A New Perspective
November 17, 2025
I’ve seen lots of aerial photos of Palos Verdes, but have never seen one quite like this. This one shows South Redondo Beach and Riviera Village, and the side of the peninsula that we lived on. They caught it on a particularly nice day with very green greens.
I can see Trader Joes, Rock and Brew, the Bull Pen, Miramar Park (we called it something else.. Burnout?), PV Blvd, Malaga Cove School, the PV golf course, and of course our prominent row of trees along the Torrance-PV border.
Nice view of Catalina in the distance.
Deeply Soul Embedded
September 1, 2025
I ran across two photos today — neither mine, just to be clear — that reach down deep. Each represents a place dear to me. Beyond dear… shaping.
The first, taken by Lance Kinney (friend from Valmonte elementary school days), is of Palos Verdes, Bluff Cove specifically. My twice daily view on the way to/from high school…
I mean.
And this one — shot by a stranger, to me, named Andrew Brittain — of Yosemite. While we avoid Yosemite Valley because of its crowds, it is still a thrill to be down there and see such monstrously huge granite faces, peaks and domes. Truly breathtaking. The granite, also a defining feature of the high country, where we do spend a lot of time, is what can bring me to tears. It’s everything.
Amazing pictures.
Both places evoke profound gratefulness for the beauty that is a huge part of my life.
Zen
July 3, 2025
I did not know Zen, other than to know that he was a friend of both Jay’s and Chris’s. I knew he was a surfer and an artist, and liked by everyone. Even way back in high school, he was considered legend.
Three days ago he jumped off the cliffs at Bluff Cove.
I emailed Jay and Chris as soon as I heard the news (via FB), and Chris called right back with as many details as he had. He’d already gathered with others in the tight surfing community of PV to try and process what had happened just hours before. It’s an achingly sad story of someone who was an incredible talent, a friend to everyone, a huge local figure, much respected and so very beloved.. who suffered from depression and just couldn’t beat it.
Jay and I exchanged a bunch of emails as he told me stories of some of their surfing adventures. Chris and Zen collaborated on a number of art pieces and spent decades surfing together in Southern California and Mexico.
His family, including his artist mom Gemma, were a PV institution.
I’ve been perusing his FB page tonight, reading comments from so many people.. and so many people I know.
Here’s a platter that Chris threw and Zen etched. It sat on mom and dad’s living room table for as long as I can remember.
Some of his varied art…
Immediately recognizable! How well I know that view.
I hope he’s found peace.
South Bay Day
March 21, 2025
Man, was I looking forward to a great chill day in the South Bay. And if I didn’t need to venture any further than Palos Verdes: hog heaven.
Whatta shot. Wish the resolution was better, but you get the idea.
Janet and I started the day with an Esplanade walk, and coffee at a different cafe, the Hi-Fi on Catalina. Lovely. Then ambled around the village and wandered into a boutique called Fringes, where it turns out the proprietor knows Chris (that was a fun discovery), and I chatted up an artist whose bracelet I decided I should have (one of many that were on display).
We then headed to the Plaza to meet Dave and Alicia for lunch followed by a tour of their massive home renovation project (they acquired Dave’s parents’ old house on La Selva).
The pic doesn’t do justice to what was a pretty eye-popping home.
I took Janet on a tour of PV, trying to locate some of the monster houses at the top of the hill. We returned to our respective cottages for a bit before heading out on another walk, this one down to the pier. After that we sat on one of mom’s benches — I’ll just call all the benches along the Esplanade Mom’s Benches because she sat in them all, even as she preferred the one closest to Ave I — and watch the sun setting…
We ended up at a new restaurant (this was their fifth night of operation) called Il Posto, next to Turquoise. We had a glass of wine while waiting for Chris to show up:
Dinner was great. Will def go back.
South Bay Tour Day
March 19, 2025
Part of the reason for this trip is to go to Disneyland, and part of it is to show Janet some of my old haunts. Today was a chill day in the South Bay.
We met in the alley behind both of our places at 10:00 and hiked down the Esplanade to the Riviera Village for coffee at Offset.
I’d planned a walking adventure from Torrance beach to RAT to Malaga Cove to the Plaza to our old house and back… but that was not to be, as Janet’s back was acting up, so: shopping instead, then lunch at Turquoise (had a great Kaboudeh wrap).
We each chilled for a bit in our respective cottages then took a driving tour that included my old house, Via Campesina, the Plaza, Malaga Cove, the gazebo, the Neighborhood Church, Bluff Cove, PVHS, the E-ticket portion of PV Dr. West, and then a nice walk at Pt. Vicente
From the Pt. Vicente trail:
A nice view of Catalina.
We then headed to Chris’s. Betsy showed up and then Chris took us all on a great cliff-side walk. Definitely doing that walk again. He got to show me the trail to Indicator (a surf spot) that includes a gnarly hands & knees section that he named Kari’s Corner because it’s the most “alpine” part of the trail.. which he said reminds him of me. Flattered! He’s been wanting to show me that spot for years, so I was glad to see it (though the trail was steep and slippy and I didn’t want to go all the way down to the famous corner, LOL).
My finger’s not exactly pointing to the correct spot. Continue along the trail from where Chris is, then just beyond the spot where the trail seems to vanish is a ledge.. that ledge Kari’s Corner and you have to scooch down — probably on your butt — to rejoin the trail (not visible here). It’s quite a ways yet to the beach.
Here are some shots from the walk along the cliff adjacent to Paseo Del Mar.
Look at these old geezers….
A nice view of downtown LA…
The turnaround spot.. up at the junction of PV Dr. N and Paseo Del Mar. The viewpoint for the submarine races.
We left the Paseo Del Mar trail and headed quickly to Lunada Bay to catch the sunset. And made it!
A beeeeautiful day.
Pacific Palisades, Not Palos Verdes
January 7, 2025
I’ve been getting well-meaning welfare checks from a number of friends about today’s fire in Pacific Palisades — still raging tonight — thinking I grew up there and have family and friends who may be in harm’s way. It is a mixup people in both communities deal with a lot.
I really appreciate people’s concern! (But I grew up in Palos Verdes.)
For now, PV is fine, but PP is not. It’s horrible down there, and not limited to Pacific Palisades; fires are breaking out all over due to 1) the Santa Anas blowing up to 100 mph; 2) the heat that comes with that; 3) the fact it hasn’t rained in months down there and the vegetation is dry and serving as fuel.
I was planning to head down to LA the day after tomorrow to stay with Matt and Michael for 3 days and join them, Chris and Pam for a movie screening (of all things!)… but I will be rethinking this plan.
Here’s a picture Chris took this late afternoon. He’s standing on a cliff in Palos Verdes, looking across the bay at Pacific Palisades…
Life of Wry 