Oldies but goodies

My husband and I cruised on down to Old Town Newhall last Sunday to see the vintage cars on display. These old cars date back to the 1930's and up to the early 1970's. They are pampered by their owners; and have spent so much money on them.

They are candy colored from a distance. There are no posted information about the cars' make, year it was built and so on. Some of them have retained their old engines replacing some faulty or rusty parts. Others have totally replaced them.

A Jaguar. Can't tell what year this was built.
(Click image to enlarge.)

1950's convertibles.

A flatbed truck. Can't tell what year.

I love this one. A hardtop convertible with the top going in the trunk. The top must have been custom built.

Must be of the 1930's. Not sure, though.

Another version of the one above. This one has 6 wheels.

Multi-colored cars.

Truck of the 1960's?

A blue 1930's.

A gray 1930's. This reminds me of the era of Al Capone.

Another truck. This one has white side wall tires. Fancy.

More cars.

This one has two fronts and two steering wheels.

Here's the interior.

This is a new car. I've seen some in town and they are kind of cute. They are made in France.

This band provided the music. At the time I took the picture they were playing The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm drivin' in my car
And a man comes on the radio
He's telling me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination

I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I......

I have sinned

Do I feel guilty? NO! Of course not.

Eating something I have not had for quite sometime, and something that would make my diet out of wack was a guilty pleasure. It was not one of those very special kind of food, and in actually, it was but a simple easy to prepare pancake.

What's left of the 2 thick 7-inch dia. pancakes.

My husband and I took an early morning walk last Saturday, and instead of driving back home after, we drove to Denny's Restaurant, a 24-hour eatery, and had breakfast there. I ordered 2 pancakes and coffee. I slathered the butter and poured the syrup over my pancakes and ate it, savoring every morsel. Hmmm...it was heavenly. I know that the butter would clog my arteries, and the sugary syrup would feed those little creepy crawly cells inside of me, and attack me later on. But life is getting shorter to not enjoy it.

I will end up in a pine box anyway, but I will have enjoyed life and I'll have a fun ride. WOO HOO!

Been wondering

I found a wallet many years ago. It was on a weekday, when my co-workers and I took a lunch break. We parked on the street, and while I dug for coins in my purse to feed the parking meter, the two went ahead to the restaurant to get a table. As I rushed to join them, I saw the wallet on the sidewalk. I looked around to see if the owner was still around, but there was no one in my immediate surrounding. I went ahead to the restaurant and showed my boss and her associate what I found - an inexpensive blue cloth wallet. She, my boss, opened the wallet and counted the money. There was a total of $27 in one dollar denomination; no ID card. But there was a library card with the owner's name.

"A young girl owns this," she said. That's obvious since it didn't have a driver's license, no credit cards, receipts or other stuff that clutter older people's wallet.

After work, I went to the nearest library which was about 3 miles away from the office and dropped the wallet there. The young woman at the counter looked inside the wallet and counted the money. She then wound a tape around it and let me go. She did not get my name, nor my phone number.

That was many years ago...maybe about 8 or so. I never went back to the library.

I'm just wondering now, if Allison (I forgot her last name), who by this time could be in her 20's, has ever been reunited with her wallet.

Found keys!

My husband and I take a walk in the evening at the bike path, by the river. It is 2 miles down the hill from where we live. We drive there, park our car and walk at the pedestrian lane alongside the bike path. We go eastward for half an hour and back for another half hour.

About 2 weeks ago, on a nice warm early evening we did the same routine. On the way back to our car we saw a sign taped on the drinking fountain's post that said, "If you found keys pls. call 000-000-0000. Tks." A few yards away my husband saw the keys hanging on the latch of the gate that led to the parking lot. He took the keys and handed it to me. I pulled the sign and tried to call the owner, but I didn't get an answer.

The next morning I called the number again and an answering machine turned on and I left a message and my land line phone number. In less than 5 minutes my phone rang and it was the owner. I told him I have his keys and he can come and get it. I gave him the direction to my house.

At 9 AM my door bell rang. He was on the dot. I opened the door and saw a tall man (over 6' in height). He is about 35 - 40 years old with a few gray hair near his temples. Nicely built, kind of like a Hugh Jackman type.

We did the usual greetings then I handed him his note and his keys. He thanked me profusely, then shook my hand; wished me a nice day and left.

Hey, come back any time! We'll have coffee, tea, or beer, you and me.

On the brink of death.

We left the Reserve a little before 2 PM and headed toward the city of Lancaster. Near the freeway entrance is a shopping center where we found a Mexican Market that has an eatery inside, and we had our late lunch there. After we had our meal, we did a little bit of shopping. Then before we headed out the door, my husband went back to the food area to buy some chicharon. They have big ones, some over a foot in length. They are sold by the pound.

On the drive back home I was sad. My first digital, now 6 years old, is about to go kaput. My husband said it's about time I buy a new and better one; a dslr—digital single-lens reflex. I don't need a dslr camera. A simple camera would be enough for me. I am not aiming to be a professional photographer.

Canon PowerShot S50
My first digital camera, on the brink of death. :-(

I bought my first camera when I was in high school. I don't remember what happened to it. My second one, a hand-me-down from my father; a Kodak. Another Kodak hand-me-down, was my third. Then a Petri, was my fourth. It lasted me a long time, until it stopped working. I don't know where it is now, probably in the dump somewhere. I replaced it with a Nikon, which this time I bought. It is the most sophisticated camera I ever have. It has a zoom lens of 70 to 200. Finding this camera too cumbersome to carry around, I bought a point-and-shoot—a Nikon Lite, my last film camera.

A couple of the pictures I posted on my last publication below, was taken by my husband with his ancient digital camera. His first and only camera. If I'm not mistaken he bought it over a decade ago; and cost him an arm and...perhaps a leg. He's so proud of it. It uses 3 1/2” floppy discs; and downloads the pictures in a pc with a 3 1/2” floppy drive. It does take good pictures.

Sony Digital Mavica MVC-FD91
My husband's ancient digital camera.

Now before heading straight home from Lancaster, we stopped at Sam's Club to do a little grocery shopping. I went directly to their camera department to see what they have. I readily picked up a Canon PowerShot SX20IS, the least expensive of the lot; asked a few questions from the sales associate then went on with our shopping.

That night I browsed the internet to see more cameras, and their prices. My heart was dead set on the SX20IS. I like the features and 95% of the reviews were good. The price is almost the same as my first digital, a Canon PowerShot S50. Digital cameras nowadays are less expensive than the first ones, as the prices get more competitive.

Two days later I went to Best Buy to see again for myself the camera; to handle it and see all the features. I like it very much.

The next morning I worked on my camera. Blew whatever dust got stuck in it, then gingerly pushed the cover to close it. I put the battery in then slid open the cover, and the lens came out. Alleluia! It's working! It's working! I took some shots to test it and yes...yes, it's working.


The Canon PowerShot SX20IS.

But, I'm still thinking of that one above, the Canon PowerShot SX20IS. Where is my piggy bank?

The hills are alive...

...with poppy flowers. Well, rolling plains, is more like it.

To beat the crowd, hubby and I drove up to Lancaster one Friday morning to see for the first time the California poppies I've been hearing about. Lancaster is 45 miles from my place, and the California Poppy Reserve is another 15 miles from the hub of the city. After exiting freeway 14 we drove through a single lane paved road, and passed an expanse of land without any vegetation, except for a few Joshua trees, some tumbleweeds, and other desert weeds. This place is high desert; windy and extremely cold or hot. Getting closer to the Reserve one can see the wild flowers scattered along the road and beyond. The color of yellow-orange is so vivid I was tempted to stop the car and take a closer look. Some cars have parked on the shoulder to take pictures of the flowers.

This shot was taken a couple of miles before the reserve,
and while the car was running.
(Click image to enlarge.)

Since our destination was the Reserve my husband just kept driving till we reached the place. There is ample parking with fee, of course; restrooms with portable lavatories; picnic tables, and benches along the trails. As usual, it was windy and a bit cold, so I donned my spare light jacket to keep warm; and braced myself from being knocked down or blown away. :-D.

A panoramic view.

Poppies as far as the eye can see.

The California State flower, up close...

...and windblown.

The Old Glory and the California flag flying high.

I took shots of the hilly place, and close-up of the flowers. Then my camera's cover got stuck. And that was the end of my shooting spree. Oh, darn. I think, dust got in it. At any rate, above were some of the shots I took.

Destination Redondo Beach...again.

It has been only the past month that I have gone back to Redondo Beach. Three months previous to that, I was on a journey that did not allow me to venture outdoors that much. I did some short trips to grocery stores, with my husband, for our basic needs. On the last Saturday of the month of April was my second trip back there. Hubby and I always go there and we head out to make it just in time for lunch.

Spicy seafood soup.
(click image to enlarge)

Our favorite lunch place is a Korean Restaurant right on the pier. We have tried other restaurants, on the pier and on the boardwalk, but theirs have the best seafood soup. It consists of chunks of halibut, slices of tofu, slices of daikon, some pre-cooked shrimps, napa or Chinese cabbage, onions, green onions, and Korean chili powder. It is chili hot; and the first time I had it, heat seemed to come out from my nose, ears and eyes. But now I'm used to it. The order is served in the wok it was cooked in, and it comes with a bowl of rice for each person and a bowl of kim chee.

We strolled the pier and the boardwalk, after we had our fill of the soup. Fish were not biting much that day. I've seen only a few fishermen catch mackerel, which usually swim by the pier.

Something interesting would always catch our eyes, each time we are there, like this bird who was about to gulp his/her 3rd fish head left by fishermen on the cutting table.

Farther down the pier was a man feeding pigeons...

...while this pelican would rather take a rest...and then, finally, dosed off.

A fishing boat being trailed by a flock of birds waiting for hand outs from the fishermen.


A lone man paddling by himself. Paddle and board can be rented by the boat slips.


Clams on a race to the top of the rock. I wonder how long it took them to reach the top. :-D



Dried spider crabs.

Inside the fish store we found that prices of fish have gone up. Up high.

Tilapia...

...and red snapper.



By the boat slips a family was pedaling a rental boat. They had a hard time maneuvering it as it didn't have a steering wheel. The pedals are used to steer it.


Two girls walking their bikes on the lower board walk. Bike paths are on the upper boardwalk where they can ride their bikes.


These two having fun with their converted bikes.



And on our way home, a plane with a Swiss flag at its tail was ready to land at the Los Angeles International Airport, a few miles from the freeway.

We were home in 45 minutes. What a day!

A birthday bash at 85!

I figured we would be half an hour late, but it went beyond that. We, my husband and I, got to the party an hour late. It started at 11 AM and was to end 3:30 PM, so an hour was not bad. The food was buffet style, and there were still plenty left. On our way there, we made a wrong turn and got past our exit on the freeway. We exited after noticing that we reached the next town already, and we looked for familiar street names. We found one, and drove till we got there. The party was well underway, but some tables still have empty chairs left, so we grabbed a couple for us.

The invitation.

(click image to enlarge)

The birthday girl...err...celebrant was my landlady some decades ago. Till now she never forgets to invite me and my husband at her parties. When she turned 80 five years ago, we were there to celebrate with her. It was a casual party with a few friends in attendance. I gave her a 16" x 20" oil painting.

This time, I gave her an 8" x 10" painting I did summer of 2009.

The celebrant dancing with a guest.

Now turning 85 is a bigger milestone. More people were invited and she was dressed to the hilt in a white, lacy embroidered gown. It is amazing that at her age she can still dance a little, though I noticed that she has a bit of a hunch and has a hard time getting on her feet. She has some gray hair; some wrinkles; but all in all she looks fantastic, and very alert. Except for the stiffness of joints she could pass for a 60-year-old.

The celebrant with some guests.

There was a short program that included a toast with a brief biography of the celebrant; introduction of the offspring and their children; her siblings and their spouses and children. This party was given to her by her 3 children. The oldest now in his late forties; the middle, a woman in her forties, married with children; and the youngest in his early forties, married with children, as well. The celebrant's husband and father of the children passed away sometime in the 1970s.

Guests hitting the dance floor.

And, as usual, in any Filipino party there is always dancing. As soon as the music was on everyone was at the floor doing their line dancing, cha-chas, and mambos...except for me. I have forgotten the steps of those dances, and besides my husband has 2 left feet. With a slow dance, he always stepped on my foot. Ouch! So, I'd rather not dance. Why suffer?

When we said good-bye to her youngest, he said, "See you in 5 years." I gave him a thumbs up. It's possible she would still be around by that time.

Would I wish to get to that age? Yes, if I could still boogie and eat without dentures.

Never a dull moment

I was halfway through reading my niece's email when the telephone rang. I picked it up and saw that it was my friend, Jun. "Hello," I greeted her.

"Good morning. How are you?" she greeted me back.

"Good, I'm good. What's going on?"

"Nice day today, huh?" she said. The sun was out and it seems it's going to be warmer than the previous days, where the sun peeked in and out of the clouds and there was a slight breeze.

"Yup, better than yesterday, and the other days. Clear blue sky," I said as I looked out the window.

"Don't you feel like going out? I don't want to stay home and get fungus on me," she added.

"You mean get moldy," I said.

"Right," she replied.

It's a Tuesday and there's a free flea market about 6 miles from where I live. Since I've been cooped up in the house during those days, I haven't seen nor gone out with Jun and my other friends. We talked on the phone quite often, and she understood why I can't meet with her. I've gone out a lot of times mostly with my husband to do some grocery shopping. She knew that I've passed "that route" already, and figured that this time, as I have alluded to her, that I might be ready to meet her.

"It's a little past 10 o'clock; it's still early. Okay, I'll get dressed then I'll call you."

I have not driven my car for like 6 months and it seems I'm not sure of my confidence to drive again, unless someone is there by me. My husband drove me all those times.

Jun promised to pick me up. I called her as soon as I was ready and she was there in my driveway in no time at all. I jumped in her car and gave her a hug. We haven't seen each other for a while and during those times she has grown her hair long. She usually wears a short hairdo.

We chatted non-stop as she drove, till we got to the flea market. Maybe I'll be lucky this time and find some good stuff. I bought a lot of frames here. Some were used with a couple of nicks, but I retouch those with acrylic paint. Some were never used still wrapped in kraft paper. I bought some canvasses in their original wrappers, oil paints, watercolors and brushes; and the prices are unbelievably low.

This time I got myself a small gold leafed photo frame for a 5" x 7" picture for a measly $0.75!; a pair of gel shoe insoles for $0.50; and a glass tumbler for 0.25, and all in it's original packages. The tumbler will be for my bathroom; time to replace the old beat up plastic one I have. It was not much this day but going out there was fun and worth the time.

(click image to enlarge)

After our flea market sojourn, we headed for lunch at a fast-food restaurant. While we ate our fish sandwiches we talked and laughed, talked and laughed, and talked and laughed some more.

Then we drove to a nearby clothes store to shop for some clothes. Jun needed light clothes for her trip to Hawaii this coming week. She found a few she liked, and a nice, bejeweled pair of sandals. I bought a cute cotton hat for me; could not find a nice, cheap...err...inexpensive pair of shoes.

On the way home I said to Jun, "My husband isn't home. He's in prison!" Then I laughed. I have never laughed so much for quite a long time.

"Whaaat?" was Jun's surprised question. Then she laughed, as well, realizing it was a joke. "Why you!" she added.

"He's at the polling place; he's the inspector. Today is local election day," I said.

She dropped me off at my house. I thanked her and we said our good-byes. We had fun. There's never a dull moment with Jun.

The road less traveled

It's been a long while. I was on a journey, an uncertain one. The road was dark, desolate, and forbidding; but it was one I have to take. There was no other route. Along the way my life flashed before my eyes; saw myself when I was a young girl till my adulthood. I remember my friends in high school, and wondered where they are now. I reminisced my college days; and thought about my siblings and parents.

My life seemed to have made a screeching halt some 6 months ago, but I moved on determined to pass the dark clouds above my head. I trudged on hoping to reach the end of the lonely road; hoping to see a silver lining behind the dark clouds. And what seemed to take forever finally ended. I was there at the end of the road.

The sun was brightly shining, and I basked in it. I felt the warmth on my arms, face and my bare head. What a joy!

I have passed the dark clouds and now there was a clear blue sky. Then it dawned on me that I am not out of the woods yet. I, however, will go on and take it one day at a time... and celebrate.

Thank you all...

...my blogger friends who have visited,

sent greetings by email,

and made comments on my posts.

I am sorry I have not visited any of you for a while.

Hopefully, I'll be able to by next year.

May you all have a Blessed

and Happy New Year!


Mari