Life of Wry

We celebrated this guy today:

We, being the Southern California contingent.

Celebration, being graduation and 18th birthday.

Where, being Matt’s and Michael’s great place, always a treat.

Celebration included satisfyingly salty apps, soft pollo & carne tacos, muchos cervezas and other bebidas, birthday cheesecake, cards & gifts—all served up poolside (except for those who played chess in the taxidermy room) on a beautiful So Cal day.

Here are some shots….

Clockwise around the fire pit and under the cabana, we have River, Alexis and John (I only now noticed the matching tatoos)…

John and mom (oh, the expressions) …

Aunt Ellie and Uncle Bud (rockin’ the yellow shirts!)…

On deck, Peter, with twins Dean and Matthew…

At the bar, Matt and Chris…can’t guess the conversation, but three must have been involved…

Poolside, Alexis, River, Sophie, Violet and Joey (Klondyke is MIA)…

A driveway moment with Betsy, Peter and Bev… I know, right into sun, sorry guys…

Cutting the strawberry cheesecake, which started out neatly enough…

but which turned into a bit of a messy proposition…

And one more of this guy, because, damn, he’s cute…

I’m bummed I didn’t get any good shots of Michael, Jim or Maita!  But they were all there, too.. behind people, out of focus, oddly expressioned.

And with that, I believe we have concluded the graduation and birthday celebrations for Mr. Peter Keaton Frame.

It was a chill day for 87-year old mom (and me), and a family/travel day for Jim and Peter.

Eric and Matt are opening up a second Legends, this one on Main Street in Huntington Beach (opening day, Saturday, July 16). Peter and Jim went down to check it out, and hang out with Staci, Kate, Courtney and Ry (the kids are Peter’s second cousins).

I actually took the below shot when mom and I spontaneously dropped in a few days later (more photos to come in a later blog). It’s a good one to post here, though, as it shows the exterior and signage

“Legends” refers to famous sports people. The interior of the restaurant is densely packed with sports paraphernalia, just like the restaurant in Belmont Shores. Michael played a huge role in the acquisition and framing of hundreds of pieces of sports memorabilia (hurray for eBay). It has taken days to arrange all of it on the walls, ceilings, shelves… basically any available surface.

The walls of the new HB restaurant are also covered with TV screens. Here’s a shot Jim took of one small swatch that includes two TV screens, a couple dozen sports souvenirs, and a surfboard (this being HB, there are many of those throughout the restaurant).

There are so many fascinating stories about how this sports stuff gets out into the world, how it changes hands, how it gets valued, etc. It’s pretty interesting looking at all the photos, clippings and balls/uniforms/gloves/pennants/awards. Etcetera. Stories and history everywhere.

There’s already a great story for their annals about ordering the fancy labels for an extensive Tigar [sic] Woods collection of paraphernalia. No head rolling–only eye rolling–as the typo was discovered and then quickly resolved.

It’s also fascinating to hear about the challenges of identifying and telecasting the day’s sporting events–of which there are always numerous, sometimes dozens. The cost alone of setting up the system, the monthly cost of supporting it, and the logistics of projecting the events on screens all over the restaurant is also mind boggling. It’s a bit unfathomable to me the interest, fanaticism, and even the insanity of sports; the atmosphere in a sports bar/restaurant can be electric, thrilling and also scary.  Add crowds and alcohol and you understand why they have an impressively large security staff always on hand, strategically positioned in every nook and corner of the place.

Anyway, Peter and Jim got to hang out with cousins… here’s a shot of Ry, at a restaurant they ate at down the street… (looks like they were paid a visit by a traveling balloon hat maker)…

AND they got a great look at a large restaurant on the eve of its grand opening. So much has to come together–permits, contracts and leases, goodwill building, the space, furniture, decor, the food & drink, supplies, the staff, their training, promotion… Eric is a pro–having done this so many times with so many different restaurants–and Matt’s learned a ton in the last five years, and I have no doubt this Legends will be as ridiculously successful as their Long Beach one.

And Huntington Beach. Wow. Peter is starting to get a sense of what Southern California beach life is all about… from South Bay beaches, to Long Beach, Huntington, and soon the beaches of North County, La Jolla and San Diego. I think he gets that he’s soon to be entering a whole new culture and life.

I don’t think he’s displeased at all.

Who doesn’t love a 7:00am flight? Maybe someone out there, but not me (I don’t not love it). After the initial shock of the 4:00am get up, the rest is awesome.

For example, sunrise from the plane:

Great shadows on mountains:

Got to PV, picked up my mom, and headed right out to breakfast… our new favorite in Hermosa Beach–Uncle Stavros Greek restaurant. Here are a couple of suave guys across the table:

Uncle Stavros is a block from the water, so we walked off a huge breakfast there… along the strand. Mom and Jim.. and the ever fabulous places to live…

It’s a beach scene every part of which I  love.

Mom and I played gin rummy for most of the rest of the afternoon while Jim and Peter explored. They found Trump’s golf course on a particularly scenic part of the peninsula..

Evidently, in return for the privilege of converting prime coastal land to private use, Trump had to provide a ton of public access. Peter and Jim said the trails that surround the course, as well as the dramatic trails along the cliffs, were nice enough. Given the state of current presidential politics, I’m a bit curious as to how those negotiations went. No matter, I’d have preferred the land remained undeveloped.

Yesterday, I helped Vicki hang her show at the I-House. I and three others… takes a lot of hands. It was a photo show of her recent trip to Africa, mostly large closeups of the men, women and children of two indigenous tribes in Tanzania.  It was Vicki’s job to decide how many would fit in the spaces, which ones told the best stories, which would have the greatest visual impact. We were there to provide second opinions, and especially to help with the hook-wire-hanging-rehanging-up-and-down-the-ladder stuff.

(Note to Jim: you would have passed out from frustration.)

(Note to Vicki: not because it was frustrating, at all, but because Jim has a legendarily low tolerance for hanging pictures with anybody, anyhow.)

Here’s a before shot of the gallery, pre-hanging…

Here’s an in-process shot of the kids’ wall. Ray (best neighbor ever) was a huge help. (The monthly art show/reception at the International House was Ray’s idea a few decades ago…it’s been a going concern all these years, and he’s always on hand to help with the set up. Great guy.)

(SO hard to get straight. Note the selection of wires on the table… most of which are not bent, most of which are part of a matching pair..)

And here is tonight at the opening reception:

Vicki in her element…

… among her many friends and fans, sharing photos from her travels, storytelling. Stepping beyond the comfort zone… her first art show ever.

And a job very well done.

Same tournament (District 64  9-10s), different team in the press box…

Long story, but in the end, Peter served as announcer, I as scorekeeper, and the show went on.

Not only did the show go on, but Peter 1) did a great job and 2) actually enjoyed himself.

And it turned into a very nice experience for all concerned. May that long story go where other unpleasant long stories go, and be soon forgotten.

Every year, mostly, I get this great gig… scorekeeping for a Little League baseball tournament for 9-10 year olds, a double elimination competition among the best teams in our broader region–a region known as District 64.

It’s fun on many counts… it was a tournament that Peter played in when he was nine, representing the National League of DLL. When he was ten, he played in the 10-11 division, and he got a chance to play two years at the 11-12 level. The District 64 tournaments were always big for us.

And now I get to be a scorekeeper. Davis typically hosts the 9-10 tournament.. the littlest guys..and it’s always incredibly impressive.  They are such talented, enthusiastic mini-baseball players. It’s like real baseball, just a million times smaller.

I scored two games tonight. No pictures, but in honor, I’ll post a favorite from the olden days…when Peter was that same age.

Or something like that. Who’s counting?

Here are a few shots on the day…

Jim and I started the day eating pancakes with Darlene at the Little League fields, watching micro ball players do cute things.

Tear-worthy many times over.

Chilled for a good part of the late morning, early afternoon, then headed up the hill to attend Rick and Linda’s BBQ at the Flying Fish Mine in Dutch Flat. That is actually the name of their house, designated an historic landmark for reasons I can’t quite remember. I’m sure I’ve written about it before… a very neat old home, beautifully preserved with vintage flair, nestled in pines on the outskirts of downtown Dutch Flat.

Here is our host, who also was honored earlier in the day, I think for the second time, as parade Grand Marshall (note sash). Nothing subtle about Rick’s attire, patriotic from top….

…. to bottom:

There were bunches of folks… a mix of locals, friends, family and work associates…

Rick reserved a table for his former colleagues, all retired California state court judges..

Rick, accompanied on guitar, lead us in an all-verses rendition of America the Beautiful…

Peter and Jim singing along…

Good buddy Jimmy Johnson, always in full smile…

Some standard Fourth of July fare, though I have to say the barbecued turkey was not standard… Rick’s preparation was shockingly moist and flavorful… best turkey I’ve ever eaten.

Took Peter on a mini tour–there is no other kind–of Dutch Flat. We got a look at the parade route through the tiny town center; numerous other front yard parties in progress; sweet woodsy cabins tucked amongst the towering trees, most decked to the hilt in patriotic crepe paper; the charming community pool; the dense forest surrounds. Dutch Flat is definitely old timey and shoots you back to any number of bygone eras. Fun place to be on the 4th.

Here’s a parting shot as we left town. Sun is very low in the sky and we are wondering if we’ll make Davis–a little more than an hour’s drive–by fireworks time (we did, barely).

Firework note: It was dark when we got to Davis, or nearly so. We figured the fireworks would be starting at any moment, no time to settle on a blanket at Community Park, so decided to forgo. But then I decided that maybe I could get a little closer, so headed out on my bike to get a slightly better view than we usually have on A Street. Got to Vets… still no fireworks launched, so I kept going. Ran into Sharon, who was meeting friends, so I parked my bike and tagged along. Still no fireworks had gone off. She was following texted directions from her friends as to their location; we wended our way through the dense crowd, stepping on blankets, stepping over bikes and kids. Finally got to their spot (an impossible objective I’d assumed…), and plunked on a blanket spread with room for all four of us. It was right in front, on the tape line, the vast space in front of us (soccer field) marked off limits–the buffer between the crowd and launching pad. Wow. No sooner did we sit, than we had to rise for the National Anthem. Sat back down and BOOM, off they went. Hadn’t sat so close in years… it was neat to see the explosion at the very same instant I heard the explosion… no distance delay at all! Felt each boom reverberate deep in my gut. Huge smile on my face as I lay there, feeling like I’d gotten the most possible out of that situation.

Any guesses?

As seen on C Street, between 2nd and 3rd, east side….  easier to figure out if I back up..

Peter’s got a similar vine–not ivy–growing beneath his bedroom window, that has left similar tracks on the glass and screen, giving him an abstract view on the world. His look more like railroad ties. It’s very neat.

Heh. Guess what we did today…

Went a-rowin’ down the mighty Putah.

This is that nearly two-mile stretch from the Whole Foods parking lot at the east end, to the riding ring and Oak Grove at the west end, through the UCD Arboretum. That part of Putah Creek.

We couldn’t find anything in the literature that says you can’t do it, so we did it.  Jim’s been working with the University to measure and map the depth of Putah Creek. He’d purchased an inflatable kayak for the purpose and, last winter, had floated up and down the creek performing his official, professional duties. In the meantime, he reported to me (and others) that it was a pretty cool experience. He’d suggested that when the weather warmed up, I (and others) might enjoy a paddle trip. If unofficial.

So, Vicki Smith and I decided to take him up on the suggestion.

This summer, the University is planning to drain a portion of the creek in preparation for much needed renovation, so now seemed a good time to take advantage…

As everyone knows, the creek’s got a duckweed and algae issue:

It looks a fright:

This is a shot toward the west end. This is duckweed growing on the surface of the water. Bit of a problem, yes.

And it takes a bit more effort to paddle through it:

It’s not slimy, but it can be thick. It’s sort of like a billion lentils.

Anyway, back at the east end…

Jim facilitated boat prep and launch…

Steve’s shot of me, Vicki, and Jim.. who appears to be doing all the work:

Steve helped with the put in:

And we’re off!

(Getting used to the paddle; I’m not whacking Vicki in the head.)

Steve positioned himself on the next bridge down and got this great shot:

(Note who’s now got control of the paddle!)

And away we go for a three-hour-tour, a three-hour-tour. 

(It was actually only a 1 1/2 hour tour.)

There were numerous bridge undercrossings:

Some of which included heavy vine growth that we had to negotiate…

The water cleared in some spots and looked like the Putah Creek we all used to know and love:

But mostly it was like this, and pretty tough to get through:

Still, we were happy and had a GREAT time!!  We saw a few people we knew and were the subjects of lots of pointing, laughing and photos!

Here, I’m my own subject…

It took one and a half hours, but we made it (not without a little tiny bit of sea sickness, believe it or not… a function, maybe, of the smell, and slight rocking of the boat).

Here is the take out, which was a lot easier than we anticipated:

We had visions and near expectations of ending up in that water, but nope. It was an easy out. The boat was light and easy to haul out, as well, and we carried it over to the road near the gazebo where Jim met us and took over deflating and packing tasks.

So fun!!

I highly recommend it, not for the thrills, but for the ability to say, “Heh. We kayaked the creek.”

Big doings in Davis. We got brand new–humongous, I might add–bins for our green waste. We can put yard clippings in them as well as all the food scraps that can’t go into our compost (like meat and oily foods). We can put paper items like pizza boxes and tissue into, that typically can’t go into our paper recycling.

They also gave us a counter top container to put scraps into, but we have one already and it’s a lot more attractive than the large plastic box they provided). We’re still trying to figure out manageable systems and routines for all of this, not to mention space for the massive extra bin, but it’s a great step forward for the community.

Note: the one pictured above is on University Ave.