El Camino Real We have just finished our tour of fourteen of the California Missions, meaning that we have now visited all twenty-one full-fledged missions that were established by the Spaniards who pushed north from Mexico into Las Californias to explore and settle this wondrous land between 1683 and 1835. Las Californias consisted of three sections ranging from Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of what we call Baja California up to Sonoma, north…
Summering in Winter I know it’s not yet summer and that we are still two months away from calendar summer, but we have had enough 80-degree days so far this year and that causes me to call this functional summer. We are on our trip up to Mendocino for a few days, spending our first night on Moonstone Beach. Mark Twain is attributed with having said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a…
On Moonstone Beach Three years ago for Kim’s 60th birthday, we brought most of our family and friends together for a special night of celebration. I rented Hearst Castle in San Simeon for a party of fifty (strictly limited to that number). Hearst Castle was the fabled home of William Randolph Hearst, a media magnate of his day and the subject of the Orson Wells film Citizen Kane, one of the ranked best movies of…
Making a Music Video Kim has always had and still has a passion for music. From singing and dancing in the girl’s room in Kindergarten to studying theater at Indiana University to doing the Broadway musical roadshow circuit to playing cabaret to being Board President of Singnasium, Kim is all about music. She is constantly taking classes at Singnasium. Here favorites have been jazz singing and scatting with Gabrielle Stravelli. She is currently taking a…
The State of Grace I am struggling with something. I have lived outside the United States for eleven and a half of my sixty-seven years (17.2% of my life). That was in Latin America (Venezuela for four years and Costa Rica for two years), Europe (Rome, Italy for three years), Asia (Tokyo Japan for a quick three months) and Toronto, Canada for two plus years. I would venture to say that is more foreign expatriate…
The Whole Nine Yards I’m not sure how widely known the expression is, but the whole nine yards has always been an interesting expression. Most people (including me originally) thought it had something to do with football. Ten yards being the first down distance that needs to be covered, it was logical to assume that it had something to do with covering the majority of the remaining distance for a first down, perhaps on fourth…
Back on Mission I am writing this in the few days before Kim and I leave our little hilltop to head north for a postponed trip to Mendocino with our friends Frank and Loretta. We initially planned this trip in the midst of my obsession about the Mission trail through California. We have already visited seven of the missions (San Diego Alcala, San Luis Rey, San Juan Capistrano, San Gabriel Arcangel, San Fernando Rey, San…
Planting Seeds I have set up this week to be a getaway week because I will be traveling next week. It is always more relaxing if I do not have too much hanging over my head when I am undertaking a road trip. That isn’t an unusual sense and many would share that preference, but being the high-focus person that I am, it is an especially important alignment for me. I am one of those…
Normal is as Normal Does Last night we had dinner at C-Level, which is a nicer restaurant on Harbor Island in North San Diego Bay. It is near the airport (SAN) and across the Bay from North Coronado Island, where the U.S. Navy haas a large base that constitutes its major West Coast presence. This restaurant is notable to us both because we like it for its setting and food and because it is the…
How Much is Too Much Now that I have done my “Year in Provence” year on this hilltop, I am faced with the ongoing issue of where to stop and enjoy versus keep improving. It is a very personal decision. Have you seen those quirky houses that someone invariable does a segment on. The sea shell house that has sea shells imbedded in concrete, stone walls and stucco walls is one I recall. The Who…