The big news is that I am no longer at Hubbard College. It has become time to get serious about my future and staff pay at the college wasn't going to take me where I need to go.
So I'm working hard at getting my first two eBooks published!
On Tuesday June 8, I went to a really good seminar by a panel of four top entertainers at the Garden Pavilion of Celebrity Center International. Got some real gems of tips to help with my creative work.
The following day, Wednesday June 9, I went to dinner at the Granville in Burbank with my friend Suesan W., who was down in Los Angeles from Las Vegas for three days on business.
Her daughter, Wendy and husband David are expecting their second child early next month - a girl this time.
On Saturday, June 12, I drove to Tarzana to visit my friend Joe L. in his new house and from there we went out to lunch at a Japanese restaurant and then went to see the movie The "A" Team. It was wild action and very funny with great characters. Then we did some food shopping and I drove on home to Los Angeles again.
Roman, the son of my ex-room mate from Argentina, Marcelo N., had his 6th birthday on June 15 and then Marcelo's wife, Maria, had her birthday on June 17. As they live out of state in Arizona now it was just long distance good wishes to them both. Marcelo posted his first YouTube video of his recent visit to Argentina and motorbike tour through the country. It was great to see the fun he and his two friends were having.
I had a very excited call from Florida from a Japanese friend, Hiro, (one of my ex-students) saying that he had attained the state of Clear. That was so wonderful to hear.
Friday, June 18, I had dinner with my friend Jackie K. and her son, Rex, at the "Home Restaurant" close by. We always have a good time catching up on what the other has been up to.
Saturday night, June 19, was an outing for "the four stooges". I went with friends Marie H., Christine M., and Joe L. to Santa Monica Pier and had dinner at the Mexican restaurant at the very end of the pier. We sat outside viewing the Pacific Ocean and had a great meal and a lot of fun. The four of us used to work together and have stayed in touch ever since. When Marie and I are together we are like a couple of kindergarten kids and roar with laughter at each others wise-cracks much of the time. Joe and Christine just look at each other and say "there they go again!" After the meal we went to the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade (no traffic, walking street) and looked at all the expansive things we would like to buy. Then we were ready to come back home again. It was a fun night.
Sunday, June 20, I went to a seminar with my friend Sue Z. on "How to live a beautiful life." It had some really useful and applicable data.
My sister-in-law, June (oldest brother, Des' wife) in Australia had her birthday on Tuesday, June 22. June has the most wonderful sense of humor. There's a possibility I will be visiting them later in the year along with my younger brother Warren and his wife Lyn and my sister Maureen (oldest of us four siblings) and her husband Wally, all from New Zealand.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 I went for my four-monthly doctors check and everything was boringly normal as usual. It seems like just a required social formality for Dr. Celo. He's from the Philippines. He always seems a bit disappointed that there is nothing wrong for him to "fix".
I've had email communication from friends: Elena K. in Russia, Matteo in Italy, Lynnaire in New Zealand, Takahidi in New Zealand and siblings in Australia and New Zealand as well as many friends here in the USA.
Yesterday, Saturday, June 26, I went for my usual bike ride and a couple of hours basking in the sun and then in the evening went to dinner with friend Sue Z. at the other Granville restaurant in Glendale. We both had a very yummy turkey salad and our usual good conversation and then we walked around the huge Americana (outside mall) and enjoyed the musical fountains displaying, etc., before heading off our separate ways.
Today, Sunday, June 27, I drove up to the Griffith Observatory and then did a long walk up one of Griffith Park's many hiking tracks, meeting lots of cheerful people (and lots of friendly dogs too).
I have to meet another friend, Simi V. in the morning to loan her some acrylic paints and brushes.
That's about it for this entry.
My love to all who read this.
Barry
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Memorial Weekend end of May 2010
I got on the road finally at 8:00 pm Friday night, May 28, 2010, and headed north on the 101 Hollywood-Ventura Freeway to Ventura and found Ventura Harbor and also had time to check Channel Islands Harbor a bit further south again at Oxnard, before setting up camp for the night in the back of my wagon back north, in the parking lot at Ventura Harbor.
Unfortunately I was disturbed at 3:00 am by security telling me I was in a no-camping area so I moved to the boat-ramp parking lot and wasn't disturbed for the rest of the night.
In the morning, Saturday May 29, 2010, the rest-room facilities were adequate to get shaved and washed up for the day and I then drove back north to the Ventura Harbor parking area and made breakfast before I went to Island Packers, the company that runs the boats to the Channel Islands.
Island Packers told me there were no available seats to the islands that day due to the long weekend and people booking ahead. But after a lot of maneuvering I managed to find a seat for the next day, Sunday and booked passage to Santa Cruz, the closest island.
Not prepared to wait around the whole day Saturday, I found that the tall ship, a schooner, "Bill of Rights", was going out for a four hour sail, leaving at 1:00 pm, and that there was a seat available. So I booked on that for a bit of additional adventure. Both my trips were going to leave from the Island Packers Office further south at Channel Islands Harbor - back at Oxnard - so I headed back there.
I was in luck with the weather! We left harbor at 1:00 pm and headed out into a beautiful sunny but very windy day. Perfect weather for a schooner under full sail. We cut the engines as soon as we got out of the harbor and the passengers got to help hoist the three huge sails as we got under full sail. It was glorious! The crew couldn't stop raving about what a perfect day it was for sailing - one like they had not experienced for many months.
I took dozens of photographs and spent most of the time on the very bow (front) of the ship as she careened through the beautiful blue waters giving us spectacular views of the Channel Islands.
We returned and birthed again about four and a half hours later. What a wonderful exhilarating day!
I got into my wagon and headed back north to Ventura and found the city center and the wonderful Natural Food Restaurant and had a great meal - a change from all my own food that I'd been eating until this point.
Then I went directly across the street to "The Downtown", a 12 movie complex, and saw the movie Prince of Persia - highly enjoyable and highly recommended - a wonderful fantasy of both adventure and romance.
I camped in the back of my wagon that night (Saturday) back south in the parking lot of the Channel Islands Harbor and was not disturbed.
In the morning, Sunday, May 30th 2010 I was up early and cleaned up and breakfasted and was at the Island Packers office at this Channel Islands Harbor location at 8:15 as required for our 9:00 am departure.
As soon as we got out of the harbor in our two-tiered, fast motor-ferry we hit dense fog and ran by radar and fog horn blasts for the one hour crossing to Santa Cruz island. In spite of the wet fog and the cold I stood at the very bow of the boat for the whole crossing, thoroughly enjoying the wave-motion and speed and hoping fruitlessly to see some sea-life.
As we reach the island, magically, the fog cleared and presented a beautiful sunny day. We disembarked at Scorpion Anchorage and had to climb up a ladder to the pier as the boat captain (and his dog) kept the engine running to hold us against the pier - and off we went for an exhausting day of long hiking trails - but with exquisite views!
I ate my packed lunch overlooking the magnificence of Potato Harbor and its barking-seal colony with amazing views of Santa Rosa Island and Anacapa Island. After a good rest and lots of photographs I headed back along the long trail via the island camp ground to the beach near the anchorage where we left the boat, "Islander".
After an hour in the sun the Islander arrived to take us aboard again - and down the ladder backwards we went and onto the deck and our homeward journey.
Again I stood at the bow for the entire trip, hoping to see and photograph dolphins and whales but we didn't have the luck the other boats had that day. What we did see, however, were New Zealand Mutton Birds. They were so stuffed with fish they couldn't get into the air and had to get out of our way flapping and running on the water with their wings hitting the water with loud slaps. They migrate for greater distances than any other bird on earth and have to eat for days to build up energy reserves for their long flights.
We did see more seals as we reentered harbor and made our birth at about 5:30 pm.
I drove back to Ventura and had dinner again at the same Natural Food Restaurant and then again went across the road for a movie - Robin Hood - again highly enjoyed and highly recommended. It was not the known story of Robin Hood but a pre-story of how he came to be Robin Hood.
Back I went to Channel Islands Harbor to camp the night - again undisturbed - and in the morning after cleaning up and having breakfast I decided I wasn't up to another island adventure after the exhausting hours of hiking the previous day - so I decided I'd drive further north to Santa Barbara. I got part way there and found a beautiful sparsely-populated beach, Loons Beach, and spent 3 hours loafing in the sun. I did then drive the rest of the way to beach-city, Santa Barbara, but was so tired I didn't even get out of the car - just turned round and got on the 101 Ventura Freeway back home, arriving late evening after having driven only 202 miles the entire 3-day weekend.
I unpacked my wagon, put stuff away, made dinner and went to bed.
It was a magnificent adventure. I'll visit the other 4 Channel Islands in the future. It's made me want another trip to Los Angeles' own Catalina Island again soon too!
Until next time.
Love to all,
Barry
Unfortunately I was disturbed at 3:00 am by security telling me I was in a no-camping area so I moved to the boat-ramp parking lot and wasn't disturbed for the rest of the night.
In the morning, Saturday May 29, 2010, the rest-room facilities were adequate to get shaved and washed up for the day and I then drove back north to the Ventura Harbor parking area and made breakfast before I went to Island Packers, the company that runs the boats to the Channel Islands.
Island Packers told me there were no available seats to the islands that day due to the long weekend and people booking ahead. But after a lot of maneuvering I managed to find a seat for the next day, Sunday and booked passage to Santa Cruz, the closest island.
Not prepared to wait around the whole day Saturday, I found that the tall ship, a schooner, "Bill of Rights", was going out for a four hour sail, leaving at 1:00 pm, and that there was a seat available. So I booked on that for a bit of additional adventure. Both my trips were going to leave from the Island Packers Office further south at Channel Islands Harbor - back at Oxnard - so I headed back there.
I was in luck with the weather! We left harbor at 1:00 pm and headed out into a beautiful sunny but very windy day. Perfect weather for a schooner under full sail. We cut the engines as soon as we got out of the harbor and the passengers got to help hoist the three huge sails as we got under full sail. It was glorious! The crew couldn't stop raving about what a perfect day it was for sailing - one like they had not experienced for many months.
I took dozens of photographs and spent most of the time on the very bow (front) of the ship as she careened through the beautiful blue waters giving us spectacular views of the Channel Islands.
We returned and birthed again about four and a half hours later. What a wonderful exhilarating day!
I got into my wagon and headed back north to Ventura and found the city center and the wonderful Natural Food Restaurant and had a great meal - a change from all my own food that I'd been eating until this point.
Then I went directly across the street to "The Downtown", a 12 movie complex, and saw the movie Prince of Persia - highly enjoyable and highly recommended - a wonderful fantasy of both adventure and romance.
I camped in the back of my wagon that night (Saturday) back south in the parking lot of the Channel Islands Harbor and was not disturbed.
In the morning, Sunday, May 30th 2010 I was up early and cleaned up and breakfasted and was at the Island Packers office at this Channel Islands Harbor location at 8:15 as required for our 9:00 am departure.
As soon as we got out of the harbor in our two-tiered, fast motor-ferry we hit dense fog and ran by radar and fog horn blasts for the one hour crossing to Santa Cruz island. In spite of the wet fog and the cold I stood at the very bow of the boat for the whole crossing, thoroughly enjoying the wave-motion and speed and hoping fruitlessly to see some sea-life.
As we reach the island, magically, the fog cleared and presented a beautiful sunny day. We disembarked at Scorpion Anchorage and had to climb up a ladder to the pier as the boat captain (and his dog) kept the engine running to hold us against the pier - and off we went for an exhausting day of long hiking trails - but with exquisite views!
I ate my packed lunch overlooking the magnificence of Potato Harbor and its barking-seal colony with amazing views of Santa Rosa Island and Anacapa Island. After a good rest and lots of photographs I headed back along the long trail via the island camp ground to the beach near the anchorage where we left the boat, "Islander".
After an hour in the sun the Islander arrived to take us aboard again - and down the ladder backwards we went and onto the deck and our homeward journey.
Again I stood at the bow for the entire trip, hoping to see and photograph dolphins and whales but we didn't have the luck the other boats had that day. What we did see, however, were New Zealand Mutton Birds. They were so stuffed with fish they couldn't get into the air and had to get out of our way flapping and running on the water with their wings hitting the water with loud slaps. They migrate for greater distances than any other bird on earth and have to eat for days to build up energy reserves for their long flights.
We did see more seals as we reentered harbor and made our birth at about 5:30 pm.
I drove back to Ventura and had dinner again at the same Natural Food Restaurant and then again went across the road for a movie - Robin Hood - again highly enjoyed and highly recommended. It was not the known story of Robin Hood but a pre-story of how he came to be Robin Hood.
Back I went to Channel Islands Harbor to camp the night - again undisturbed - and in the morning after cleaning up and having breakfast I decided I wasn't up to another island adventure after the exhausting hours of hiking the previous day - so I decided I'd drive further north to Santa Barbara. I got part way there and found a beautiful sparsely-populated beach, Loons Beach, and spent 3 hours loafing in the sun. I did then drive the rest of the way to beach-city, Santa Barbara, but was so tired I didn't even get out of the car - just turned round and got on the 101 Ventura Freeway back home, arriving late evening after having driven only 202 miles the entire 3-day weekend.
I unpacked my wagon, put stuff away, made dinner and went to bed.
It was a magnificent adventure. I'll visit the other 4 Channel Islands in the future. It's made me want another trip to Los Angeles' own Catalina Island again soon too!
Until next time.
Love to all,
Barry
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