Down the road from the Beach Boys

I remain a Beach Boys fan. I first heard them in 1962 and was drawn to their melodic style and depiction of the Californian lifestyle. We are a few miles away from Hawthorne, their hometown, and the source of their early life experiences.

Looking over the beach, I can imagine their generation getting to the beach at every opportunity to surf. Each morning I take Ginn out early and looking down 43 Rd Avenue I see these little dots bobbing in the water. Of course these are addicted surfers trying to catch a wave.

There is only 1 surviving Wilson brother, Brian. Carl died of cancer in the late nineties, Dennis drowned while fishing prior. The price of genius is never zero and Brian’s magic with writing, composing and engineering had a background of mental illness and the brothers had an physically and mentally abusive Father. The other members, Al Jardine and Mike Love survive. It is fair to say relationships between band members were tumultuous; the music however remained groundbreaking.

I felt a need to drive to Hawthorne High School where the Beach Boys cultivated their band. I have a few photos to prove that I was there!

Later in the day we hosted the Kent clan and I found out that Dan’s wife Susie had attended the same High School, a fact I had never known! 

 Susie pictured here, pensive as she reflects on her time at Hawthorne.

The school now is fenced and recently has had a history of gang violence. Nevertheless the playing field, the gym and the football field were very evident and hopefully reflective of the Beach Boys song….” Be true to your school”

The first few days in LA

 

Deborah’s eldest sister Judy and her husband Connie have lived in their home for 40 years. You would never know it as Judy has a wonderful eye for colors and decorating , and updates have been frequent. Our first dinner was with Deborah’s other brother Dan and his wife Susie, nephew Tony and his wife Sandy, hosted by Judy and Connie. A lot of stories and laughter.

We took possession of the condo at Manhattan Beach on Tuesday, March 17. Although a little tired it has some nice views, is close to the beach, and a short drive from the Torrance Kents and UCLA.

An inviting view from the dining area to the deck

The view from our deck

The view from a walking path, the bike path in the foreground

 Walking along the Strand, the walkway near the beach, I have been struck by some of the architecture as well as the proximity of living area to the walk ways.

Later that night Deborah’s brother Ted and sister Cecelia arrived from Toronto. As you read this you may be reminded of the magician pulling repeated rabbits out of a hat! For this trip, we are at quota, the other siblings; Susan, Chris and Robert remain in the cold and snow.

The next day , Dan, Ted and I played El Dorado Park golf Course, it was designed by golf legend Ted Robinson, Sr. and built in 1962, measuring 6,921-yard, par 72 is home to the prestigious Long Beach Open and was ranked among GolfLink’s Top 100 Golf Courses in 2008. I believe it was one of the venues of All Star golf, which ran from 1957-63. A classic golf course with no gimmicks, highly enjoyable.

That evening we celebrated St Patrick’s Day a day late with brisket, green mashed potatoes and cup cakes I am sure were laced with Irish whiskey.

Cecelia ever skeptical

Sue and Dan Kent

Lawyer Kent using words and gesturing, a technique in court presentations unique to Quebec Grads

Susie Kent, Dan’s wife has been so hospitable. She set lent us her van, complete with bikes and bike rack. Ted, Cecelia, Deborah and I cycled from Redondo Beach north to Manhattan Beach. A return trip of 15 miles, on pristinely kept pathways exclusively for bikes. We felt like real Californians.

Deborah and Cecelia with pre ride maintenance

Ted, pre ride readiness

Hugh,Deborah and Ted during a brief break

Ded and Cecelia at Manhattan Beach

The sun keeps shinning and the temperatures are ideal. Tonight (March 20), daughter Catherine flies in, she will stay at Hamish’s tonight and we will all meet for breakfast at UCLA

To Calistoga and Carmel and LA

 

To Calistoga and Carmel and LA

The drive to Calistoga was relatively short and again we experienced excellent driving conditions. Our route took us further down the coast and across another classic bridge at Coos Bay. The bridges we have crossed during this trip were all designed by Conde McCullough who designed 17 bridges in Oregon when he worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The bridges were constructed between 1921 and 1936, and were important in the completion of route 101.

I have crossed the Coos Bay bridge many times on our annual trek to Bandon Dunes. It is always a unique experience going over the edifice, the rugged coast views and to our left as we cross the bridge, a view of the airport is readily seen. Everytime I have landed there, cross winds have been an issue, hence my propensity to drive.

Images below give a hint of the construction of the day.

Our schedule allowed for a short detour onto the Bandon Dunes property. This is the premier golf destination in the US, and although Deborah is not an avid golfer she could readily appreciate how well the property is maintained, the unpretentious architecture and the massive range. 

A gracious and unpretentious clubhouse

A typical view on the course

We next made our way into the wine country and settled in to our B and B in Calistoga. We hiked up a local mountain prior to dinner and then made our way for a Sushi dinner. Note the uniqueness of this dining experience, except for the food , no Japanese content!

Calistoga is only 6 miles north of St Helena where we were married. Freemark Abbey is still there as is the garden in which we were wed.

The drive to LA was smooth, an early start and little traffic save for the last 25 miles. Everytime I drive on the 405 it is a challenge. Nice to touch base with the California Kent clan, great hospitality and the never ending stories.

Hamish is in the last 3 days of his term. We will hang with him more once school projects have been completed.

On to Astoria

Some Background

We are in the midst of transitioning from a career of hard work to one of retirement. We started our family late as I obtained speciality training in Endocrinology , and the kids have come and gone, now we think they are at least semi-launched.

Donovan was born in 1984, and has been blind from birth. He has lived at home up until a 2 months ago. Correction, he is a highly decorated Paralympic swimmer and has lived away at 4 Paralympic Games , and various training camps. He also spent 9 months in Colorado, as I jokingly describe learning to be a "blind guy". He now owns his own condo in the Kitsalano area of Vancouver within a few blocks of Buntain Insurance where he has a successful insurance practise.

Hamish, our second born, left home at 16. He was a successful graduate of United World College in Li Po Chin, Hong Kong, where he obtained his International Bachalauriete.He went on to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and is in his final term in screen writing at UCLA.

Catherine, the baby , went to Dalhousie in Nova Scotia, and after a short hiatus is now and the University of Alberta , in Edmonton.

We started on the road to LA to visit Hamish and for the first time to be tourists in that city. The theme of the drive down was to be bridges . We did quite well the first few days and although my photos do not do the justice, there are some unifying themes.

March 9, 2015.

We left almost on schedule a little delayed as some paperwork for Hamish's next term had to be attended to. The border crossing was a short wait, the build-up and delay culminating in questions about the food in our cargo!

After Seattle, we made our way to the coast with our first night to be in Astoria. I had wanted to cross the the Mengler-Astoria Bridge, which we did in the mid afternoon.

The bridge was started in 1962, completed in 1966 and is about 4 miles in length, it cost 24 million dollars.It is of cantilever construction which was the state of the art of the day. If these images are familiar ( especially if you are a Montrealer), it is exactly the same construction technique as the Champlain bridge ( constructed in 1958).

There was construction on the bridge which lead to alternating traffic, and I pondered that if regular maintenance had been properly executed in Montreal we would not be on the hook for replacing the Champlain Bridge!

Some pictures of a magnificent structure:

The expanse looking back to Washington State.

All patience as I wait for the alternating traffic to clear

The view of the super structure from our window.

All steel and cement















In 1922 most of Astoria was constructed on a pier, this changed dramatically after the 1922 fire. Our hotel, the Cannery Pier was as well built on a pier after the original burned. It is beautifully constructed, dog friendly with a funky lobby. We walked down the tram line, which runs in summer, past fish docks and offices. The barking sea lions were a novel attraction for Ginn.

We had a wonderful dinner in a totally renovated ship building structure with the original floors back to the 1860's. The day had been a long one, a welcome rest with a shorter drive to Yachats in the morning.

On Down The Coast

 

On Down The Coast

We spent 2 week in September on the Oregon coast. A lovely time, blessed with great weather, Oregon wine and excellent cuisine. The Oregon beaches are flat and endless.

 

We have planned the trip to alternate long with short trips. Our March 10 journey took us passed Cannon Beach, and over the bridge at Newport, with a stop at Yachats. We passed through Cannon Beach and the famous Haystack rock

 The Oregon coast has these wonderful chimney covers which rotate with the wind to avoid back draft. They remind me of Spanish helements from ancient times. They also could be extras put on the market from Vatican over production!

You will note the similarity of this bridge with that at Astoria, but it was built in the 1930’s. 

Our stay at Yachats did not compete with the previous night. Let’s put it this way, the gave us a $20.00 discount as we checked in!

At dinner we stopped at a recommended restaurant that was on a “German Theme”, buffet, we passed. We drove to the next recommended eatery that was nearly empty. Across the street was a packed bistro. 

Always go to a crowded restaurant!  

It was one of the original eateries in Yachats, with a colorful history that continues today.There was a decent jazz duo , an acceptable menue, and umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. The owner had a series of homemade umbrellas hanging over the bar, and then over every table and booth umbrellas for sale. We were told that the umbrellas served to dampen the sound from the band, in any event they all had price tags on them.

The next morning was windy, walking against the wind looking down gave me the false impression of walking much faster! It appears we were the only ones crazy enough to be on the beach!

A significant drive next to Calistoga, a few miles from where we were married in St. Helena.