Growing Up In Long Beach

As I said in a previous post, I grew up in Long Beach, California.  My family moved there when I was about 4 years old.  I lived there until I was in high school.  Long Beach was a wonderful city.  I have so many lovely memories.  The weather was wonderful.  My parents had jobs and worked and were very happy.  We lived in a succession of houses which we rented. 

We started our tour with the first house I  remember.  It was on Kildee Avenue and I lived there 3 years, from the age of 4 to 7.  It was a modest little house with just 2 bedrooms.  My sister and my brother and I shared a bedroom.  My oldest brother, Richard, slept on a day bed in the dining room.

 This is the house where I learned to ride a bike and to roller skate.  I loved this house and this neighborhood and it broke my heart to move away from it.  The Bromleys lived next door--an older couple who I adopted as my grandparents.  I was sad to leave them behind.

The next house on the tour was the house on Charlemagne St.  I lived there 2 years and have many happy memories playing with the children on the block.  We played kickball in the street and we set up lemonade stands.  Most of the children attended the nearby Catholic school and I remember waiting for them to walk home down Wardlow Road.  In the summers we spent most of our days at the park just around the corner.  See below.

This is Wardlow Park.  We played in the sprinklers, played hide and seek, played on the equipment including the swings, and even attended the recreation center where we did arts and crafts.  I took baton lessons in this park as well.  We played there unsupervised for hours and loved our summer picnics in the park. 

The summer between 4th and 5th grade we moved across town to a house on Lee Street where we lived for 9 months.  It was across the street from Helen Keller Elementary school, and that became my playground.  I loved rollerskating past all the school rooms and up and down the sidewalks of the school when it wasn't in session.  We played kickball and dodge ball on the playground.  And I had lots of friends to play with there as well.

The next stop on the tour was the house we moved to when I was 10.  We lived there until I was 15.  It was across the street from John Marshall Jr. High school.  This house has been remodeled to add a 2nd story and the A framed entry.  (I edited the picture to remove the 2nd story.)It was just a flat roofed 2 bedroom house when we lived there.  But it had a nice backyard and a step down family room.  I liked living so close to the school.

We ended our tour with a stop at the high school I attended.  Grover was surprised at how big it was!  Of course.  It had nearly 3000 students attending it.  1100 in my graduating class.  The town of Lovell only has 2300 people in it.  Here it is:  Robert A. Millikan High School.

 You can see the gym in the background.  Off to the left the white building with windows was the cafeteria.  The area in the front is just walkways between the several buildings.

This is one of the 4 buildings of classrooms at my high school.  All 2 story buildings.  It was built in 1954 and was brand new when my older sister attended it. 

I consider Long Beach my home town.  I have many good memories of it. 

I hope you enjoyed the tour. 

One year later

I last posted in April of 2015.  I don't remember why I stopped posting.  But today my son, Jess, asked me to share more info and pictures of our projects.  I so enjoy looking at what his family is doing in South Carolina.  It seems reasonable to reciprocate.  My biggest problem is I almost never take any pictures of what we are up to.  Is it pure laziness, or is it being "in the moment?"  But I will endeavor to dig up some.  Emily prefers blogs with pictures over wordy blogs.

I went to my picture files to see what I did last year.  It looks like I had a lot of fun!

 In April I flew out to visit my sis and her hubby.  We took our annual sister pic.

 And of course a picture of Aunt Diane and Uncle Glenn.  We had a delightful time together, relaxing, shopping, going to the movies, and catching up.

I got home and turned right around and went on a trip with Grover. It was really different going to CA this time because Jess and Rachel weren't there.  We went sightseeing instead of visiting family and grandkids. 

Grover had been patiently waiting for his visit to Catalina.  The last 2 times we planned an outing to Catalina, there were difficulties with the weather or some such thing.  So this time we set it up and made it there.  We invited Martha and Richard along.  It was a beautiful sunshiny day.  Dad was happy to enjoy the ocean views.  We had some fun food and looked in the shops.  It's a cheery little tourist stop.

 While we were in L.A. we visited a couple of museums and took a few pics.  The first one is our stop at Forest Lawn to see the reproduction of Michelangelo's David.  It is definitely worth a visit!  Especially if you don't think you can make it to Florence, Italy to see the original.  You can see by the size of this sculpture what all the fuss is about! 

Our next stop was a museum event at the LACMA!  An evening of food, music and exhibits.  This one was interactive--you could be in the picture frame as living art!  It reminded me of that old Woody Allen movie scene where the actors came out of the screen into the theater.   Was that Annie Hall?

I liked goofing off with Martha and Grover.  We also had time to visit our good friends Jack and Vicky in Ojai.  And midway to CA I realized that we were there the weekend of the annual Santa Barbara Italian Chalk Festival at the Santa Barbara Mission.  Here are a few pics from that day.  We took Martha and Richard with us to it as well and enjoyed more music and food and fun.

We finished off that day stopping at the Santa Barbara Pier for ice cream cones and beach views.

We had such a great time on our trips to CA!  The next stop we made was a brief tour of Long Beach, the city where I grew up.  I told Grover we've spent so much time on Kane (his home town), maybe I would take him on a tour of my old homes and my early life in LB.  I will post those pics tomorrow.

On Being a Vegetarian/Vegan: Why?

I have misgivings about the title, already.  The concept is so unsettling to so many people and on so many levels.  So, what do you eat?  What shall I fix?  How are you getting your protein?  How vegetarian or vegan (what the heck is that?)  are you -- as in how strict are you?  And so on.  All good questions.

The first few months of this new venture we were just desperate to stay well.  After medication after medication and upon the advice of doctors, we decided to just stay away from any and all of the food that might contribute to our high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and chronic gout.  Not to mention high sugar and fat and mega calories slowing us down and making us uncomfortable and fat.  It went past vegetarian and all the way to vegan.  That was a cold turkey effort and it started with the words:  NO ________.  Fill in the blank with normal things like:  eggs, milk, cheese, meat, processed foods, carbonated drinks, soda pop, ice cream, etc.  The list was long and one to which it was nearly impossible to adhere.  But we immediately started feeling better, and losing weight.  Nice rewards.

But the thing about NO __________ as your mantra is that you need replacements for all the "no" items.  I set to work in my own typical fashion to research what we could eat.  I bought books like mad, and appliances, and tools, and subscriptions, and I made lists.  I am good at all of that.  Especially lists and charts.  I spent hours on the computer researching vegan websites and found vegetarian recipes that would need to be adjusted as well.  I bought tofu and tvp and soy milk and lots and lots of vegetables.  It's another world entirely.

"Making the shift to a vegetarian diet can be easier than you think."  Picture Credit:  www.tomcarsonknowles.com

One well-intentioned (I think) family member served us meat whenever we were invited to dinner -- I think because of worry about our protein.  Either that, or she didn't think about us at all.  I am not sure which.  When we went out we tried to choose vegetarian venues or order vegetarian food  (vegan is nearly impossible), though it seemed like the joy of eating out was gone for good.  We resisted most desserts -- since they have all the "good stuff" in them.  Like cream, and eggs and fat.  The first year was a real challenge.

The second year I discovered that a mindset change is necessary.  Not what we can't eat . . . but what we can.  It seems the same, but there is a huge difference in the pursuit.  And I had discovered that there was so much delicious food out there that we had not been eating.  Lots of good choices.  I turned a corner there.  And we relaxed a little.  Occasionally we eat meat and cheese and eggs.  When we go out to dinner, which is pretty rarely, we will have an old favorite.  When people invite us over, we do not make them, or expect them to adapt their meal plan to fit ours.  We eat what they have prepared.  Much easier.  Sometimes I even bake something that has an egg in it -- like flaxseed muffins.  That can't be bad!

Into our 3rd year we discussed whether or not to continue.  We could certainly change at any time.  Our decision to be vegetarian/vegan isn't a philosophy or value-based decision as many people's choices are.  We aren't saving the earth or protecting the environment or animals.  Clearly, since we are still raising cattle.  We have no pretense about why we are doing it.  We own our self-interest and don't wish to prove anything to anyone.  Once you hit 60 I think you stop pretending you care about stuff for the acclaim.  You just do what you need and want to do for yourself.  We want to live longer and be healthier.  And we want to enjoy our lives.  That's it.  It's all about ourselves.

So-- I think we are accomplishing our goals.  I have lost weight and am still working hard on that goal.  We both feel better.  I think we are healthier.  We are more active -- going hiking a bit and feeling more energetic.

 We are discovering new foods, and having interesting surprises as we explore new recipes.  It's easier this year. We are more relaxed and not as uptight about being vegetarian/vegan. We still eat processed foods on occasion, and stop at Wendy's for a frostee from time to time.  We are not insane about the dos and don'ts.  Just embracing the healthy and beneficial aspects.  We certainly are not preaching it and have no interest in others becoming vegetarians or vegans.  That's an individual choice.  Our health forced us into it.  We are better for it.

A friend of mine says she is reluctant to tell people she is vegetarian.  It seems to be so much more work for everyone.  She says she can always find food to eat wherever she goes.  It's just the meat she shuns.  Most people don't just set a pan of meat on the table.  Look at all the veggies and salads, potatoes and rice and noodles, and etc.  And bread.  Always lots of other choices.  I think it's a good idea not to tell folks.  But, since you asked. . .

Hiking in Wyoming 2014

John Blue's Cabin

Jaws

Jimmerfields

Layout Creek

Katys Nipple

My Own Undoing!

I bought a table and chairs for my family when I lived in the Ketch House.  That was probably in 1983.  I bought it at Levitz and it was a big purchase for me, since I almost never bought anything new and at full price.  Though, maybe it was on sale.  Anyway, it was perfect for us.  A nice solid oak table with 2 leaves, and 8 chairs.  I moved that table to the Hemlock house and to the  Wyoming houses and back to CA, to the Oneida House and the Linden house and finally once again to Wyoming to the house we live in now on Road 10.

Once I moved to Wyoming, Grover and I  really didn't need the 8 chairs any longer and we didn't have room in the kitchen for them, so we stacked them out in the garage.  I painted the table red with a white top to go with my red and white kitchen.  Actually I painted the table white first, then decided we needed more color.  So after covering it with 2 coats of white, I added 2 coats of red.

I didn't take a before picture before I started stripping it  -- honestly, because I thought Rachel would refuse the table if she saw it red.  But here's a picture I found of it in its red and white glory several years back.  I think that's Tyler. 

When Rachel's dining room chairs started to fall apart I promised her the 8 chairs when/if she moved to Utah. Only because it was too far to transport them to California.  And because she had a dream of having a house.  Utah seemed the most likely place.  The chairs were still oak, and still unpainted.

 When Grover saw a nice stately mahogany table and tall cushioned chairs at the ReStore, he had to have it, and we moved the red table out onto the porch.

Now that Rachel is moving to Utah (just an 8 hour drive) I realized I could finally get those 8 chairs to her.  And. . .  then realized she would need the table too.  But red?  I didn't think that was her thing.  So, against everyone's advice (meaning my friends) I decided to undo the paint and strip the table back to its original oak splendor.

 About 3 weeks ago I began the process.  I began with the top.

  As I sanded and scraped and sanded Grover watched and offered bits of advice.  Like, "why don't you take the feet off the legs?"   And "don't the legs come apart from the center piece?"  To which I always answered, I don't know.  I think they are glued.  They don't come off.  And then, they would get loose and prove me wrong.  None of it was glued.  And everything came apart easily.

I stripped the big pedestal legs, and removed the feet -- below.

Here is the table in pieces and in stages:  The paint did not come off easily, and I tried every idea I could find online.  I tried 3 different kinds of paint strippers, including a varnish and stain stripper which I bought by accident.  I tried oven cleaner (does not work and has the worst fumes!!!) and I tried making a homemade stripper using borax and flour and water.  (No good either.)  The commercial strippers are the only way to go, and even those are of varying degrees of effectiveness. 

.    I used nearly a gallon of stripper, lots of steel wool,  sandpaper, and paintbrushes. I used a putty knife, a screwdriver, a paper clip, a nail.  I used wooden dowels sharpened to a point to remove the paint in the grooves and I used burlap twine to twist and turn out the paint on the dowel posts. And to clean it all up and get the stripper off and out of the wood grain, I used copious amounts of mineral spirits.

Finally I got the paint off, and then I put on a few coats of polyurethane to seal and protect the wood.  And to make it all shiny.  I sanded between each of the coats, so the poly would adhere.  I think it gives the table and base a nice sheen, don't you?

Several coats later and you have the finished product!  Hooray!  This is just before I put the connecting rail and spindles and feet on the pedestal legs. 

.  I'm not going to completely assemble it until it reaches Rachel's new home. It almost looks brand new!  It's lasted this long.  I  imagine it just might last another 30 years!  I'm very pleased with it.  I hope Rachel's family loves it too.

Post-Holiday Thoughts

Everyone has pics from the holidays but me.  I haven't quite figured out how to use my phone camera.  I snapped a few, but all were pretty horrible.  Blurry, and dark.  I need a lot of practice.  I have just two that were the least horrible.  (you've been warned.)

 This one is from the Christmas church program I attended at Marsha's church-- the Lovell Bible Church.  When the children came up to perform, out came all the cameras.  So, I followed suit.  It was sweet and the lambs and angels were adorable.  Most of the program was an adult chorus singing Christmas music and solos and duets and trios accompanied by an instrument group: clarinets, flute, piano.  It was a very festive and lovely Christmas program and I enjoyed it very much.  A Christmas brunch followed immediately thereafter.  That was a very tasty and pleasant experience as well.

The next day we flew to Las Vegas, spent the night there and then drove to California for Christmas week with the kids.  Everyone was there except Jess' family (they moved to So. Carolina last summer) who we missed, and Fallon (Will's daughter) who we also dearly missed!  It is not easy to get all 21 of us together on one day -- but we'll keep trying.

Christmas Day: this photo is obviously out of focus -- but shows Grover sporting his new cowboy hat, compliments of the grandkids.  I loved that Rachel took the kids to the 99 cent store to do special gift giving shopping for us.  They really gave some thought to the gifts they bought for us.  Hats and scarves for our cold weather, and other useful items. They did well.

We had a lovely time in California.  The weather was sunny -- in the mid to high 60s.  What a nice change for Grover and I.  We had minus temps both before and after our trip there.  Last week it was consistently minus 5 to 10 degrees!  What am I doing in WYOMING???? I said to myself when the plane touched down in a Billings storm Sunday night. The next day Grover came down with Pneumonia!  He is much better today, but last week was miserable for him.  No partying on New Year's Eve for us.  Maybe next December 31st.

November Flew Right By Me

I knew I had saved a draft to publish, but I didn't realize it was about OCTOBER!  I am obviously having a hard time keeping up!  I thought October whizzed by, but November, too?  It's lucky that I keep a separate journal, or I'd have no sense of accomplishment.

I spent the first 3 weeks of November working on the annual Super Saturday activity at the church.  I was in charge and I had a committee of 1 -- 1 other person.  We planned and executed an all day crafting activity at the church for the ladies.  They worked on Xmas gifts.  We had a great turnout -- 46 women came and participated.  Some of them brought homemade soups and bread for the luncheon.  We had 7 crafts available to work on, with examples and instructions and the materials all packaged up into individual kits, labeled and ready to go.  It was a huge success.  We put together 170 kits,  purchased (pre-paid).  The first two weeks of November I spent getting it all ready, and the 3rd week of November I spent putting it all away, and distributing the extras.   It was such a big production.  And, of course, I forgot to take pictures because I was so busy working that day.

The 4th week of November was Thanksgiving week.  It came in with a ton of snow.  (Really, 8 inches.)  But freezing temps the previous week followed by snow.  I did take pics. 

 This is the picture I took on my back porch when I opened the door.  This branch was hanging down, weighted in snow.  It is about 6 inches from the door. 

 I went to the front door to take this picture.  Check out how much snow is sitting on the ladder. 

This is the view of the north side of the house taken from the front porch.  My trampoline is covered! 

We stayed inside most of the week because the roads were icy and slushy.  It started to warm up a little on Wednesday and we ventured to town to do some errands and get some groceries. Sharon and Judy were kind enough to invite us to join them for Thanksgiving Dinner at the Lovell Bible Church.  Here we are eating and visiting with one another.  Judy took pictures and posted them on Facebook.

On Black Friday we ventured out -- the snow mostly melted -- and drove to Cody for a movie and dinner out.  We saw Mockingjay Part 1.  The 3rd book of the Hunger Games Trilogy is being shown in 2 parts.  It was very good, and we were happy to get out of town and do something entertaining.  And it's a good thing we did, because a cold front moved in on us.  Saturday morning it was 44 degrees when I went out to walk, and at 10 p.m., when I came home from volunteering at he Hyart Theater, it was 5 degrees!  I don't think I have ever seen such a radical change in temperature in one day!    It started snowing about 6 p.m. and I drove home from the theater in a blinding snowstorm.  (Oh, how I hate those!)  Sunday morning we fixed our own Thanksgiving dinner.  Dad wanted some of those fabulous Turkey sandwiches we always have with the leftovers -- only we had no leftovers!  So, we bought a turkey Saturday while we were in Powell getting the flat tire on his truck fixed.  (Oh, there's always something!) 

This morning, it's 10 below out.  Brrrrrrr!  I'm staying inside where it's nice and warm today.