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The Storeroom part 1

January 29, 2016

One of our goals for this year is to clean out the storeroom. Mary has been living in condo for many years. So there is little extra space to store stuff (ie. no garage, no attic). So she had rented a storage unit in San Pedro. At one time, I am told that she had rented up to six storage lockers. But now she is down to only one.

So today we went down there to see what’s what. We took Mary along so that we could get the pass code for opening the gate. We loaded up the Jeep with a box of trash bags. Here is what the locker looked like when we opened it for the first time. Luckily there doesn’t seem to be any signs of mold or mildew.

So started sorting through this stuff. Mary was quite the packrat. We did find some pictures. We filled up about five bags with old program notes and other stuff not worth keeping. Next time that we visit we will not need Mary. I don’t want to have to ask her permission for some of the stuff we dump.

Close to the top of the pile, I fond some black and white pictures of Harold, Mary and Paula from 1950 to 1960. Here’s Paula at her birthday party. I can just hear her asking, “Daddy, can I keep the pony?”

Paula c 1954

Family c 1950

And one more thing that we found. This is Mary’s ID card from Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach from 1944.

Mary’s ID Card

That’s enough for now. I will post more pictures and stores from time to time.

Categories: Family, San Pedro
Tags: Pictures

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Rain

January 10, 2016

This post is intended for my friends on the east coast. It is raining in Los Angeles. It has been raining off and on for last couple of weeks. It’s been snowing in the mountains. This is good for us. That doesn’t mean that I like it.

So I am a “blow-in”. I moved to San Pedro in the summer of 2012. The term “blow-in” is a somewhat derogatory term used in many suburban towns in Massachusetts. A “blow-in” is some one who has blown in from somewhere else and insists that they know how things ought to be run.

The opposite of a “blow-in” is a “townie”. A townie is someone who has lived there all their life along with their parents and the parent’s parents. A townie has had the same teachers in school as their parents.

But I digress. Back to the subject at hand, rain. Up until last week, I hadn’t seen rain in the better part of a year. I had almost forgotten how to turn on my windshield wipers. I had to dig out the umbrella from the back of my Jeep.

One way, we can tell if we have had a rainy winter is that one can see green grass growing on the hillsides. The same grass will be golden brown by August. This rain probably won’t mean the end to the drought, but it will help.

As many of you have heard that our rain is due to El Nino this year. El Nino changes the jet stream such that low pressure systems that would normally turn left at the Pacific coast and head up to Washington and Oregon. Now the low’s head right for LA.

In Mass. one never sees any old VW beetles. They have all rusted away. In LA, 30 year old beetles are common. No rain means no rust.

The other effect of the rain is mud. After the wild fires in the summer, all of the vegetation is gone. So when it rains in the winter, there is nothing to hold the earth in place. The end result is mud slides. A very nasty mess.

I will close with a humorous video I recently found on youtube about how LA people react to the news of rain.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, Silly Stuff
Tags: California, Rain

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San Bernardino

December 4, 2015

I have two stories to tell about San Bernardino. The first one is a lesson about geography. I got a couple of emails asking me if I was anywhere near to the terror in SB. Short answer is no, not even close.

Long answer: Los Angeles is a huge piece of real estate. Go ahead bring up mapquest or google maps. I live in San Pedro. That’s about a two hour drive on a day when there is no traffic, which is hardly ever.

San Bernardino is a working class community in an area out here called the Inland Empire. SB has been called the “South Central” of the Inland Empire. Even the above picture doesn’t really do justice on how large LA is. You see it when you are arriving on an airliner to LAX when you descend into the LA Basin. Lights as far as the eye can see.

Okay second part that frosts my private parts is the tweets from the Republican presidential candidates and other Republican Senators. Here is an example of tweets from the candidates.

Are you kidding me? Prayers are indeed a good thing, but I want you to do your job and do something about gun violence in America. Every time the idea of sensible gun legislation like limiting access to assault weapons or high capacity magazines or universal background checks you do nothing. I want you to do your job. Solve this heinous problem. That’s why we pay you the big bucks. Even the New York Daily News called you on it.

Categories: California, Politics, Rants
Tags: Geography, San Bernardino

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Grammy Museum

November 2, 2015

It’s been a busy weekend here in LA. Paula, Andrea and I went to church then lunch at the Gaffey Street Diner. We then went home so that Paula could check on her mother. Then we headed to the Grammy Museum in downtown LA. We wanted to see the Frank Sinatra exhibit. The Grammy museum is located downtown near the Staples Center and the LA Convention Center. There was some sort of event at the convention center. It was some sort of comic-con event. Lots of people dressed in strange costumes. We thought, oh oh parking may be a challenge.

Not so, we got into a parking lot nearby for $10 for three hours. So we got in for $10.95 for senior tickets. Nobody ever cards us to prove we are older than dirt. This is the second time we’ve been to the Grammy museum. Three floors of recording star memorabilia. Always interesting. The displays change from time to time.

We had been here a few months ago to see the exhibit on Whitney Houston. A very sad event indeed. Usually they start you on the fourth floor and work your way down. The Sinatra exhibit was on the second floor. That’s where we started.

There was lots of Sinatra memorabilia from the early days to the later period. They were showing a short video in the Clive Davis theater of a Sinatra concert. Here are some pictures.

Here’s a youtube link to Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York”

After we were done with the Sinatra exhibit we went up stairs to look at the exhibits on “The Supremes”. Here are some pictures. I loved the gowns.

And finally a youtube clip from the Supremes.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, Museums
Tags: Grammy, Museums, Sinatra, Supremes

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Getty Museum

October 30, 2015

Our friend Andrea flew down from Sacramento for the weekend so that we could visit the Getty Museum in LA. Our primary goal was to see the Hellenistic Sculpture exhibit. Photography not allowed in the exhibit, so best I could do is take a picture of the poster.

Admission was free. Only had to pay $15 for parking. What a bargain.

The museum is located just off the 405 north of LAX in the Santa Monica mountains. This is some prime real estate with views to die for. So you park in the garage and take free shuttle to the center. The center has free WiFi and is probably the fastest public WiFi I’ve ever seen.

We went on a tour of the sculpture exhibit with a very knowledgable docent. The tour was free too. Here is a link to the Getty web site that many pictures of the sculptures. I expect that link will come down soon after the exhibit closes on Sunday. So go surf the Getty images on their web site while you can.

Here are some pictures of the architecture and the grand views.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, Museums
Tags: Getty, Los Angeles, Museums

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Haggen’s Revisited

October 12, 2015

Haggens Sign I had to do some grocery shopping today. Over the past few weeks we have pretty much switched over to shopping at “Ralph’s” but today I thought I would go back to Haggen’s to see how they’re doing as the chain works it’s way through bankruptcy court. Plus I thought I would like to say good bye to many of the people who work there who we have seen over the past few years.

I know that today is a holiday (Columbus Day) but still the store looked bleak. My first stop was Starbuck’s to get my grande iced coffee, no sweetener, leave room for cream. The Starbuck’s here is different because they remember our names and know pretty much what we will be ordering. Sometimes, I throw them curve ball and ask for a venti (ie. large). We chatted a bit about the situation. They told us that the Starbuck’s on Western would cease operations on 10/24 or 10/31.

I talked with my meat guy. Same sad story. I think he will land on his feet. He said that he already has a job in the meat dept. at Costco. So, I took the liberty of taking some pictures. First picture is of the meat department. Right now the display is barely half full. It will get worse. My meat guy said no more supply after next week, then everything goes on sale. Then on to the bread aisle. Not much there to speak of. Most of the local suppliers have stopped doing business with Haggen’s for fear of not getting paid. Can’t say that I blame them.

On some of the aisles, they are trying to mask the lack of product. A mile wide and one inch deep. Here’s the soda aisle. At any rate, there in the final stages of shutting down or get bought by a competitor. Final date for closing will be 11/24. We’ll see how it turns out.

Categories: California
Tags: California, Haggens, Shopping

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San Diego

September 21, 2015

So, we just got back from San Diego. Paula had signed up to attend the Assistance League National conference at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego. I had a choice. Either I would stay at home and mind Mary K or I could go along and hang out while Miss Paula went to conference meetings all day. I chose the latter.

So we arranged for care givers for Mary from Wednesday until today. We hit the road for San Diego at about 11 am on Wednesday. Arrived by early afternoon and checked into the hotel. We got a room with a view of the Dole pineapple warehouse. The view out the other side of the bay was $20 more a night. Here’s a picture. The bridge in the background is the bridge to Coronado Island.

View of the beautiful Dole warehouse.

So I brought all of my computing gear. Laptop, iPad and iPhone. We were invited to a cocktail party at a restaurant on Coronado serving snacks and wine. I was included in the festivities. I felt I could deal with that. We tool the ferry across the bay.

So on Thursday, I joined Paula for breakfast with the AL ladies. Nobody was checking tickets so I ate for free. I had a quiet day watching people wander by in the lobby. I eventually found the Starbucks and got myself suitably caffeinated.

Friday, more of the same. We had dinner at a restaurant on Coronado called the “Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill” I had an appetizer of Scallops. Very tasty. It went well with the two martinis.

On Saturday, I decided to upgrade my iPad and iPhone to iOS V9. I seemed to have a decent wi-fi connection. I had nothing better to do so why not? Not as fast as wi-fi at home but it would do. With that complete it was time for a nap. Eventually Paula returned from her day of drinking from the firehose.

The Assistance League ladies from San Pedro-South Bay

She got to rest for a bit. Then off we went to the big closing banquet. My ticket was $125 Yikes!!! Was I the only one who thought the prices were outrageous. Food was good but not $125 good. Cash bar was pricey too. $12 for a mixed drink. The $12 got you just the generic “well” gin, nothing fancy.

So I had dinner. Eventually I got tired of sitting there. My hearing (or lack thereof) has gotten worse over the past few years. I have a lot of trouble hearing conversations in noisy environments even with hearing aids. So I excused myself and headed up stairs to our room.

So on Sunday we had planned on meeting our friends Ron & Thelma up in Del Mar Heights for brunch. Ron & Thelma’s daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren came to visit. Always ready to visit with the grand kids.

They asked me if I would play some kids tunes on their out of tune piano. I was happy to oblige. Actually, the tuning wasn’t that bad. It needed tuning but I’ve played worse. So I got out my iPhone and did a bunch of kids tunes, like Old MacDonald, Itsy-Bitsy Spider. etc.

Once that was done, we headed on up the 5. It seems that no matter the time or day there will be heavy traffic.. Today was no different. Home by 3:30 pm.

It was a fun few days. We all had fun and a blessed respite from caring for Mary. Later.

TTFN

Joe

Categories: California, Travel
Tags: Assistance League, California, San Diego, travel

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Vandenberg Air Force Base

September 14, 2015

On Saturday, Mary asks me, “Who was VAFB named after?”. Excellent question. Let’s ask Wikipedia.

Vandenberg AFB is located 9.2 miles northwest of the town of Lompoc, CA in California’s central coast.

The base is named in honor of former Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg. VAFB is the home of the 30th Space Wing, US Space Command.

During WWII, Gen Vandenberg was commanding general of the Ninth Air Force which was a tactical force in England and France.

Vandenberg grew up in Lowell, MA. (Hey, I know where that is) and graduated from the US Military Academy in 1923.

The Vandenberg Esplanade, located along the Merrimack River in Lowell, Massachusetts and part of the Lowell Heritage State Park, is named in his honor.

On April 30, 1948, General Vandenberg became the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, succeeding General Carl Spaatz. He was renominated by President Harry S. Truman for a second term as Air Force Chief of Staff on March 6, 1952. The nomination was confirmed on April 28, 1952, with Vandenberg serving until June 30, 1953

General Vandenberg was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medalwith four oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, and the European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal.

Here’s a map of VAFB for those who might be California challenged.

Categories: Air Force, California
Tags: USAF, Vandenberg

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Travels with Mary

September 11, 2015

We had planned for a long time to take Mary on a road trip up to Vandenberg AFB in Lompac, CA. It was with fear and trepidation that we undertook the trip. One of the trips last year she managed to trip and break her hip. The reason we were going was for our son Mike’s promotion to major in the USAF Reserve.

We kept telling her what we were doing and when and how but not much was sticking. Paula asked her on Thursday AM if she needed anything laundered. No she said, but at 9pm she asked to have her PJ’s washed. That ship had sailed. Her short term memory is shot, so she likely won’t remember what we told her yesterday.

So on Friday we get her loaded to go to Rose to get her hair done. Paula got her back home by about noon. Moved Mary from the Prius to the Jeep and Paula came up to finish packing. So we were all loaded and on the road by about 12:30.

We drove for about three hours and stopped for lunch in the small town of Fillmore, CA (go ahead and Google it) Mexican restaurant by the name of El Pescadero (the fisherman) I had some tasty fish tacos.

We still had another 3 hours of driving to go. Stuck in rush hour traffic in Santa Barbara. There is some of the most beautiful scenery on earth on the drive on rte 101 up the California coast. So Mary asks, “Are we still in California?” Then we get on the road to Lompoc, which is one ugly stretch of road. Nothing but dirt.

Mary’s all tucked in. No falls, no trips to the ER. We’re good. Tomorrow is another day. I’ll have pictures tomorrow.

TTFN

Joe

Categories: California, Family, Mary
Tags: Aging, Mary, travel

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Saturday

August 29, 2015

Our friend Andrea is still with this Saturday. We started off our day with a visit to the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro.

The Bell is located on South Gaffey Street in San Pedro. It was a gift of the Republic of South Korea in 1976. It is sited on a beautiful park with views of Santa Monica and the LA Harbor. We could actually see Santa Monica today.

Once we were done with the Korean Bell, we headed to Santa Monica to have lunch at Gladstones. As is common on any day in LA, the traffic is always heavy. Gladstones is one of the best sea food restaurant in LA with a view that can’t be beat. Andrea and I both had fish and chips, Paula had a shrimp louis salad. So we arrived at Gladstones at about 1 pm. We were seated immediately.

Once we were done with lunch, Paula and Andrea went for a walk on the beach. I sat in the shade in the clam shell pictured above. Of course, we paid the price of traffic on the way home down the 405 and the 110. So mote it be.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, San Pedro
Tags: Gladstones, Korean Bell

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