I decided you still have to eat whether you are on an exotic trip or just at home in your exotic environment. I began my journey to the market. On the way to anywhere from our house you must go down the hill and there is no getting around passing a store called Ross Dress For Less. I thought stopping there would be like a little extra field trip in downtown Tarzana. I was right.

After shopping the store, I found a number of items to try on. Some of you may already know the drill. You hold your selected items out for the clerk to count them. She gives you a number to correspond with the number of items you have. Eight items is your limit. No more than 8 items and they are very strict. If you have more than eight items, you leave the extra ones in your shopping cart parked just outside of the dressing room. When you try on the ones you have taken into the dressing room, you can bring your number out, put the items you want in your cart, give the discarded ones to the counting clerk and take more in to try.  If you are finished and have no more items to try, you just continue with your cart to do more shopping or go to the check out stand. I found a great shirt and now with the events that followed it has become the best shirt I have ever found in my life. Why because it is gone. Yes, someone stole the shirt out of my cart when I was not looking. I know, I know there is a code of honor at Ross and it is that no one takes anything from anyone’s cart and no one has ever taken anything from me, but this time someone else thought it was the most perfect amazingly fantastic shirt in the world, too.

Why in heaven’s name am I telling you a story like this one and why am I explaining the honor system and the checking system in Ross? I will get to that in a few. I never made it to the market.

I went back this morning. Like I am really busy right?  Now, remember theoretically we are to be on an airplane or far, far away.  I guess I really wanted the shirt.  I could not get into the parking lot because of the weekend line up. Finally, I got into the parking lot. Yeah. Then, believe me when I tell you there were no parking spaces in the entire vicinity of the store. I drove around a little while and then thought to myself, this crowd is amazing. I have driven by this store for decades. There is always parking. Is this the sign of the economy? Is the Dress For Less logo really true? Yes it is. Does every one want to look for my stolen shirt? No, but everyone wants to get one just like it. I drove off into a sunset with God’s fingers dipping from the clouds, pointing in my direction telling me to count my blessings and go home to count all the shirts I have in my closets that I am not wearing and wear them.

I related this story so you will know the drill at Ross’ in case you want to Dress For Less; in case you haven’t been there before and want to go.

I still never got to the market.  “Tomorrow is another day.”

I have had some requests for information on the little house I featured yesterday. Yes, it is in Tarzana and yes, it is really for sale. I did some research for you: Go here: Look:

http://www.californiamoves.com/Property/propertydetails.aspx?SearchID=5761556&PropertyGUID=3214AC9C-D9BB-483B-BFBC-24CA337CF0D9&RowNum=67

I do not profess to know anything about real estate, but I do think the house is very high priced for the area and for what is happening now with the financial world. I do know offering a very low-ball price is not harebrained. It is a sound move. When we first moved to Tarzana, we paid $57,500 for our home.  We looked at one on Viviana Dr. that was spectacular. It had a stable for horses, pool and cabana; endless exquisitely landscaped grounds and a high-ticket price. We just walked away with our heads in our hands. When we found out that it went for nearly 50,000 less than the asking price; we realized we could have done that and we learned a lesson. Offer what you want to pay. Wait. Don’t be afraid to wait. Negotiate. Those are lessons in life that come the hard way: Look, listen, offer and wait. Do it over and over again. Easier thought than done.

Someone mentioned the indiscretion of speaking about my brother in that way was not good. It was good for me.  I was not able to get a word in edgewise with him, so I got it out there the best way I know. Even though there are these discrepancies regarding our relationship, he can call me anytime and I will do whatever I can to help him and do whatever he needs, if I am able. He is after all, MY BROTHER. 

Norman R says: ” I am a firm believer that all families are at some level dysfunctional and it sounds like yours is keeping the trend  moving.”

Categories: Uncategorized
No Comments »

Travelogues from Tarzana Day # 2

Usually travelogue writers reach acclaim by traveling to the world’s remotest locations and writing about them.  Since as I mentioned before we are destined to stay in our present location for quite awhile, I did not want my writing skills to lie dormant, so I have elected to report from where I am, not where I planned to be.

They say Travel literature is travel writing of literary value and that this individual work is sometimes called a travelogue. It is true that a great portion of travel literature is not written on the spot and is fictionalized. Did you know that?

This is true, our scheduled plane to South Africa took off at 7:36 this morning and I am at the gas station at the corner of Van Alden and Ventura Blvd, mid Tarzana. On the ride down the hill I noticed the landscaping of the homes that line the way. I noted that the snapdragons, primroses and pansy’s are at their optimum beauty. They are straining to get the last of winter out of their lives and making way for Iceland Poppies, Calla Lilies, Dahlias, Shasta Daisy, Cannas, Gladiolus and the hundreds of Daylilies that have opened this morning only to be replaced tomorrow. The roses are in full bloom showing off their many colors.  People have recently taken to planting white roses, so there is the white color in abundance. It is a nice backdrop for the colors surrounding them.

In the hills of Tarzana, we have the chickweed, Popcorn Flower, Elderberry, Spanish Broom, Bermuda buttercup, White Sage, Yucca, Paint Brush, Prickly Phylox, Castor Bean and Golden Yarrow.  There are so many more wilds growing, but I can’t name them. This is a lovely time of year to be alive all over the world. Congratulations world.

By the way, Tarzana has a Jungle theme about it. Well, of course, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Tarzan speak to the theme. The city put big rocks in designated places along the sidewalks and called the part of Ventura Blvd. that runs through Tarzana, Safari Walk. They put animals of Africa on the lampposts and if you are not careful you will bump right into those big silly rocks and stub your toes.  When you drive though Tarzana, I guarantee you will miss the tiger, monkey and lion lampposts. You will wonder why there is such an elaborate amount of construction on Ventura Blvd where there will be a Whole Foods Store, Condos and many new stores, especially when you see many closed stores all around the area. You will be told that this construction was contracted over 10 years ago and no matter what the economy dictates now, that was not the way it was when contracts were bid and signed.

A new tidbit for your information: Edgar Rice Burrough’s mother is also buried on Ventura Blvd. Come to Tarzana and I will show you!! Thanks Deb.

Categories: Uncategorized
No Comments »

TRAVELOGUES FROM TARZANA

I had such great plans to send travel logs from South Africa. I was going to report all of the wonderful things we saw and did. I probably would have moaned and groaned about some things and raved about others. I would have discussed the people we met along the way, fellow travelers as well as citizens of places we were scheduled to have visited. You know I would have sent wonderful pictures of all of our sights and for sure there would have been some animal photos to delight. Alas, there will be none of that because we have cancelled the trip.  Skip could not have traveled with an active attack of diverticulitis, but with the added attack of shingles, well that sealed our fate for now. We have been grounded. Your first question is did you insure. Oh yes, and it remains to be known what we will and will not get back. I am confident that our travel agent has that all under control. I will tell you that the airfare was not insured, so we will have a gazillion dollars credit on Delta. It was a long and expensive flight.  Just think of the many places Delta flies.

Since I have a brand new computer to write travel logs, I must now write them from Tarzana. You say where? I said Tarzana.  We live and play here. Allow me to give you a little history about Tarzana.  Tarzana is a district of Los Angeles. It is considered south San Fernando Valley.  Most of the residents live south of Ventura in the foothills of Santa Monica Mountains. We are located in this area. We are between Tampa Avenue and Reseda Boulevard. Our house sits on a bluff and we can see many mountainous areas, housing, streets, the Grapevine, to the north, shopping malls, coyotes, rabbits, quail, opossum, doves, hawks, many birds of a feather, an occasional deer and much further a field on a clear day.

North of Ventura Boulevard there is a smaller population that lives in apartment buildings and condos. For the residents of Tarzana, there is everything you want and need. You may need to leave the immediate area for some cultural events, but basically you can live, work, and play and have a good life here in Tarzana.  Some early history of Tarzana states that this area was once part of the San Fernando Mission. If you come to visit, the Mission is a nice field trip. I just learned that this area was full of wheat farms in the 1870’s.  In 1909 a company called Los Angeles Suburban Home Company purchased the area in and surrounding what was to be named Tarzana.  Otis, founder and publisher of the Los Angeles Times invested in the company, which owned the land that is Tarzana.  In 1909 Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author and creator of The Tarzan Stories, purchased land from Otis and built a large home and renamed the property Tarzana Ranch. Eventually Burroughs subdivided and sold land for residential development and the neighboring small farms were also converted to residential areas. You have begun to guess it. We have our home on a very small portion of the land that was the Tarzana Ranch, which was re-named Tarzana in honor of Burroughs and his famous literary character, TARZAN.  Edgar Rice Burroughs is the only resident who is buried on Ventura Boulevard in front of his office.

Categories: Uncategorized
No Comments »

Fairhope, Alabama!

You need to visit this little town in Alabama with hundreds of artists, authors and beautiful and friendly towns folks. Fairhope is the American Dream, still alive and thriving. I will tell you that we stayed in Suellen and Elisa’s home, but I can’t tell you exactly where because they would not like so many houseguests. Phil came and stayed too, and then there is Sophie and Dusty, so you see the house was full.

There are many and varied churches to choose from in and around this little town and the one I chose to attend, was suggested by our hosts. First of all, the welcome was brilliant, the people were there to pray and the Acappella, harmony of the songs they sang sent me directly to heaven on earth.

Fairhope has a long history in the art and literary world and has attracted many high performing artists to its community.  As you walk among them, you absorb some of their influence. You stroll further into the downtown area, and if it happens in the evening between dusk and dark, the dazzling lights on every tree light up and the electrical energy is quite a picturesque spectacle. You do not want to miss it. They leave the lights up for the winter months so you have plenty of time. 

Every first Friday of the month they have an Art Walk in downtown Fairhope. You can see what the artists have been doing and also get yourself quite a lovely piece of art at a very good price. We attended the Arts and Crafts Festival and it was so fantastic to see and buy what people from far and wide have been working on during the year. We bought orchids made of Play-Dough; you know the stuff the kids make things using? Well, you should see what this very grown up person did as he sculpted orchids.

Fairhope is the perfect quintessential town. Not to big, not too small, heavy on culture, enough eateries to satisfy everyone, history, charm and  we experienced the best of southern hospitality.

We enjoyed our ride up into Mississippi, We saw, just the tip of the devastation of Ivan and Katrina. I had no idea that hurricanes covers such a wide area and can do so much damage. I now naïveté is no excuse, but living with an earthquake mentality it is very different wrapping your self around a hurricane.

Our hats go off and we bow low to Suellen, Elisa and Phil. Without them, we would have seen less, understood less and felt less. Thank you.

Categories: Uncategorized
1 Comment »