Weekends in San Pedro Part II 'The Woody Show'

Every year on the second Saturday in May, the city of San Pedro hosts the Annual Woody Show and this was the third year we attended. The show is on the back half of the parking lot in Ports o' Call Village. And if you love classic hot rods and old school surf wagons, this is the place to be, because WOODIES ABOUND!
Just about every year, make and model of Woody that was ever made is there at the show. Old, bulky 30 pound surfboards on roof racks or sticking out the back window ( the preferred way to carry your board). Side windows with surfboard decals and beach city stickers really brought back memories of 'Back in the Day.' And you just have to love those Big Chrome grills and bumpers. They just don't make that stuff anymore. One of those bumpers weighs a ton! And the car bodies are solid steel. Oh the days of good 'ol Detroit Iron.
Its a big event too. There are 'Surf' bands that play all the instrumentals from the 60's that we all danced to. Food booths and vendors selling everything from T-shirts to paintings and prints of woody wagons and surf scenes. There are lots of people walking around checking out all the cool rides and the owners who are more than ready to tell you all about their car and everything they did to restore or fix 'er up. Being a 'Retired Surfer' my self, Woodies were the 'hearts desire' of every surfer in So. Cal., but few of us could afford them. Now, its the same way. Few of us can afford them because your looking at 40, to 50 Grr to buy one that has been restored. The funny thing is, all the owners ARE the old guys that wanted them in their younger days. They've had them for years putting every extra penny they could get their hands on into restoring these beauties.

Hope you like the photos of only SOME of the cars that were there. I had a hard time picking the ones I wanted to post. There is a short, not very good video that might

help give you the 'flavor of the day.' Please excuse my shaky, amateur video technique. I'm working on getting better with it, so forgive me for the poor quality :o)
I love old cars and especially Woodies. And when I win the lottery ...or any part thereof... I'll be at the show pimping my ride for every one to see next year. Surfs Up Dude!

PLAYDABLUZ or Harmonica Meltdown

I blow a little harp (harmonica) and have been playing those little brass reed instruments for a few years now. I'm not great, but not bad either. Anyway, I play with a little 'happy hour' group , from 6pm to 9pm on Wednesdays in Little Tokyo, downtown LA. And if we have a good crowd, that wants to hear more, we'll play another half hour so as not to break our groove. The bar's name is:The FarBar on 1st St. and our band name is Jambo-Ningus. Tom, our leader, picked the name from a 1960's 'surfer term' that means, cool or far out... "like dude, that was jambo-ningus!" We are a bunch of city workers who by happenstance got together to make some music and have some fun. Tom plays guitar and sings. Kevin just sings, but really, really well and he and Tom do some harmonies. Rob is the bass player and he is outstanding. He adds the bottom and he does some very cool bass rifs and sings a couple of tunes as well. I do a little back-up vocals, but mostly blow my harps. Not on every song though. Only on about two thirds of the songs we play. Mostly picking my spots and augmenting whats being laid down, but I do a few lead pieces here and there and get to shine a bit up front. We don't get paid, except the bar gives us dinner and brews on our break, so its cool. I have a blast playin' with these guys too. We play cover tunes from Cash to Eagles, Allman Bros. to country. I love playing the harp. Its a different type of instrument in so far as you need a different harp for every key the music is played in. So, I have a Bunch of 'em. Every Tuesdays night, I'm taking some of them apart in order to re-adjust the reeds after blowing them flat from playing too hard. And after so many adjustments, they just need to be replaced. Though blues isn't all we play, I'm a Bluesman. Always have been. Always will be. So if you are ever in Little Tokyo on a Wednesday night, stop into the FarBar, have a cocktail, and some chicken wings or sushi and enjoy the music. Tips accepted :o)

They JUST DON'T GET IT!

Ok, before I finish and post part 2 of Weekends in San Pedro, I have a few more words on the immigration issue that has been flaring up all over the place lately. If you read my Rant, 'Boycott, what boycott, you know how I feel about this issue. What is prompting me to write a little more is this: Today I saw another (small) demonstration downtown LA, of about 25 to 30 kids, mostly teenagers who where yelling, banging drums and chanting. What they were chanting was 'viva Mexico' and waving the Mexican flag and waving posters about equality. Well, if you wanted to become part of this country, wouldn't you want be chanting 'viva USA' and waving an American Flag? They just don't get it! Every other ethnicity that comes here to live and work, wants to become Americans. Sure, they are proud of their heritage, so am I, but I don't run around waving an Italian flag and chanting viva Italia! Neither do the Chinese immigrants, Korean, Polish, Russians or any others that make their way here from their home country.
I understand why they want to come here. I get it. Its a much better way of life, an opportunity to make more money and improve their lives greatly. I get that! Evidently... they don't. This is why there is such a massive backlash of feelings against what people are seeing in the streets and on the news and their support of Arizona. Now you have American students, wearing t-shirts with American flags on them being kicked out of school for doing so. All the while the Mexican students were waving the Mexican flag and chanting once again... viva Mexico. Doesn't that strike a cord in anybody, like... hey, something here just isn't right.
Mexico is a beautiful country. I have been there several times in the past and enjoyed my visits. The views are great, the food is good and the people are warm, friendly and hospitable. But its pay scale, living conditions and corrupt government leave way too much to be desired for its citizens, so they want to come here. I get it!
What I have a great deal of trouble with is, They DON'T get it... VIVA USA!

Weekends in San Pedro-Part 1 of 3...The Bubble Man

Sundays in San Pedro are usually Great. Especially when the weather is nice, with the sun shining and a cool breeze lightly brushing across your face. Pati and I spend our time on the boat which has a large rear deck with plenty of room to sit and look out at the water, watch the boats, the large ships and the sea life and just relax the time away talking, laughing and fixing some great meals.It is very pleasant and refreshing. It re-charges my batteries for the coming week and I look forward to it almost every weekend. On my next blog, (part 2) there will be more on that with a couple of small video vignettes to come as well.

In the meantime, concentrating on this past Sunday, we decided to take a walk and went to Ports o' Call for a little diversion and some sight seeing. Walk down towards the end of the Ports o' Call promenade and among other things, you just may run into the 'Bubble Man' of San Pedro.
This old guy who looks like a real 'Salty Dog' and by all observations, isn't 'All There' upstairs... if you know what I mean. Yet he seems to make his way in the world and tries to make a few buck$ blowing large bubbles with his home made bubble making stick and string. His biggest problem, I think is, he either scares away, or ticks off his potential donors of cash to his little wooden box where his intentions are to get tips from those who stand around and watch him.
The problem is, he doesn't say a word, but tries to communicate with a bunch of weird and wild arm waving and hand signals. That and a small sign attached to his donation box, that says: 'Don't Pop the Bubbles!' Well...if you do, he gets really upset and sits down on his bench, puts his hat over his eyes and won't blow any bubbles until you move.

This wasn't our first run-in with the Bubble man, so I gotta' tell ya'. We were laughing like crazy watching all of this interaction with the public, because when the people walking around are seeing him for the first time, they don't know what to make of it all either.
OK, enough said. Watch the two short videos and you see what I've been talking about.
Ah, life! There's new adventurers every day. Tune in next week for part two of Sundays in San Pedro.

A Long Time Coming

My Family lives out in Henderson Nevada. My mom, sister and her family all live there. I visit for a weekend about every two months and of course, stay at my mom's home and I have the extra bedroom room. I have been going out there for YEARS and always had to sleep on one of two single beds. Uggg! I love going to visit my family, but I always dreaded the idea of having to sleep on that granite slab. Not only is the bed small, it was like sleeping on a cement slab. I tried foam, cushy mattress covers and anything you can think of in order to get a good nights sleep. And all I ever got was a sore shoulder depending on witch side I tried to sleep on. Worse than that. You couldn't roll over because the bed was so narrow. More than once I tried to turn over and hit the floor instead. Yes, that's right., I fell of the bed. I had to bounce myself up n' down in order to switch from one side of my body to the other. Talk about uncomfortable!!!
Well...I decided to go out there and stay for two weeks over the Christmas / New Year holidays. Not just a weekend, but for two whole weeks. While driving there I decided, 'Ive had ENOUGH'. As soon as I arrived, I put my stuff away and headed to a mattress store and bought a nice cushy, comfortable queen size mattress. Ummmm, Heaven! And got my first good nights sleep there ever. I coordinated with my sister and she went to a furniture store sale and we bought a whole bedroom set as well. NOW, I feel even better about going out there to visit because I have a decent bedroom I can call my own as well as sleeping like a log. Unfortunately I didn't take any (before) photos of the bedroom and you'll have to excuse the pieced together photo of what it looks like now.
None the less, I is one Happy Camper Now!

Somewhat Bitter Sweet

First, the Sweet
Today I spent the afternoon and had lunch with an old friend named Hy Farber. Hy is an 88 year old Artist, Designer, Univ. Professor and my mentor in design philosophy. Much of what I do as a Graphics Designer today has been influenced greatly by Hy's guidance and insight. He was a teacher when I was in college and I enrolled in his Graphic Design classes. He was already a successful and just retired artist/designer and business man at the time. In the pics you can see some of what he jokingly referred to as his 'hobby'. This is his work and Hy is a master artist. You can click on any of the photos to enlarge it and really see how good all of this is.
Walking into Hy's home is an experience all on its own. Enter the front door and your confronted with a sea of massive sculptures made of laminated plywood, varnished and polished smooth, all by hand and all by Hy.
The whole living and dinning areas are filled to capacity, with only a small couch and table in the one corner of the room. To see it all, you have slowly weave your way through each piece, from enormous in scale to small and delicate. Turn into the hallway and its lined with magnificent pastels that my photos can't do justice to. Mind you, this is just his hobby! As a businessman, he has designed everything from brochures to buildings and everything in-between... and has a great story behind every one of them. It was a wonderful afternoon, full of talk about art, life and how the two cross over and are part of each other and how to use that in your work whenever possible. He also gave me a critique on a recent brochure. We exchanged ideas and he gave me some good tips to follow. Part of the critique is in the video I posted if you want to spare a about 60 seconds to view.
The Bitter
HY told me he has cancer, He has had cancer for a few years now and when we spent an afternoon together about a year ago, he had told me that it was in remission. But during our last visit he said it had now come back. He has hospice care and said they only gave him a certain amount of time. Well, Hy is beating the odds and my bet is, he will continue to do so. He is still the same engaging and fascinating person he has ever been. While we talked, he told me he had asked the nurse, "about how long do you think I have?" she responded. "It's in God's hands". Hy being a Hy relied, "Gee, What if your an atheist ?"... (Hes' not)
I hope to see Hy again in the not too distant future. He is a very charming and engaging friend with a lifetime of information, experience and Great stories to tell, that he was parsing out to me today. To me he is a National Treasure. Part of the growth of an America that has changed so much over the years. One of the unsung heroes that made America great by imparting his knowledge, talent and wisdom in the creation of a society. Hy will have left behind beauty, knowledge and the legacy of a true American Artist. But don't count him out just yet. He is fully engaged in life, which makes us all tick and Hy is ticking loud and clear. His web site is: www.hyfarbersculpture.com
Treasure those you love and make the most of everyday. Look at the small things around you as well as the big and smile. Life is strong yet fragile. I'm glad I can call Hy a friend.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...oh my aching back!

Got back yesterday from a 4 day visit with my family in Henderson Nevada (right next to Las Vegas) My sister and her family live about two miles away from my mom. Mom lives by herself in her own home AND... is still the matriarch of us all. Check her out. She is now 92 years old. That's right 92!!! and she looks like a well maintained 70. She is sharp as a tack, reads voraciously (she loves CIA and spy thrillers) and has a small book of maps of the world that she refers to to make sure she knows what she's talking about.

Anyway, to get back to my point. I love going there to visit and hate leaving, but always enjoy coming home. Right? Doesn't everybody? This time I hated leaving but was ecstatic to get home... JUST TO TAKE A REST! Without going into details, she had me workin' my fanny off for all four days. She is a woman that is full of love and accommodation, COOKS LIKE ONLY YOUR MOM CAN and KNOWS how to get things done. Check out the pic and you will see her DIRECTING as only she can. And keep in mind. She is 92 and kickin' hard! The pics were taken on her 90th Birthday Bash, but she doesn't look much different today.

My sister Denise looks pretty good too for .... She'd kill me if I posted her age. (Why are women so upset about there age anyway?) And I know she does even more things for mom than I do. Heck, she only lives only 2 miles from her and trust me. Mom runs her ragged too.
Damn, I love 'em both :o)
I would be unfair if I didn't mention my brother in law Bob. He is a Great guy and treats mom like a Queen. He is there for her whenever she needs anything and always with a smile.

Ups n Downs and the LOWRIDER BAND

After a solemn Friday afternoon at a friends funeral services there are some bright spots. I saw several old friends there and did some re-connecting. NOW for the lighter side!
Had a Great weekend! Saturday, Pati and I went to my friend Nick's new home in Palm Springs for an afternoon patio party with several of my friends. Harold Brown of 'WAR' and now the main man behind the 'LOWRIDER BAND', AND... former roommate, was there too. Pati and his girl friend hit it off right away. So, Saturday afternoon we went to HB's and Pati went Groupie all over the place. We went into his studio, talked, listened to the latest tune he is working on and invited them over for dinner that night. They came, and we all had another terrific evening. Brown had Pati on the edge of her seat while he told his stories about music and his beginnings. Harold Brown is a Great musician, a historian and a man of strong convictions and deep integrity and I'm glad to call him a friend. We'll see him and his girl Cindy again in the near future and this time HB is doin' the cookin'. And I can tell you from past experience, Harold can cook!!!
Check out 'lowriderband.com or just Google LowRider Band and get the whole story. Its really interesting.