It has been HOT … at least by normal for this area. Saturday it got up to 107 at 7:30. By bedtime it had dropped to 105. That had to have set a record for south Siskiyou County.
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Mark, Paul, and I leave early tomorrow morning for my first trip south in forever. It has been twenty-five years since I was last there.
I will be taking some packed bins with me to leave at Helene’s until I can rent storage space. She and I will begin getting used to sharing living space which we will be doing beginning the 6th of August until I can move into my apartment.
Thursday afternoon Mark and Paul will tour the Tar (La Brea) museum, learning center but not the Pits which are still closed due to Covid. Helene and I will go to Covina to look at my future apartment. We will all meet in the city near the Tar Pits for an East Indian dinner together (Helene knows a great place). On friday Mark and Paul are doing Disneyland and we will be back here on saturday.
My next trip down will be the first weekend in August when I move to Helene’s.
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Another change triggered by this relocation … I had to choose between a desktop landline phone or move into the 21st century and bow to an in-the-pocket phone. I anticipate difficult learning which will start on this trip south. But then, I’m still pretty sharp mentally so it may go easier than I anticipate.
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Back to fire information …
Haven’t been hearing air support for a few days. Guess they’re busy with other fires. There is a new dangerous one east of McCloud in Burney which has already destroyed buildings but is no threat to here.
I haven’t heard train whistles for a loooooooog time. Then I found out why …
One of the few remaining wooden trestle bridges is no longer usable. Got smacked by the Lava fire a few days ago and when the bridge is replaced it probably won’t be wooden. Trains are currently being routed over Donner Summit east of Sacramento so I may not hear train whistles again before I relocate.
Another interesting event … Last wednesday a helicopter super scooper going for a refill at Lake Shastina near the Lava fire had to make an emergency ditch into the lake. Pilot got out and waded ashore ( low water level possible cause of ditching?).
And speaking of low water levels, here’s a look at what the drought is doing to Lake Shasta to the south near Redding ( I have no idea who the guy in the selfie is but he must be from the mid-west somewhere).
The bridge is the I-5 with the train tracks below. That train tunnel which you can see over his shoulder hasn’t been seen for such a long time most folks had forgotten it or never knew it was there.
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And a follow-up to last 7-7 (Sir Richard Starkey’s 81st birthday) … I received this from a friend in Los Angeles …
About ten years ago – Monsignor Weber (Archivist at the San Fernando Mission who was in his 70s at the time of the story) and regional Bishop Wilkerson made their yearly visit to the chapel on Anacapa Island by helicopter (it’s in the archdiocese of Los Angeles).
One of the passengers in the small group was a young man whose name Msgr didn’t know.
“What is your name?” , Msgr asked.
– “Ringo.”
“What do you do?”
– “I’m a musician”.
Then the Msgr asked … “Do you make any money doing that?”
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I am coming down to the wire with packing. My thinking is changing from Depression Kid thinking (i.e. SAVE EVERYTHING, you might need it someday or you’ll find another use for it) to more current thinking (done with it or it’s broken? just toss it and buy a new one).
For Better or For Worse knows all about it.
It is taking a long time for the behavior change (and it still isn’t second nature), but more than eighty years training is a lot to be unlearned.
I’m not good at moving. Packing the kitchen stuff is taking the most attention and time.
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No thought to end this week’s post.
So ‘til next week …
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21 July …
And here it is next week already …
The high heat spell has dissipated and it feels more like “normal”. Temperatures in LA were on the high side of warm, but everything there is air conditioned.
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I have yet to learn how to use the camera function on my pocket computer, so there are no supporting photos for the following. I will learn and post what I see on the next trip.
The road trip was interesting. I did a lot of rubbernecking.
The trip down the canyon was a lot like usual. There are more and more clear cuts visible from I-5 and a whole lot more residential construction on the hillsides.
Magnificent views but …
The scars from this year’s fires were quite visible.
The redbud and dogwood season was over so the scenery was mostly greens and post-burn blacks.
The new bridge near La Moine is rather splendid compared to the old narrow, twisted one.
And the water level in the lake is rather spectacular (see last week’s picture for reference). At Lakehead the river feeding into the lake is a mere creek.
However, in Redding the Sacramento River still looks healthy.
Coming north we could see the smoke cloud from the Baranca Fire south of Tahoe. Fortunately all the fires around this area are essentially out, meaning they are now in areas needing only watching and are being allowed to burn themselves out.
The BIG fire, and it’s not near, is the Bootleg fire in Winema Forest in southeast Oregon which has already burned over 537 square miles, an area larger than Metropolitan Los Angeles and about half the size of Rhode Island, and is creating its own weather.
Climate change? What’s that?
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Other notes about the road trip …
Pygmy goats are the thing. I saw them along I-5, in residence yards and in fields. Guess it’s a good thing they are so cute and pleasant to look at as well as ecologically helpful.
I remember when a lot, if not most, of the “freeways” were separated by oleander bushes. They were pretty, were windbreakers, and kept oncoming headlights from hitting you in the eyes. Most of them are now gone having been replaced by low physical barriers or just wide, unplanted separators. There was a story years ago about hobos using oleander sticks to spear their hotdogs when roasting them over a median fire resulting in two or three deaths (oleander is very poisonous … beautiful but deadly). Maybe that was the reason CalTrans has gotten rid of oleanders. Of course, now it is all your life is worth to try to get to the median on foot.
There are still rice fields which are flooded, but the number is about two-thirds the usual. It seems strange to see those flat, dry areas.
The fruit and nut orchards are a mixed bag. There are healthy looking plantings, dead areas, areas with dead plants uprooted and piled in rows, mixed areas of healthy-looking trees with dead trees mixed in, newly planted areas with what would appear to be drip-irrigation lines, areas where the trees haven’t been pruned into productive configurations and so have unruly tops, trees replaced by grape vines dead – productive – and newly planted, some areas rather heavy with tumbleweeds, areas loaded with ripe fruit falling on the ground (mostly citrus further south, but some nuts and stone fruit) probably due to a lack of harvest workers, and not as many beehives as I remember. Vineyard harvest appeared to be pretty well covered by pickers with lots of fairly new cars and chemical toilets in evidence. Look for fruit and nut prices to go up, but grape and wine prices may be safe, at least for now.
The central valley area is covered with water wars political signs such as “Dam Water makes FOOD”. The irrigation canals in the area are still running, but are below their usual depth. Diamond Lake above the San Fernando Valley is still full, but there was no water going down the spillway into the LA area. The LATimes is warning of impending water restrictions and possible rationing. Already lots of front yards have been replaced with desert landscaping or are browning off.
There are still duck wedges overhead. That was nice to see, but with the ambient noise level they couldn’t be heard.
Amazon is a strong presence in the lower central valley and the LA area with huge “production” buildings (and I mean HUGE … some looked to be acres in size) in more rural areas and warehouses all over the place. Bezos has become, or is the process of becoming, the ruler of a rather large fiefdom with its own laws and controls.
Google is also becoming a large presence in LA. Old time buildings like the MayCo and Bullocks are becoming Google headquarters.
The increase in population is evident in the plethora of high-rise apartment buildings, the traffic situation, and the return of smog … although the smog is not yet back to the density it had when we left forty years ago.
I would not have known I was in LA except for recognizing some of the street names on off-ramp signs. Had I been on my own I would have been lost in a very short time and they might still be looking for me.
One sign of the perilous financial times is the number of homeless settlements ALL over the area with the exception of OLD residential areas where the streets are so narrow with all the street parking (single car garages were the style when those houses were built and so now street space is essentially only one car wide).
Anywhere the sidewalks are more than a person and a half wide there are settlements.
On many of the overpasses across the freeways there are settlements (sometimes on both sides of the street).
The settlements are made up of small RVs, camping tents, makedo structures of tenting material with cardboard and whatever, and some merely piles of belongings and trash. It seems sad that most of those areas are not clean. I guess the current population, like everyone else, has gotten so used to having others do most everything for them they don’t know how to clean up after themselves.
The public places seem to be clear however and big venues such as Griffith Park have round-the-clock security. I was told the PD keeps a close eye on the homeless “cities” although it is impossible to clear them out.
The other security issue currently requiring security is increasing anti-semitism. Jewish temples and shules have full time guards.
One pleasant aspect of being back in that area was the number of Bougainvillea vines and Jacaranda trees, even yards with citrus trees.
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The reason for the trip south, other than for Mark and Paul’s Disneyland day, was for me to scope out what will be my new digs and to reconnect with Helene.
The stay with Helene, while awaiting my final move, will take a bit of adapting for both of us. Her husband is mostly mentally gone due to an inherited neuro disease, so essentially we are both widows and can mostly please ourselves. She is a late evening/night person (midnight is normal) and I am a rural morning person (I wake up around five). So I’ll stay up with her until 8:30 or a bit after and do my regular morning stuff (Mark will have installed my computer during my interim stay) while she sleeps in. In addition, Helene INSISTS I will learn how to play MahJong.
One day Helene and I made a trip to Covina to look at the available apartments and choose the one I want held for me, My unsecured debt of $2,1530 which was incurred during the caretime with George and which is $1530 over the $2,000 allowed by the residence for admittance is in resolution action with a recalcitrant debt holder and is all that is delaying my move. As soon as that is resolved (prayers and positive affirmations gladly accepted) I will make my final move.
My choices were between the regular floor plan and a new plan. The new plan had a walk-in tub with only a handheld shower and the closet opened off the bath area … both “no” for me.
The regular floor plan was much roomier than I had anticipated and the “patio” area was much wider. I will have a place to take my morning tea and just sit outdoors. It will suit me well.
Four units in the old floor plan were available … one facing south, one facing west, and the others facing east. The south-facing one was out, as was the west-facing one, both because of exposure to afternoon heat and glare and to my morning affinity. I chose the east-facing one I wanted. I will have morning sun and afternoon/evening shadow. The view will not be maximum for a year or so, but is more than acceptable (more about that in a later blog). The large grass and tree area to the west is more widely used by residents and visitors and so, although it is a larger green area, apartment patios are more public.
There is a good-sized rose garden beside my path to the dining area (which is designed like a mid-class restaurant with tables for four and offers three choices of dinner entree each day) as well as to all the facilities (gym, craft area, beauty shop, etc.). The rose garden doesn’t have a “Peace” rose but when one of the current bushs dies, as all plants do eventually, I will pay to replace it with a Peace, one of the roses my Dad helped develop.
Available facilities are mixed …
The library is a no-go … too many westerns and romance novels for me. I’ll set up some method to use the LA County system at the Covina branch.
The gym attendant is also a fitness trainer.
The beauty shop denizen does pedicures. I may start doing a monthly visit for a hair trim and manicure in addition to the pedicure. Go fancy in my dotage.
There is a driver and transportation available (for medical and dental appointments, etc.) which I will explore for trips to the library for mysteries and fantasy and history books, a grocery store for personal desires, the local LDS church for genealogy research, and who knows what else.
An in-house medical staff is always available.
And there is a high octane “housemother” (always moving in fourth gear or overdrive) who has been more than helpful throughout this process.
Overall, this community would seem to have no resemblance to what has been termed an “old-people-warehouse”.
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My local farewells are down to two. I had brunch with Sara monday and she says she will be coming down to visit. That leaves only my librarians.
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I doubt there will ever again be such a long blog. However, for all of us now, here’s this week’s reminder …
Wherever you’re going, you’ll get there. But right now you are here … enjoy. Happiness is the result of the way you see life.
So, ‘til next week …
