Category: Uncategorized

Do not become a Local Statistic!!!

            It’s time for a Field Trip!

            Please hand in your Permission Slips to Miss Crabtree on your way to the bus. Today we’re going to visit one of the most diverse habitats on the planet, the Florida Everglades.

            Most of us are familiar enough with the geography of Florida so an in-depth explanation will not be forthcoming! Just remember Lake Okeechobee, its vastness, and the fact that its southern shoreline makes up the northernmost reaches (and the beginning of) the Everglades.

            The Everglades have been loosely described as the widest river on Earth, but that is only if we abandon the traditional description of a river. But it does show for our purposes that a sixty-mile wide “river” of slowly flowing water impacts this region.

            I’ll go out on a limb here and practically assume that all (?) of you at one time or another have visited Disney World in Orlando. Ok…. remember back to then and if you happened to visit there in the near unfathomably uncomfortable time period from June through September, at around 2pm in the afternoon Mom and Dad would announce that it was time to “go inside” for a bit. That is because at that time, every day, the Thunderstorms would arrive, dump a bazillion gallons of distilled Gulf waters on the region and then move on. These ‘events’, a.k.a. the Rainy Season, are what fuels this vast river of water that moves ever so slowly southward, eventually reaching the Florida Bay at the tip of the Florida peninsula, sometimes years later. That’s how slowly this ‘river’ flows.

                        All of this can be explained by the geology and hydrology of the State, but to understand that we will need to go and ask our old friend Mr. Plate Tectonics!

      “Oh… not him again, Donny! If you insist on that we’ll stop reading right now!”

                        I knew you’d feel that way, so just know that Florida used to be part of Africa (what!!!???) and over the years the gradual submersion and raising cycles of the land deposited a whole bunch of ‘stuff’ there which in turn became limestone which is really porous which makes for a great aquifer which enables all of those rains to eventually settle down and seep in which makes up a large part of Florida’s water -based ecosystems.

The End.

                        Not of everything, just the end of Mr. Plate Tectonics role.

                        While the apparent ‘look’ of the Everglades is certainly that of a fairly level area, within this area there are the ups and downs which create some interestingly different habitats for all of the Critters. In fact, the highest part of the Everglades has an elevation of a whopping 8 feet above sea level. While even the barrier islands of the East Coast have higher elevations than that, that number is enough to help foster a dynamic range of the aforementioned habits.

                        We toured two of these habitats yesterday, one in a really cool airboat and the other in a Swamp Buggy on steroids. By now you are all familiar with my loathing of ‘sharing’ an important experience with the multitudes of new friends that accompany one on these types of outings. So, a call to Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours assured me that I could hire a boat just for the four of us.

                        Headphones in place, and a firm grip on whatever was available, we were ready for our personal Captain (Stanford) to whisk us around the mangroves in this part of the Everglades. These types of boats just skim along the surface of the water and yes, can even fly over logs (which we did) with no apparent issues. The bottoms are 100% completely flat which makes for some fun tight turns which Captain Stanford afforded us while aboard.

It’s my guess that most folks want a “ride” on these zoomy things and that is what the Boats deliver. At the same time we were given a running commentary on the flora and fauna of the area, complete with local history as Stanford grew up right there in Everglades City (‘city’ being a relative term) and was able to speak to the rapid advancement of the vast mangrove forests that cover the entire coastal areas of south Florida.

As you can see from the photos that the way that the root systems work, they help ‘anchor’ the land and provide habitat for the newly hatched teeny-tinies of the faunas that live there. They also obviously are an incredible natural barrier that protects these areas from storm surges and the like when a ura‘caine whips into town.

                        Our visit yesterday was well before the rainy season but also in the hot season (90 degrees), but well below that Insufferable Season which routinely hits that number and above and also throws in that Humidity (it’s the rainy season!) Best times to visit are December through early March, worst times are June through September. And since we were in a kind of ‘shoulder’ season, the ‘skeeters were non-existent! Which for me, as I am a card-carrying member of the M.M.A. (Mosquito Magnets Anonymous) was quite a treat because the opposite would have been a nightmare!

                        After our Airboat Adventure we sourced out a local waterside restaurant featuring the local Delicious Denizens of the Deep and had lunch before the next event of the day, the Swamp Buggy ride. This one was not available on a private basis, but our Buggy-Mates were well behaved, so all went well. These things are custom-built right there. Ours was an old school bus chassis which had a raised seating area installed along with some special tires. We sat about eight feet above the ground which enabled us to wade through some swampy areas and at the same time be able to see above the high grasses and reeds that populate this area of the Everglades.

This is also the area where we were able to experience some of those raised sections. These are called ‘hammocks’ or in some areas ‘hummocks’ and there are several different types depending on what grows on and near them. We had a hardwood hammock to explore as the trail went directly in, through, up, and over it.

These areas are the ones that do not contain the ‘gators. ‘Cept in the rainy season when everything kinda floods. This pushes the dry-feet critters into these hammocks, but the wet-feet varieties can pursue a little bit further in. It’s a gator eat ‘coon, snake eat gator, world out there! Yes, even the Apex Predator (Mr. Gator) has some enemies beside us….. the Burmese Python, which is not supposed to be there, but then, we all know the Tales of Invasive Species!

                        The Everglades National Park is down here along with a myriad of other Federal and State parks and ecological areas. It is easy to get around, there are not that many roads, and they are fairly direct. It is one of the most unique varied habitats around and a trip down here can be coupled with the Keys, or any western Florida vacation.

                        I do not recommend swimming as a part of your visit.

                                                Unless it’s in the Pool.

So, Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Andrew Wyeth, and Henri Matisse walked into a bar in Fort Myers, Florida

            Well, not actually a bar, more like a café.

            Hmm…not really a café, kind of like a storefront.

            Inside they sat down, and the proprietor hands them all two paint brushes, a cup of water, and a small palette of acrylic paints in a few primary colors.

“I wish to work with oils!” yelled Da Vinci, getting up he stormed out.

“And I prefer watercolors!” screamed van Gogh scratching his ear.

  “Oui! And I vill only verk vith ze gouache!” howled Matisse not wanting to be outdone by his comrades.

                        Andrew, quite taken aback by his companion’s behavior shrugged his shoulders and simply said, “I would prefer tempera, but this looks like fun, unfortunately I’m the Designated Driver so I need to follow those three.” And out the door he went.

                        The proprietor dejectedly went about her duties, preparing to clean up the places vacated by the previous four when the little bell on the door jingled, signaling the appearance of some new prospects.

                        The Leader of the new arrivals said with a smile, “Hi, I’m Sherry, we’re here for our Sip’n Paint session!”

                        With that, the Proprietor (Ari) visibly brightened and said, “I’ve got your four places reserved here for you! We’ve had some famous folks here as of late, hopefully you will feel their inspiration as you work tonight.”

                        Looking down at the four palettes of paints in front of them, the “just arrived” jubilantly exclaimed in unison, “Acrylics! We love Acrylics!

                        And so, the Nuvo Artistès went about creating wonderful Masterpieces whilst sipping some Grape Elixir….. no ‘Two-Buck Chuck’ here, it was the ‘Plenty-Twenty Spiritus Frumenti’ for us!

And so it went, a good time was had by all and talents undiscovered will probably remain so, if only to protect the integrity of the Art World.

Some people like Ice Cream all of the time.

Some people like Ice Cream some of the time.

All Ice Cream is liked some of the time.

Some Ice Cream is liked all of the time.

Some people don’t like Ice Cream, they have “issues.”

Most people that don’t like Ice Cream are suspicious in character.

All people that don’t like Ice Cream some of the time are doubtfully of sound mind.

All of the people that don’t like Ice Cream all of the time are Aliens (or maybe lactose intolerant, and as such are understandable(?) and therefore probably not Aliens.)

All Ice Cream is not created equal.

Some Ice Cream is generic in Quality.

Some Ice Cream is of a Premium Nature.

Some Ice Cream is Blue Bell brand.

All of Blue Bell Ice Cream is Premium.

None of Blue Bell Ice Cream is bad.

Therefore, Blue Bell Ice Cream is liked all the time by all the people all the time, without Question or Cause, Forever and Ever, Amen.

Can I get a Halleluiah!

There are a few things that are required attributes of True Texans:

                        They must know and recite the Texas Pledge of Allegiance, they must like BBQ (the real stuff), Football is a Religion, and the temples thereof are located locally at all High Schools and on a statewide basis, in College Station for the Aggies of Texas A&M, and in Austin for the Longhorns of the University of Texas. You must not now anywhere that the Blue Bonnets grow in the Spring until that season is finished. You must be able to pull off jeans, boots, shirt, and cowboy hat without looking like a model from a catalog. And at least once in your lifetime you feel the Pull of the Power from Brenham and go on a Pilgrimage to the Center of All Things Rich, Smooth, and Delicious, the Creamery at Blue Bell Ice Cream located here.

                        We have been there several times in order to, in some small way, try and make up for our shortcomings in the previous categories (but mostly to eat Ice Cream!)

                        The latest was yesterday.

                        Going yesterday was a mistake (except that the Reward was Great!). Yesterday was a gorgeous day, a summertime feel was in the air, and schools were on Spring Break (oops!). There was only one parking space left when we arrived, even the lawns lining the road (aptly named Blue Bell Road) were full of obviously hastily jettisoned vehicles that once had transported the Faithful who had since flocked to the interior, standing impatiently in long lines waiting for their turn “up front” in order to procure their $1.00 ‘scoop’ of their desired flavor. (A ‘scoop’ here is a singularly used a term of measurement and has no actual relationship to the instrument used to get the Ice Cream into your sampling container. A snow shovel would be a better descriptor.)

                        So why is Blue Bell so good?

                        To be honest, it is probably not any better (Shhh!) than any other Premium Ice Creams, and yes, there is a difference among all of the ice cream makers around. But it’s here, in Texas, with a true Texas Lineage, and it is still owned and run by the same family since the beginning, way back in ’09 (that’s 19, not 20!) They started as a true dairy co-op just like some other well-respected ventures like Tillamook in Oregon and Cabot’s in Vermont. They do a few things differently than others in the Premium Category, and those alone could make the difference. For instance, the milk used is all local and less than 24-hours old when it starts its Journey to Deliciousness. And when it has reached that level of distinction, it is loaded onto its own trucks and delivered to each and every final location by a uniformed, company-faithful, driver who then proceeds to stock and administer to the needs of their product on the shelves.

To anyone in Retail, you know that while this method is expensive, having a Company Representative in each and every store week in and week out, protecting their product and shelf space from the Incursions of the Unfaithful, can make all of the difference.

                        What else can make the difference?

                        Remember good ol’ Tom Carvel of Carvel Ice Cream fame? He was the first high-ranking/owner of a major company to do commercials for his products (1939) and who can forget his raggedy-voiced tagline….. “We use no air pumps!”

                        I’m afraid that this informative, but alas mostly unknown situation, fell on mostly deaf ears, because no one knew what he was referring to. It was not until my own company, Ritter Food, started carrying ice cream (and we attended the requisite seminars on such) that we learned that it was common practice to introduce “air” into the ice cream as it was being frozen in order to bulk it up! Horrors! Why would someone do such a thing? No where on the label does it say, “Up to 100% air added for Deceptive Selling Tactics” (but it’s true!) Go ahead, next time that you’re in the Holy Aisle, pick up a (at one time it was once a true half-gallon, but that’s another story!) of say the store-branded ice cream and then find a brand like Ben & Jerry’s or other true Premium Ice Cream and put one in each hand (or just read the label, the net weight is what you’re looking for not volume) and compare.

                                    Yikes! That ‘splains a whole lot!

                                    Like “cost”. There’s more ice cream in the same size container because the “less expensive” or dare I say CHEAPER one has more air in it and the last time I checked the Commodities Market, air was still free! All Premium Ice Creams use far less “Overrun”. Yes, they have even come up with that Fancy Marketing Term for jamming free air into a product that is sold by weight and volume! The same goes with some “fresh” meats and poultry where the term is “Pump” in the Industry and Marinated to the rest of us. Check out raw corned beef …. It has a “35% water and spices added for flavor” Hah! Water is a cheap as air!

                 Sorry for the tirade, I’ll get back to Ice Cream now…..

                        The next item used for comparison purposes is probably the most obvious and that is the percentage of butterfat in the ice cream. Here the range is as great as the “air” but goes further to the taste and feel of the Ice Cream. Blue Bell ice cream has a butterfat content of around 13% (Good, but not the highest) making it richer in flavor than some other brands. This higher milk/butter fat content also means more weight in the product itself. For instance, a half-gallon of Blue Bell ice cream weighs around 52 ounces, compared to Breyers, which weighs around 40 ounces. Although Blue Bell’s butterfat content is higher than some of its competitors, it’s not quite as high as others, like Haagen-Dazs. The difference in butterfat helps determine the precise texture and richness of a brand of ice cream.

The ranges are roughly this:

                        Regular, Store Brand, 10% is the legal minimum percentage to be considered as Ice Cream. Believe it or not, some well-known brands actually fall into this one… Breyers is one although their range is closer to 11-12%.

                        Better stuff (Premium), 12-14% here we find the obvious, Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs for examples.

                        Super Premium Ice Cream 15-16% and above, some Tillamook flavors, plus Jenni’s, and Van Leeuwen are some others. I’m going to go out on a limb here and acknowledge that there are many, many, “local” creameries that we all love to visit that make their own Ice Cream and I’m sure that that ‘limb’ will support the notion that the vast majority of these Bastions of Creaminess fall into the Super Premium category, and I’ll leave it at that …. you know who they are!                              

                        There is sometimes a fine line between these categories and having the balance between “overrun” (air!) and butterfat being totally subjective and driven by taste and product costs are as endless as the flavors that are available! So, don’t be so concerned as to where your particular brand falls, just own it!

Ultra-Super Premium – these numbers are unavailable as this level of Ice Cream is only available in Heaven. But…. there is just one place on Earth….. it’s in Omaha, Nebraska and it is Ted & Wally’s coming in at a whopping 20%!

This subject is obviously a very touchy one as we all have our ‘favs’ and will defend them to the end because being passionate about Ice Cream is a good thing and all that really matters is that we enjoy the ones that we devour!

There are several things down here in Texas that border on Religious Experiences just because they are, well, here, in Texas….

– Watching the Bluebonnets emerge alongside the roads each Spring,

– Shopping at H.E.B. the totally Texas-sized and home-grown awesome grocery store chain (coming in at #10 in the National Ranking and it’s only located in Texas!)

– Stopping at a Buc-ee’s any chance you get,

– And, of course, swearing allegiance to and eating Blue Bell Ice Cream (and check this out! It’s still sold in full half-gallon containers!)

Can I get another Hallelujah! (and another ‘scoop’!)

Back in the late seventies when I was in Sales at Ritter Food Corporation, I had an account up on Route 17 in Mahwah, N.J. It was a truck stop, a very popular one as Rt.17 and the N.Y. Thruway met around there and to say it was a busy place would be an understatement. I would make my weekly stop there to get my order and I would sit at the counter listening to the truckers kibitz back and forth, their conversations were always about driving the road. I marveled at the way they all seemed to know every mile of our vast Interstate System that links every state in the Union.

To be honest, I was just a tad jealous of whatever it was that they had that I did not.

                                                Freedom?

                                                Driving those big rigs?

                                                Wanderlust?

                                                Or……. was it just the way that they talked and the clothes that they wore? ……. Big Western Belt Buckles and a drawl that seemed to come straight from the plains of West Texas. Me….sitting at that counter….. just listening….

“Ya know that part of I-10? The one that starts at the exit for the 20?”

                                    “Yea….. in the 80-mph stretch?

“Yup”

“Goin east or west?”

                                    “I was eastbound and this jerk musta not been payin’ ‘tention cuz he shot in front of me ‘cross four lanes, jus’ ta make his exit! I nearly spilt my load all over as I jammed on the brakes and swerved!”

                                    “Yea….. I know the kind but that’s nothin’! Jus’ last week I was comin’ down that hill outa Scranton, ya know the one… It’s in the Harry Chapin song “30,000 pounds of Bananas”……

And their conversations would go on and on and on, just like the highways that they drove, and I was always late for my next stop as I got caught up in my reverie of their travels. Never did I ever dream that I too, would someday be able to recall specific stretches of highway like they were that back of my hand!

                        Yesterday we came through that section of the I-10, in fact we’ve been through there countless times over the past few years as the I-10 is our “gateway” to all parts west of here.

                                                Unfortunately.

                                                Unfortunately, because I-10 is “white knuckler” in a motorhome, as the winds, which routinely gust into the 40-mph range always seem to be a crosswind and that wreaks havoc on our travels. No reveries here, it takes Herculean Forces just to keep us between the lines. There are even numerous signs warning of High Crosswinds. The I-10 runs an almost perfect East/West tangent, and those pesky puffs of pugnaciousness always come from either the North or the South….. a.k.a. crosswinds…. or maybe headwinds.         

We never get the proverbial Tailwind.

Until yesterday.

We departed Desert Hot Springs on Friday morning and decided to try out a new route eastbound. Down again we went past the Salton Sea, right through the heart of the Imperial Valley and all its lush growing fields, and hooked up with the I-8, a rather “shorter-than-average” Interstate as it only runs between San Diego and Casa Grande in Arizona (just north of Tucson). This example of our Interstate System was perfectly smooth, both on the asphalt sections and the nifty-grooved-concrete ones. We liked it so much that we are trying to figure out ways to utilize this highway in all of our trips! It sure would be nice but obviously a tad impractical to incorporate a road between California and Arizona when we’re say, going to Massachusetts…. but it was that good!

Back to our Tailwind!

There were several “systems” that meteorologically effected our travels this past week. Those Mighty Atmospheric Rivers that plague California brought their own brand of ferocity to that area. Our former foray into the San Bernadino Mountains for the destinations of Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead would have been canceled if we had tried just a few days later when they received about 20 inches of Skiing Necessities and the rest of us down below just got rain….. and wind, lots and lots of wind. These systems seemed to flow eastward along with us and fortunately they were Friendly Systems which gave us our Tailwinds. Not just for a few hours…. these guys accompanied us the entire time!

`We usually average about 8.3 (ish) mpg when driving normally. When we get those crosswinds and headwinds it can drop as low as 7.5 mpg. But….. when it’s a tailwind (!!!) it gets as high as 9.5! and our Fuel Guage seems to stop its downward plunge and seemingly hover as our big Cummins diesel motor gets to just sip its beverage of choice as we breeze along not being thrown helter-skelter across the travel lanes!

            It was a joy to travel these past few days!

Except for the snow.

And for the Haboob.

            Well, not really a Haboob because technically you need a thunderstorm and its fierce downdrafts preceding it, kicking up monstrous amounts of sand and dirt, bringing visibility to almost zero.

            We had a dust storm.

            But Haboob is much more fun to say and imagine, so we’re gonna go with that!

            We only encountered a Category 2 (on a scale of 1 to 5) Haboob. I made that up, but it serves a purpose! We did get through (and are now Haboob Certified) a Category 4 in Tucson about four years ago. That one was notable because we had just gone through one of those big, drive-through truck washes and came out the other side all clean and shiny and…… damp. Back onto the I-10 (sigh) we went only to observe the developing Haboob in front of us. There was nothing that we could do. We did survive, the warnings on our phones helped instruct us as to the correct actions to take while driving, but alas, our once (for brief time) bright and shiny motorhome was now brown and dirty as the dust clung to us like we were a dust magnet. (double sigh) See photos from this trip.

Our trip from SoCal to Big Tex is 1356 miles in length and takes 19 hours and 51 minutes to execute (according to Miss Google maps) and though our “mileage may vary” we will use those numbers for illustrative purposes.

I will “illustrate” just how big Texas is and show that it seems like it takes forever to exit or cross this place.

We traveled California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Half of that distance is in Texas!

From California to El Paso Texas is half of that total distance. You think, Ahh, we’re back in the home state but wait! You’ve still got 662 miles to get back to base and that’s not even to the next state border!

            Hence our stop in Fort Stockton, Texas, a veritable stronghold on that infamous I-10. Fort Stockton has been a haven of sorts for us as we’ve utilized various locations here to snuggle in for the night. First it was the Walmart, then we found an RV campground that is only $35.00 a night, full hook-ups. This works really nicely when the temps go up and the AC needs to run and the only way that happens is if we either run the generator (boo!) or hook up to a 50-amp circuit (yay!)

            But there are in-between times and sometimes the Walmart’s can be too noisy. We happened to stumble on a Chevron station just off the I-10 ramp (convenient!) that allowed us to squeeze over on one side as long as we didn’t block any entrances or exits! We are here for our second time this trip…. we do get our fuel here, kind of as a payback, but no one checks anything so it’s just for our peace of mind. In fact, it seems like you could park just about anywhere around here as there are more abandoned buildings and crumbling parking lots than you can shake a stick at! These types of towns, which seem to proliferate along these southwestern travel corridors, are just a vestige of their past.

            They mostly all suffer from the Boom-and-Bust Syndrome, Fort Stockton is no different. Yes, it did start out as an outpost with a small garrison of soldiers. The infamous “Buffalo Soldiers” (regiments of all-Black Soldiers) were stationed here. The Native Americans gave that nickname to those guys as they admired their intensity and stamina, much like the buffalo they revered. Obviously, the name stuck.

 At that time, the place was called Commanche Springs and was the site of one of the southwests best natural springs.

                        Ranching (boom)

                        Farming (boom)

                        Spring ran out (bust)

                        Oil fields (boom)

                        Oil ran out (bust)

                        Railroad came (boom)

                        Railroad left (bust)

I’m not sure what stage it’s in now, but it serves our needs nicely and it is definitely trying its best to garner its share of the Traveling Public as the local Chamber of Commerce is quite active in promoting the likes of the Historic Fort Stockton and the fact that this city is the gateway to Big Bend National Park, even though its about a hundred miles south of here!

            So here we are still eight hours and 381 miles away from Brenham. We may just split that up and stop halfway in Fredericksburg, the center of the Hill Country and home to Texas’s Wine Region, plus a fine number of German-themed restaurants as this town was founded by German immigrants and has held nicely onto its heritage.

            I can hear the Strudel and Sauerbraten calling us from here.

            “Well, that’s jes a fine ‘how-do-ya-do’ Albie! Wait ‘til the boss finds ‘bout this! Yore shur gonna git a good kickin’!”

            “Jeez Frankie! I’ze didn’t do nuttin’! I was jes lookin’ over thar when I guess I shoulda bin lookin’ right heah. But I swears….. I didn’t do a dern thang!

                        That was the start of a long ‘conversation’ back in 1905 when the mighty Colorado River pushed its way past a head gate in the new aqueduct that was being constructed to enable water to flow from the All-American Canal over to the Imperial Valley. The Imperial Valley is one of California’s largest and most prolific growing areas. But it sits smack-dab in the Sonoran Desert which means by definition….. it hardly rains there at all. What great place to put a growing area!

                        Little did Frankie and Albie know that at the time, this calamity would create one of the largest lakes in the country.

                        Oops! The ‘mishap’ took more than two years to fix and when it was all said and done, a very large lake emerged from a depression in the Southern California desert.

                        There was already a low spot there which had been filled, drained, and refilled over the millennia but these projects were overseen by the Big Boss, Mother Nature herself! Not humans and their quirky ways of doing things! Now there was a lake where a large salt deposit once sat and it measured 15 miles across, 35 miles long, and about 80 feet deep! This is large enough to qualify for the #19 spot on the Top Hot100 Hits of Lakes in America, coming in at a groovy 347 square miles!

                        Believe it or not, the lake stayed fairly constant for about sixty or seventy years because the farmers in the area took more water from the Colorado than they used and let the rest just flow down into the Salton Sea. But…. sooner or later, someone got a bit smarter and realized that less water would be needed if new watering methods that conserved water were being used. That’s all well and good unless that realization comes with unwanted/unrealized (?) consequences with somewhat dire results. As the water level of the ‘lake’ started to recede, those old salt flats now also containing the residue of a mixture of pesticides and fertilizers that had run off with all of that ‘extra’ water, dried up and became toxic clouds of dust whipped up by the winds that howl through there on a regular basis. Ouch! Plus, the salinity level increased as the water level dropped making it toxic to most of the fishes in there and confounding the birds that now used this area a stopover in the Pacific Flyway.

                        Couple that with the rest of the story.

                        In the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s someone realized that there was a big body of inland water in close proximity to major Southern California population centers. Little towns sprang up where once there were just cacti and rattlesnakes. Places like Salton City, Desert Shores, Salton Sea Beach, and Bombay Beach. These places were mostly unincorporated sections of land that some developers bought and gridded over with nautical sounding streets (mostly on paper) just waiting for the boom/boon to come.

                        Well, it did come, to some extent, and it lasted long enough to whet some real estate appetites. Folks did come there; resorts were constructed, and even Frank Sinatra once performed in Bombay Beach! Yup, ole Blue Eyes made the 45-minute trip down from his pad in Palm Springs and gave a memorable performance. You can also add in the Beach Boys and Bing Crosby, both were known to frequent the area, if only to have some fun.

                        Then that eventual lowering of the water level and some ugly fish die-offs signaled the end of the short-lived era that was once a glorious time.

                        Let’s fast-forward to today and get to where this is all going.

                        No one really knows!

                        The land in, under, and around the lake is owned in major parts by the Feds, the State, the local Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe, and the Imperial Irrigation District. As you can imagine there are lots of reasons why a consensus can be difficult to reach. Now we’re going to throw the Big-Ticket Item into the mix…. there is about $450,000,000,000 (that’s BILLION if you’re counting zeros!) of lithium under all of this, especially the lake.

                                    This alone could make California’s Gold Rush of 1849 seem like Amateur Hour. It is obvious that there is much more to come, and I’d usually end with something like “Film at Eleven” but I’m not sure that there will be more information by then, so we’ll just say,

“Stay tuned for further developments that may develop in this developing story.”

                        Amen.

California is the land of many opportunities.

It seems that on any given day you have the opportunity to be chased by a wildfire, moved quickly by a mudslide, or be shaken vigorously by an earthquake.

                        Those are the negatives.

                        But……

            There are positives that balance all of those other things out!

 “Like what Mr. Optimistic, a chance to get some exercise while running helter-skelter?”

            Nope! Would you believe that you can be surfing at one of those iconic Southern California beaches like Manhattan, Redondo, or Malibu, and two hours and sixteen minutes later you can be schussing down the slopes of a 10,000-foot mountain?

                        Yes! You too can join the SoCal community of outdoorsy-sports-like folks and zoom(?) from one destination to the next all in one day! Desert Hiking! Mountain Skiing! Ocean Surfing! And everything in between! With only the Traffic Jams to hold you back you can participate in your own variation of a unique kind of Triathlon!

                        By now you have surmised that we are back in California, and we are staying at our stalwart fav, the Joshua Tree/Desert Hot Springs KOA. This is our third stay at this fine location which is just a little north of Palm Springs, and our World Cruise friends, Sandi and Steve (we were here last year and later in September, we visited them up in the Oregon/Washington area where they reside for real, in Vancouver, Washington.

                        We are here for about a week and while we will be doing some things that we have not done before, we will not be jam-packing the days with all things left to be done as this as also a “West and Wewaxation” time.

                        We visited with Sandi and Steve the evening that we arrived to catch up and plan out some of the activities. It was suggested that we take a day and visit Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, both in the San Bernadino Mountains. These are the tallest of several mountain ranges that circle the outer boundaries of the greater Los Angeles area. We heartily agreed, especially me, as it was 60+ years ago that I visited these places when we lived out here. There was no fantasizing this one, I knew that I would recognize very little of what were once a few sleepy little local resort towns.

                        The next morning, we hit the I-10 West and ‘headed for the hills’ as it were, the landscape changing all along the way. These mountains seem to leap out of the ground as the cities that lie at their feet only have elevations that range from 500 to 800 feet. Then as you hit the access roads and start the climb, you can hear Goose yell from the rear, “We’re goin ballistic, Mav!” and as quick as one can maneuver all of the hairpin turns you find yourself up at the lakes which are around 7000’ feet above those cities, with the peaks an additional 4000’ higher! It is quite impressive when down below and looking up!

                        And it is just as impressive when you are up top looking down! We neglected to start early enough to get to the beach for surfing and I guess you could call our walk to the car our “Desert Hike”, but we did not actually get on the slopes either, so you could say that our attempt at that Triathlon fell miserably short of that goal, but we did have an Awesome Lunch, some Great Shopping, and a very nice Circumferential Drive around the Lakes, so in a way, we did have a different kind of Triathlon…. thank you very much!

                When I left you all yesterday, it was with the hopes that my Travel Escapades of a few years ago would not repeat themselves.

                                    Those were the hopes.

                                    The realities were a little different.

                        So, I have Bad News, and I have Good News.

                                    (Always take the Bad News first!)

                        The Bad News is that my Day of Aerial Travel turned into a Nightmare of Significant Proportions.

                                    It started at 10:30pm the night before when my phone signaled that there was a Message. I was sleeping (since 8:00 pm) and it was a message from American Airlines letting me know that they had cancelled my flight for the next day. But they did rebook me, several hours later. This event started a series of catastrophes that rivaled those landslides on Palos Verdes except there were no homes destroyed, or roads upheaved. The only upheaval was to come in the form of my Travels and Tribulations,,,, du jour.

                        My original itinerary afforded me a comfortable layover in Dallas before my next and last flight to College Station. It also worked well because my car needed to be returned by 8AM, so it all fit nicely together.

                                    Hah!

                                    My new flight was now scheduled for several hours later, which meant that my once comfortable, no rush to the gate, layover was getting dangerously close to becoming that old O.J. Simpson run through the airport. On top of that, I still needed to return my car at 8AM, leaving me with a chunk of very un-useful early time at the airport. Oh well, at least I’d be there in order to catch any other thwackets that may be thrown in my direction.

                        Just because I had an overabundance of time, the line to get through Security was almost at a Walk Up and Walk Through status. Of Course. But I did not complain.

                        I made it to my gate with about five hours to spare, but who’s counting? I even had enough time to order an overly expensive and not very good breakfast, definitely not for champions. Finishing, I ambled my way back to my Gate just in time to see that they had changed my departure gate to one on the other side of a different terminal.

                        No worries, I only had five hours to get there. Arriving at my new home away from home and sitting in what I thought was a Place of Significant Advantage (as I was Group 6, and you know how that goes when searching for an overhead bin) I settled in to wait patiently. No that is a lie. I waited impatiently because all of these things happen in three’s and by now I had lost count and was sure that it was either # three or I was, in fact, working on the next set of three. I was not disappointed. My Notifications Ding went off and upon checking, it was a message from Miss American Airlines informing me that my flight was delayed….. significantly. Again, having oodles of extra fore-time, I went in search of the Help Desk which was back on the Concourse that I had just come from. Back down the two sets of escalators, across two sets of long people-movers (I guess under a runway?) and then back up top, I got to the Service Center. Luckily there was not much of a line there and I was able to throw myself on the mercy of the court, and pleading my case to the Judge, she agreed and changed my sentence (oops! I mean ticket! ) to an earlier flight. This only brought up an unasked (and then unanswered) question of why wasn’t I re-booked on this much more convenient flight to begin with?

                        Oh well, no one knows the wisdom of A.I. Algorithms when it comes to actual Intelligence, so not questioning anything, and happy to now have my comfortable layover time back in my greedy little hands, I thanked the Judge profusely and bowed continuously as I backed out of the Service Center.

                        Off to my new Gate with my new earlier Flight Boarding Pass tucked safely in my pocket. Plunking down in another Strategic Location, I waited. It was actually quite a while before Miss American Airlines bugged me again with a Notice of Importance.

                        My gate had changed…. Again.

                        And yes, it was back to that original Gate that I had abandoned oh so many hour(s) ago.

                        Back down the now familiar escalators and people-movers, past the Judge, and finally back to my roots of Gatedom.

                        Ahh, peace at last. It was getting close to “The Time” so what could go wrong?

                        “Ding!”

Your Flight 2762 into Dallas Fort Worth is delayed……

(Sigh)…. Now any semblance of a cushion of time to get from my Arrival Gate (that is in the Northwest Territories of Canada to my Departure Gate which is located in South Africa) has totally evaporated. I waited for the correct gate Attendant to appear in front of me (The guy there now was “Not assigned to that Flight”) and I pleaded my case in the hopes of maybe getting a later flight from DFW into College Station. Nope, I was already on the last one which he pointed out to me had a buffer of time that I did not realize existed just by looking at the Boarding Pass.

            Somewhat assuaged, but not fully convinced we all waited for our plane to arrive at our gate and disgorge its grumpy load of passengers. We waited.

            “Ding!”

                        “Yadda-yadda-yadda”

                        (translation, it’s going to be even later)

            I’m now convinced that unless we latch onto a fierce Jet Stream and break a few speed records, my chances of making that Flight are just about Zero.

            Unless…..

            Unless, that Flight is running late too! The whole freakin’ American Airlines Fleet seems to be running late so why not that one too! Maybe I’ve still got a chance!

            Our Plane rolled up, spit out the flyers, someone went in with a leaf-blower to re-arrange the dust and we boarded. And yes, I was still strategically placed in front of large pillar that ran a pick for me as I dashed to be the first one in Group Six to cross the threshold and enter our Transport.

            Safely bucked into my seat, we waited.

            And waited.

            Here it comes….

            “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain from the Flight Deck. Unfortunately, our co-pilot had to leave for a family emergency and the only replacement that we can get is from an inbound flight. He will get over to us as soon as he lands. That should be around 5:00 PM”

            It is now 3:30 PM, so if my calculations are correct that means we’ll be sitting at the gate for an additional hour and a half. Well, no use worrying about making the Flight this evening, that possibility got shot down like Snoopy going after the Red Baron.

            So finally, here I am at DFW, trying to find a comfortable place to sleep. They did offer us vouchers for rooms, but I politely declined.

            Reason: I am re-booked on the first flight out of here in the morning which would mean that I would need to be getting that jitney bus from the Hotel, get back here, go through Security (again) and all the while knowing that I’d never sleep a wink keeping an eye on the clock. I’ll take a (somewhat) sure thing when I can. Here I am sitting (strategically!) in my seat waiting for the gate Attendant to show up nine hours from now.

I know that I’ll be here!

Whoa, that’s quite the story Donny, but in the beginning, you said that you had Good News and Bad News, and we should take the Bad News first. What in the name of all that’s not on schedule can possibly be Good News?

                                    “Well!” he said in an anticipatorily excited voice…. “When we took off from LAX, we vectored due West which brought us out over the Pacific Ocean just north of the Palos Verdes Peninsula! And…. we used the Peninsula as a turning point, so we went entirely around it, I had a port side window seat and my Trusty Cell Phone Camera on hand, and you all get to see the results and further explanations of all of this!!!”

(sound of crickets…..)

                                    “Hey! Come back!”

“Where’re ya all goin?”

“Don’t ya want to see this stuff???!!!”

“Ah, C’mon back!”

(The crickets get louder and eventually it all fades to black)

++++++++++++++++++++++++

These were all fortuitously taken right at Sunset which illuminated those vermillion cliffs even more. I could not have planned this any better if I had tried!

Now….. that wasn’t so bad now was it!

                                My last full day here in Southern California was fulfilling in a way, but anti-climactic also. One of the last things that I needed to do was find some tidepools. One of our favorite activities back when we lived here was to go down to the ocean and visit the tidepools which, at that time, were brimming with anemones, sea urchins, crabs, little California lobsters and a host of other critters. While these guys live all over the place around here, it is only in the tide pools (at low tide) can they be seen by us landlubbers who only want to get their feet wet and nothing else.

                        I tried the first day to get to an area that I thought would have some tide pools, but the terrain was of such a nature that I knew that I would end up either wet, broken, (or both) and when carrying an expensive camera around, one tends to be a little more conservative when it comes to climbing slimy, wet, pinnacles that fall off into the sea.

                        So, it was a ‘No Go’ for the Tidepool Mission, maybe another spot on another day.

                        Looking at my favorite way to discover cool places, aka Google Maps, I spied a place that had potential, and it was closer to me here in San Pedro. Getting there this morning I realized that this was the spot that we used to go to back in the day! Eagerly anticipating a visit with my little friends, I gingerly made my way out a bit, balancing myself on the small somewhat slimy rocks closer to shore. My goal was the larger and deeper tidepools that were still about 20 yards or so away.

                        Well, that never happened for several reasons.

                        First, as I made my way out, I was increasingly uncomfortable with the footing available to me in my attempts not to get wet. I had no water shoes with me and the rocks and shells underneath my feet made going barefoot a Bad Idea. You know how those Sharks are! One cut, blood in the water and Bam! A Twenty -Foot Great White would find me as I was hopping from rock to rock!

                        Second, as I looked underfoot, I could not find anything that resembled a critter (alive). Now I knew that I still had aways to go but I did remember that there were some little guys even this close in. If there wasn’t anything left to see, then making my way out to the further pools that had even bigger sharks waiting for me, why take that chance? I turned around and started my retreat.

                        A few steps later I looked down and spied some movement! Hah! The little guy thought that he was safe! So, inch by inch he scurried (?) along, taking his home with him. Feeling a kinship with his chosen mode of travel, and I had no desire to eat him, I just snapped a photo, mostly for proof that I did, in fact, see something!

                        I then surmised what had caused my current dilemma and situation. Back in ‘63 there were probably (judging by the number of homes built since I was there) maybe 300% less people living on the Peninsula than now. That means a possible 300% increase in folks looking to do what I was doing, and we all know what happens when Humans start to invade the Haunts of the Wild.

                        They just disappear.

                        This was confirmed a little later when I visited the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium right down the road. Inquiring about tide pools I was directed to the Marine Sanctuary Area when they all went to live after the Invasion. But it was High Tide, so this venture will need to be put on the Future Trip’s Agenda.

                        Back to my balancing act on the rocks. I did make it back to shore with only one foot having found a need to submerge itself for the sake of the rest of the body. Not too bad, it was sunny, and we all soon dried out. I now needed to be content with trying to photograph big waves that were crashing into the outer parts of the ‘reef’ which meant standing still, holding my camera perfectly aimed and hoping to catch the Big One at just the right moment. I was mildly successful, at least enough to show you some examples.

                        While doing this I ran into some new friends, Holly Ann, Ron, and Doug. They were sitting nicely on the rocks having a bite of lunch when I asked them if they wanted a group photo taken of them. They enthusiastically agreed and when I indicated that I would just use my camera (as I was a good thirty feet away) and lens, they posed, I clicked, and then I made my way over to them, sat down and we made formal introductions and an info exchange. I explained that I would go back, process the pics, and email the results to them. We had a very nice conversation, they were ‘locals’, I had my ‘story’, and they shared some chocolate chip cookies with me (homemade) and all was right with the world. Holly Ann took advantage of this situation and reciprocated, sneaking a pic of me sitting there. See results below.

                        It was after all of this that I made my way over to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Which was under construction and/or renovation. The part that was open was very nice, the staff very friendly, and I would put this on that ‘Return To’ list with the tide pools.

                        I am finishing this Post the day after, and today is my Return to Reality Day. Lo and Behold, in this morning’s New York Times, an article about exactly what and where I am visiting popped up with a few graphics that highlight some of the photos from yesterday about the land movements here. I will share them, (complete with annotations by me!) here below.

                        My flight was cancelled, and I was put on another flight that gets in about eight hours later than the first one, which reminds me of a Post from January 2, 2021, named “Is This Any Way to Run An Airline?” If you care to check it out, I promise that it’s a hoot. Just go to the Archives (found at the bottom of any Post (if you are on the Website). If you have the emailed version in front of you, scroll back to the top and click on “Read on Blog” and then scroll down to Archives and choose January 2021.

I hope that you find it amusing and that I don’t have a repeat of that day!

                                    As always, Thanks for reading!

My second day on Palos Verdes Peninsula was not quite as flurry-filled with Reminiscent Reveries as my first day, but then, that may be expected. I drove around a bit more in Anticipation of finding my old Library. I was successful and I am pleased to report that it is better than ever! The building is quite unique having been designed by a noted architect of the day (1925?) and has five different levels. Fortunately, the Keepers of late have realized what a gem they have and have endeavored to bring the spaces back to their original Glory Days complete with original furnishings. I will confess that I remember more of the outside of the building than the inside as there are several fountains and terraces out there that I do remember.

                        I took the liberty of driving (carefully) whilst photographing the road that goes through the Slide Area of Portuguese Bend. This is the section that my two homes were located in, and the area was sliding even back then. It has since worsened and I don’t know if you remember back a few months ago, a very significant slide occurred talking several homes with it. This news did make the national scene, so you may have seen it there. Here the photos of the Roller Coaster Ride that is Palos Verdes Drive South through Portuguese Bend.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

                        After lunch at a neat place by the Library, I went down to Long Beach and the home of the Queen Mary. The Queen Mary (1934) has been docked in Long Beach since 1967, immediately after she retired from her trans-Atlantic service. She has been maintained (?) or at least been tried to be maintained as she has passed through various “Operators”, some better than others. Here is another story from over here that makes national news from time to time, as the condition of the Queen could be much better. The City of Long Bach is her actual owner, and she is leased out to “Operators” who are responsible for her upkeep and incredibly important maintenance. As you may imagine, if business is not quite up to the forecasted numbers, something suffers and that is usually the upkeep. When this issue befalls a ship, it becomes rather catastrophic in proportion. The City Council has since taken more control over the ship and better times are here and hopefully more in the future. I spoke with one of the officers yesterday and he was quite optimistic in his outlook for this. This ship is one of those things that if it ceases to exist, that example of those days of Travel will no longer be available for us to experience as she is the last of her kind.

                        If you are regular reader of this Blog, you know how important Ships and their History, especially Ocean Liners, are to me. So, paying a visit to one of the most famous and revered ships in nautical history was quite a treat for me.

                        And….. I am taking the liberty of showing you the photos of her in a Black & White format. There was no color film back in 1934 so in an endeavor of trying to be Nostalgic (?) I have assembled these here for you. There are a few that I will show you in color, just to illustrate the finer points of the way that they decorated her. It is quite Art Deco as would be expected.

                        So, here for your viewing pleasure I give you,

                                                The Queen Mary

So here I am in Southern California, specifically on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. This is a smallish spot in the Grand Scheme of Locations, but for me it is the epitome of the perfect place to live.

                        And I should know that because I used to live here, way back in the day. I’ve been back here before only for a few hours at a time and always with someone else. So, trying to scope out my old haunts, trails, tide pools, vistas, playgrounds, and bookstores was impossible without that person rolling their eyes at my enraptured reveries that were impossible (for them) to join in with.

In other words…. BORING.

                        So, this activity was added to my PBL (Personal Bucket List) probably the moment that I left here, which was the first week of March in 1964. I do not remember the exact date but if you want me to, I can figure it out. I was then, and still am, enamored with all things Palos Verdes. My Dad’s work brought us out here from a year in St. Louis, before that we spent a year in Atlanta, and before that stint, we suffered year in Detroit, and that was before numerous moves all around the Northeast. It was great fun explaining to people that we were in the Witness Protection Program when trying to clarify the frequency of our moves, but the reality was that my Dad received (earned!) a promotion every year which necessitated a move to a different area. I made a lot of friends back then as I was always the FNG in school, although I do not think we used that nomenclature when we were that young.

                        My venture was decided upon when Paula decided to accompany Danny and Maddie on a trip back to New Jersey to visit Matt, Anne, and Aubrey and engage in a flurry of Family Activities that peaked on this particular weekend. Matt is in several One Act Plays in Madison and Aubrey has her usual Big-Time Swimming Qualifiers for Regions, States, and the whole Northeast.

                        So…. while the Cat’s away, the Mouse don’t stay!

                        He flies the coop for Sunny California!

                        In reality this opportunity plunked itself in front of me and I had to remember that I wanted to fulfill this item on that PBL, so here I am.

                        Getting here is a piece of cake (or Key Lime Pie as you will soon see) as it entails a 35-minute trip to the tiny, but tidy, airport in College Station, flying for 37 minutes to Dallas and then flying the rest of the way to LAX, renting a car and 28 minutes later (no traffic!) I found myself ignoring Miss Google Guidance because I actually knew a better way, and as I passed my old grammar school, feeling relieved that I was in fact, back where I belonged.

                        My goal for the evening was to get to the Coast and a restaurant specifically.

The place is named Nelson’s.

As in Mike Nelson.

AKA, Lloyd Bridges.

Remember Sea Hunt?

Wanna know the How’s and Why’s?

Sea Hunt used Marineland of the Pacific for technical advice and filmed right off of their location here on Palos Verdes. If you remember the series, think back to the closing credits which showed the stern of the Argonaut (Mike Nelson’s dive boat) churning along the coastline which was the cliffs of Palos Verdes.

                        I knew that.

                        Even back then.

This made my connection with Palos Verdes even stronger. The series was shot in the years between ’58 and ’61, and I arrived on the scene in ’62, with Marineland of the Pacific quickly solidifying itself as my Favorite Place on the Planet.

And it was in my backyard.

            But….. (and this is a big one….)

            There is no more Marineland of the Pacific.

            Marineland had what no one else had back in 1987 when SeaWorld San Diego purchased it.

                        A breeding pair of Orca’s, Killer Whales….. Shamu.

                        They came and picked up Orky and Corky and…..

                                    Bam!

Closed it down basically the next day.

I could go on and on with the minutiae about Marineland but let us just leave it here.

But….. as I mentioned, this site was the first stop on Don’s Big Reminiscing Tour of 2025.  Upon visiting I also found out that the present owners of this location have a genuinely nice ‘Wall of Remembrance’ having everything to do with all things Marineland.

So…. my first stop out of LAX was the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and dinner at Nelson’s! It did not disappoint, and I was successful in making the acquaintance of a couple that could help me with my Ultimate Quest and that was to gain access to the location of our second home that we occupied there. This one was in a gated community, Rancho Palos Verdes. It was gated back then and still is today, with the security being a tad tighter than it was back in ‘63.

            I met Cathy and Miles immediately after I exited my car. I asked them if they knew the way to Nelson’s and they invited me along as that was their destination also. We had an enjoyable conversation on the 15-minute walk down to the clifftop where Nelson’s sits. They heard all about my Quest and as local’s, were quite favorable of my decision to come back here. We went our separate ways for dinner, they sat outside by a firepit, me, as a ‘single’ with no reservation on a Saturday night was quite content with my individual small table inside.

When I was finished my dinner (accompanied by that Key Lime Pie) I went outside by the firepit and joined them for a few minutes as a Brainstorm had found its way into my head.

‘Maybe they know someone in Rancho Palos Verdes and could

arrange for me to sneak in!’

As I regaled them with my tale of woe, Miles said that he did in fact have a client of his and he would endeavor to get the Secret Code from him and ‘vouch’ for me. We exchanged all of the necessary info and as they were by the fire and this was a much too nice an opportunity to pass up, I took their photo and said as soon as I was done working it, I would pass it along to them.

            ‘Goodnights’ exchanged; I waited for the Code.

I went back to Nelson’s the next morning for Sunday Breakfast and to see the entire resort in the daylight. While I would rather have Marineland still be there, these folks (3^rd owners since Marineland left) have an incredible spot. The obvious views of Catalina Island and the rugged shoreline just below the cliffs make for quite an experience. This is what I had remembered from the past as the coast, cliffs and views have thankfully not changed one bit!

Shortly after my breakfast was finished the Code came through and I was on my way into the neighborhood that I had not visited for years. It was easy to find our house, the only thing that was different was that this area is now in that dreaded Slide Area that has homes being swept down hillsides and roads buckled and broken with incredible frequency. I parked my rental in front of the house and went to the front door to introduce myself as I did not want them wondering who was outside taking photos and wandering around. They could not have been nicer and even invited me inside for quick (non-intrusive) look. We had a friendly conversation about the way it was back then (they’ve only been there 20 years), I took my photos, roamed the neighborhood, and left satisfied.

I scoped out a few other spots to further check out in the next few days while I was on my way back to San Pedro and my room. Eventually I was on my way to have dinner with Linda and Dan, (Lorelyn’s In-Laws) at an incredible place that could rival Katz’s Deli in Manhattan, and yes, it was in Los Angeles!

Tomorrow is another Day of Exploration, reports to follow!