Vacations

Then and Now.

How times change.

Then

This is a family outing for a day at the beach in about 1950 - 51.

Marsden Grotto is the location.

Left is my Dad, Norman, next Uncle John, next  Aunt Jenny, right my Mom, Cilla.

I'm the dude with the spade on the lower right.

Boy, was Uncle John being daring, he took his jacket off.

Note how the men are both wearing ties at the beach!

This was at least two and perhaps three different buses to get there.

Credit to my cousin Elizabeth for not only keeping this picture for all of those years, but giving it to me on my most recent visit.

Thank you CUZ.

Now

On Wednesday, Anne and I took Missy to Palm Springs for an overnight stay, just to see how she would behave in a hotel.

This is how much stuff we took for one night and one dog, if we went for a week, I would need a bigger truck.

We stayed in a Best Western at the south end of Palm Canyon Drive, low key and just right for our needs.

Not only was the hotel pet friendly but so were most of the guests.

Lots of people came out of their way to pet the Miss and talk about their dogs.

This included a group of German tourists who arrived about the same time we did.

We took the Miss out during the afternoon for a walk around and to check out the sights.

Welcome to the Hotel California, as the Eagles song went back in the day.

In the early evening we took the Miss to Miro's restaurant on South Palm Canyon Drive.

A wonderful place with great food and even better service.

The patio with out a roof is pet friendly, in fact the first thing the waiter did was to bring out a bowl of water for Missy.

The restaurant is owned and operated by a Hungarian couple, the menu is varied and has lots of traditional European dishes. 

I had Beef Stroganoff and Spaetzel, excellent.

At the end of the meal, I decided to have a Baileys, it was on the drinks menu, so I thought no problem.

The waiter came back to the table and said it would take a few minutes, the owner Miro, had to run out to the store and buy a bottle.

That's service, none of that "Oh Sorry We Are Out" bullshit here.

We headed home early Thursday morning.

The weather forecast for HB was heavy rain in the afternoon.

Boy were they right.

Still, it passed very quickly and we had sunshine by about 4:30 PM.

This is what Palm Springs is all about.

What an image.

I gotta get me one of those cigars.

More soon from the beach.

Ciao Bella,

Norm

Old Guys and Old Bikes

How Sweet It Is.

Sunday was not only Mothers Day but also the OC Vintage bike meet.

The organizer was a bit unsure as to how many guys would be there as it was Mothers Day.

However, as I commented to another guy, looking around the crowd, it was highly likely that Mom wasn't around any more for most of us.

I took Ms. Nellie, the Ariel Square Four, and she performed really well.

She starts and runs without a problem.

There were about 80 bikes there including this 1944 Norton dispatch riders bike.

As you can see, the owner has all of the gear to go along with it.

Including the gauntlets and the Haversack.

Just in case you are unfamiliar with the Haversack, this is one right here.
We used these for school when we were teenagers and too cool for school satchels.

Yes, we went to school, well sometimes we did!

Today I went to the plant, you remember that place I used to go every day in the distant past.

Checked on how things are going and picked up a piece for the Iowa that had been repaired at Shultz Steel Company.

The guys were very happy to see their hydraulic cylinder back at the ship.

They have their own boom lift truck to load and unload such things.

Then it was on back home with a quick stop in Seal Beach to visit my favorite Italian Deli,

Angelo's in Seal Beach

This is all good stuff, but my own reasons for going are, they have the best canned tomatoes EVER and they sell Italian OO flour by the pound from their 50 pound sack they use for making their own dough.

My supplies are now restocked for Lasagna or pizza or whatever.

Tomorrow we head for Palm Springs with Missy to see how she does staying in a hotel.

If she starts acting up, I may spend the night sleeping in the truck with her.

More soon,

Ciao Bella

Norm,

Is It The Big One

Naw! Just a 3.9

LOS ANGELES -- For the second time in less than a month, a small earthquake jangled nerves early Sunday when it struck on the west side of Los Angeles. No damage or injuries were reported.

The quake measured 3.9 on the Richter Scale and was centered near the communities of View Park and Windsor Hills, adjoining neighborhoods in the Baldwin Hills, a mostly unincorporated area near Inglewood and Culver City, Calif., the U.S. Geological Service reported. It struck at 4:07 a.m. PT.

It was felt widely across a swath that included Santa Monica and the area around Los Angeles International Airport. It lasted no more than about five seconds, including rattling and a sharp jolt.

Easy for them to say no damage!

This valuable piece of ancient statuary from the late "Sino-Cal" period was lost!

The real culprit Ms. Cone Head knocked it over yesterday.

She had surgery on her eye to remove a cyst, and to pay for a months tuition at Harvard for the vet's kid.

Ciao Bella,

Norm