My soul is a broken field, plowed by pain. -Sara Teasdale, poet (1884-1933)
Hi, Corinne and Patrick!
We are at Daikichi, Yakitori restaurant now. They say hello! Picture taken with I-pad. Tomiko and Toshiko
Thanks for the great picture. It was wonderful to see you all looking so well.
We are excited that Toshiko will be in California. We arrived at Ayn's yesterday and will be house sitting for her cousin until Jan. 10th and then driving to Dallas and New Orleans.
Hopefully we will be able to meet up.
Happy Holidays to you all, Love Corinne
Hi Tomiko and Toshiko and Famiglia!
We just arrived here yesterday afternoon! Much to tell but it would be wonderful if we could meet you, Toshi, in San Diego, when we are driving to Yuma, Arizona, probably on or about January 10th. Let us know what your plans will be and we can try to arrange to get together.
What wonderful memories the picture you sent, Tomiko, bring back! Everybody looks so well! Please give our fondests regards to one and all we wish everyoney a Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year! Cheers, Cora Lee and Patrizzio!
I just waxed this!! Yup that's right we wax at work. — at Granville Island Brewing.
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet (1807-1882)
- Patrick James Dunn French wine and cheeses, soft summer breezes! We don't need no stinkin' weapons, automatic or otherwise!
Hi Corinne and Pat,Not sure where you currently are but suspect you may be with Ayn?Wherever you are best wishes for a happy and enjoyable Christmas and New Year; if you are with Ayn please give her a big hug and kiss from us.We are having Christmas lunch with Don and Anne and then supper with Mark and Bree so it’s going to be a busy day with not too much drinking for me!It’s our 45th wedding anniversary this weekend and Tina has arranged a special celebration but won’t tell me what it is – it’s messing with my brain!Fondestos to all – stay safe. Love Tina and Trevor
Hi TNT!
We arrived here yesterday afternoon! Left Vancouver last Wednesday and stayed overnight in Portland with Marilyn and Michael. (Michaelo would love itif you are able to bring him as many copies of Australian Geographic, [I believe you brought some issues once, at least, before.], as you can manage!) Next day drove to Healdsburg for three nights of fun-filled, wine-soaked adventures. Next two nights in Berkeley with very good friends, Nancy and David.
Drive south to LA went well, compared to trip in 2010 when it was raining so heavily that wipers could barely keep windshield clear, even on highest setting. Fortunately, for us, was clear and wonderfully sunny and dry but can't even imagine what it would have been like if it had been pouring down this time as it was convoy after convoy of semis for most of drive on I 5 proper. At any rate, all we had to worry about was The Attack of the Killer Tumbleweeds! Wind was so fierce that it blew countless numbers of the pesky plants across the highway, from time to time. The small ones presented few problems but there were a number of very large plants that were more than a metre or more in diameter and I was quite worried about what might happen if such a one blew up onto our windshield after a slightly smaller one hit the left front fender and parts of it stuck into the grill work.
Quite a "smack" when it hit the car and I wondered if it might have scratched or even dented something. About a quarter of the plant stayed with us for about 15 minutes until the airflow and motion worked the clinging dry branches loose. When we stopped at a Rest Area, an hour or so after being "impaled", I was happy to find that no permanent damage had been done. When under "attack", I did notice that some of the tumbleweeds had clumps of dark earth still on the shallow roots and I supposed that there might well be small stones embedded in the tangle of the lower branches.
Quite disconcerting, Dear Reader, as it was impossible to take evasive action, most of the time, when the Kamikazi Weeds hurled themselves across the roadway as the bumper to bumper semis meant it was virtually impossible to swerve out of the way. Another reason for worrying about what might have happened if one of the larger plants collided with the windshield and I couldn't see, if only for a few seconds.
[World War II ended, unofficially, on August 14, 1945, when Japan surrendered to the Allies. The announcement reached people far and wide, and the effect was overwhelming. For example, the iconic photo of a sailor dipping and kissing a woman in Times Square happened when the Japanese surrender was announced in New York. For someone involved in the war to be unaware of its end seemed impossible.
Seemed -- but wasn't. Hiroo Onoda, pictured above, carried the Imperial Japanese cause forward until 1974.]
In late 1944, Onoda, an intelligence officer, was deployed to the Philippines. He was a saboteur of sorts, ordered to find and carry out ways to hamper Allied (typically American) attacks on the island before they could happen, including destroying the airstrip and the pier at the harbor. He was also instructed to fight to the death, or, more accurately, Onoda was ordered to neither surrender nor take his own life. His commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, vowed to Onoda that "whatever happens, we'll come back for you." Onoda took that order and promise quite literally.
Had a Japanese student (or, more correctly, dropout with wanderlust) not happened upon Onoda in February of 1974, the solider would have likely lived out his final days somewhere hidden in the Philippine wilderness.]
Fortunately, nothing remotely disastrous occurred and we made it safely and easily to Ayn's new neighbourhood on the boarder of Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks. Once we unloaded our heavily laden car, (Five cases of wine alone!), and settled in, Ayn was back from work and we enjoyed a wonderful Lebanese take-out from Carnival, a popular place in Sherman Oaks, halfway between her office, in Studio City, and home, Woodman Place Apartments, of large Mediterranean Salad, (Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, olive oil, spices and lemon), dinner; large order of hummus and falafel, washed down with a David Coffaro 2010 Block 6 Zinfandel, 15.7%. Watched Love Actually after dinner, one of Cora Lee's favourite Christmas movies.
Day was bright and clear this morning so I decided I would explore the dedicated bike path which runs parallel to the Orange Line Busway and runs for a one-way-trip from North Hollywood to Chatsworth Metrolink Station, (not all that far from where Ayn used to live in Northridge, on Zelzah), of about 29K. Before we watched the movie last night Ayn and I took a short stroll, only a block or so, down Woodman Avenue to Oxnard, to show me where to find the bike path. Even a decent bike lane on Woodman so I couldn't believe my great good fortune. I set out around 10:20am and quite enjoyed discovering the new territory. Dedicated roadway is simply terrific and not at all busy so had it all, for the most part, to myself for most of the ride.
A few other "serious" cyclists, some pedestrians and even fewer dog walkers. Just west of Sepulveda, the bike path dips down to join a service road to get under the 405 and the overpass forms quite a large sheltered area. I noticed, on the way out, that there seemed to be a small "village" of what I gathered were homeless people there and on the return leg noticed that there were a couple of strings of Christmas lights wound around the railings on the top of the concrete retaining wall that runs the full length of the freeway above. As far as cover from the rain, I can't imagine a better spot. Not sure about shelter from the wind however as it was so strong that I literally had to gear down to lowest setting in high when I turned turned north to parallel Canoga Avenue. Don't think I've ever experienced such gale force winds, even on rides out to Iona. Of course, I was literally sailing along, hell bent for leather on same stretch, once I turned around at Chatsworth. As I approached one intersection I was going as slowly, short of stopping, as possible, and the wind literally swept me along, so all I needed to do was use my brakes to control my advance!
Back home at about 1:10pm with 56.3K over 3:01:04, AVG 18.6KPH, 46KPH, (on the flat with wind at my back!), to shower and change before Cora Lee and I headed out to Macy's on Riverside Drive, only about 10 minutes away down Woodman. We did some CHristmas shopping there and at Ross next door and then to Trader Joe's just around the corner. Back home we unloaded our haul and while Cora Lee read I made a salad and fried up some turkey/chicken basil infused sausages.
Jennnifer and then Both A Hard Days Silent Night at Open Fist
BOTH is a new musical that tells the story of the Nativity using 23 Beatles songs:
Not a single word is changed!
The story is told by Father McKenzie and a cast of 16
(including Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, 3 Wise Men, Angels, Shepherds, The Taxman and King plus a Gospel Choir.
The book of the show is written by Mark Wilson,
with musical arrangement by Jason Paige.
- Patrick James Dunn I guess you'll be happy with the huge Prime Rib we'll be having for Christmas Day!
Chloe Alexis Dunn i might just have to taste test it......
- Chloe Alexis Dunn and i get to wear the snow boots i bought last February that my family teased me about buying!!!!
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