three week trip away from winter. The ‘away from winter’ part wasn’t very successful, but the first week’s weather was nice. Our initial stop was Phoenix, AZ. It’s been about 15 years since we were in Phoenix. The growth of this area is phenomenal. The temperature was in the mid 80s, very nice indeed for winter-weary Midwesterners. However it is extremely dry and the cooling effects of perspiration do not apply. All that glitters is not your damp skin.

Phoenix is an easy city to navigate as long as you don’t confuse Streets with Avenues. We did and I nearly got heat stroke looking for the Museum of Geology. Fortunately some very nice people in an attorney’s office took pity on us, offering cold bottles of water and a place to splash cool water on my very red and hot face. They were kind and helpful to the two senior yokels who stumbled into their offices on 15th Street. Unfortunately we should have been on 15th Avenue. Back to the map…

Both young people and middle aged people were amazing courteous throughout the city. We never entered a bus or the new and nice light rail without someone offering a seat, giving a smile. People answered questions and would phone for directions if needed. This rapidly growing city has not lost its small town character. Folks care about each other in Phoenix. What a nice change.

As is our habit, we visit libraries wherever we can. The main branch of the Phoenix Public Library System was very modern. Some of their ideas were very innovative. Some things were a surprise. On the front door of the library there is a sign which reads: “No weapons allowed in the library. Please check your weapons at the security desk.” Oh my! That’s not a sign this librarian is accustomed to seeing. Of course it perfectly legal to carry concealed weapons in AZ; probably better to expect people to have them. I wonder what the compliance rate is for checking them at security. It’s just not something you expect—perspective broadening though.

Phoenix, as a location, is not really new. There was a thriving Native population living there several hundreds years ago. The Hohokam devised a system of irrigation canals that could not be bettered by modern engineers. The area was a center of trade and the early Native Americans traveled over large areas to trade. Agriculture flourished. The Pueblo Grande Museum features archeological ruins that indicate sophisticated astronomical knowledge. The Hohokam loved their sports. A game court provided a means to excel. Only one problem however, the winners lost their heads—literally. One really needs to think about that outcome!

More about our winter get away later; Southern California chapter coming soon.