Month: February 2025

                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!