8-Month-Old Emily Absorbs the View From Signal Hill ... in Father Felipe's Arms

Here's a brief interlude to the Spain blog series

Infants are totally into the view; without thought, they are the view, absorbed fully by it.  We adults, on the other hand, live mostly in our heads and worry about "our view" when we want to sell our pricey view property.  At least this is what Signal Hill city planning staff tell us.

We met 8-month-old Emily, held high in her father Felipe's arms, briskly climbing the Hill, escaping TV and the seductions of the couch.  "This hill and its trails are a wonderful thing to find in the middle of the city," he said.  "Not as wild as the Whittier Hills" where he used to walk, but a "wonderful resource" nonetheless.  "I've been bringing my children up here for years, he said; the boys complained at first, but now they love it;" absorbed by the view, I'm guessing.

Before we parted, we said we'll see each other on the Hill and online.

Another Pleasant Encounter on Signal Hill.  See more Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill in slide show in the sidebar to the right.

We return to Spain in the next post.

--- RCH

Spain: Humor and Generosity at the Tobelos Winery in La Rioja

While dining at the Restaurante Echaurren in Ezcaray, we tasted a fine white wine from the  Bodega Tobelos.  Once we learned that it was bottled in Briñas, a small village alongside the River Ebro (seen here), just a few kilometers from our hotel in Haro, we decided to see if we could find it; maybe do a little tasting there, even purchase a few bottles.

Maria knocked on a locked door of an imposing, modernist and very functional building.  A silver-headed gentleman  shouted out of a second-story window, "May I help you?"  "We were hoping to taste some of your wines," Maria answered, in Spanish.

Then we heard, "I was hoping you wanted to buy the winery; everything has its price, you know."

We were lucky to meet Ricardo Reinoso Casado, Director and Manager and part owner of the Bodega Tobelos, who soon appeared at the first-floor entrance.  We imagined that we had given him a welcomed break from some dispiriting bookkeeping.

He gave us an hour-long tour, even providing some glasses for tasting wines in their fermenting process, directly from the large stainless steel vats and the French oak "gaining," or aging barrels you see here.  After tasting one ripe red wine he said, "This lacks a few weeks before it is ready for the oak barrel."  Similar evaluations were made at each of four or five other stainless steel vats we sampled.

Throughout the tour, Ricardo--who has family in the United States--showed the Spanish humor, generosity and grace we had seen in Barcelona and Ezcaray.  He knew we were typical tourists and that his company had little to gain financially from us.  Nonetheless, he engaged with us and welcomed our curiosity and appreciation for his craft.

When he learned that Larry does not speak Spanish, he took pains to include him with his own, halting English.

Bodegas Tobelos produces various wines of Garnacha and Tempranillo grapes grown locally.  They export to England and Germany, as well as distribute domestically, within Spain.  We learned that the white wine we tasted at the Restaurante Echaurren had been left there by the bodega's marketing team a couple of weeks earlier.  Ricardo said the bodega is better known for its reds.

They are exploring the possibility of exporting to California and elsewhere in the U.S., a potentially large but difficult market, due to the competition and the various import fees that vary state by state.



The wine grapes come from small plots of vineyards located around the bodega, near the Rio Ebro and at the foot of the Sierra and Obarenes Mountains.

In the photo to the left you see, through a window that is the entire wall of the tasting room, some of the bodega's vineyards, with the mountains in the background.  Grape vines are deciduous, so the cool, fall weather was bringing out a palate of oranges and reds, much like the beautiful change of colors you see in New England in the fall.

Click here to see a few more photos, with captions, of our visit to  La Rioja.   ---  RCH                                                                                  

Spain: The Spanish are "Muy Cultos."

Our Seattle friend Gene Nutt says the Spanish are muy cultos, meaning very cultured, refined, civilized.  He would know, being a Spanish speaker himself, raised in Latin America and a seasoned traveler in Spain.  We agree with him.

We'd add "warm-hearted," "eager to engage" and "generous" to Gene's observations, after meeting Carlos, Cristina and their one-month-old daughter Inés, in a sunny plaza in Ezcaray, a Basque-influenced village (the name comes from the Basque language) in La Rioja.

Above is another photo that says it all:  Carlos, Cristina and Inés in the town's premier restaurant Echaurren.

We had departed the big city of Barcelona, enthralled by the Art Deco genius of Gaudí and others we saw there.  First, by high-speed train, we headed west to Zaragoza, and then north to Haro in a rented car, looking for some open countryside and a little wine tasting.  On our second day there, we visited Ezcaray, on the western edge of  La Rioja.

It was a bright and sunny day as we drove through the town and up to a hilltop overlooking the village.  This is La Rioja's only ski area but snow had yet to fall.  At this elevation, though, it was chilly enough to seek out a sunny spot on the town's square, when we dropped back down to visit  Ezcaray and get a bite to eat.

As we struggled over a menu of unfamiliar tapas, we heard "May we help you," in very good English.

After we ordered the tasty tapa suggested by Carlos, we learned that he has long been spending his holidays on his grandfather's farm in the area.  Originally from the northern Basque city of Bilbao, he now lives in Madrid where he works for a Swiss bank.  His wife Cristina, also in the financial services business, is employed by J.P. Morgan.  She is now on parenthood leave, however, and will continue for some time.  Carlos, himself, took a leave of a couple of weeks after Inés was born.

Learning this led to a discussion on the expanding role of the Spanish husband in the birthing and parenting process.  I told the couple of the data showing this nascent trend presented by Giles Tremlett in his fascinating book  "Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and its Silent Past."   Back in the 1990s, he reports, "Only some 5,000 men a year ... take up their right to up to ten weeks' paternity leave in Spain, compared to 250,000 women who take maternity leave."  Carlos and Cristina indicated that the larger role for the father is just now seems to becoming a norm for their generation.  We also briefly talked about our observation of how calm the Spanish child is, in comparison with the anglosajón, the anglo saxon,  and the Latin American child, a point also made by Tremlett.  Tremlett points out that the Spanish child is less likely to rebel than his/her Latin American or American counterpart.  (Pick up a copy of "Ghosts of Spain" and read Tremlett's chapter "Men and Children First," for a discussion of the Spanish family, the  medical profession, death and dying, and the Spanish communal spirit since Franco; it's fascinating.)

As we gathered ourselves to leave our little sunny spot on the plaza, Carlos recommended dinner at Restaurante Echaurren.  We took him up on it, and as we later entered the restaurant, we were greeted by them again, as you see in the above photo.  Not long after settling in at our own table, the waiter arrived with a plate of croquettes, compliments of our new friends.

Muy cultos indeed.

We are now Facebook friends.

Click here for a few more photos of Ezcaray, with captions.

Spain: Barcelona's Guerrilla Art

Barcelona is a visual feast, a center of the arts.  After all, Pablo Picasso spent his formative years here, the genius of architect Antoni Gaudí is seen throughout the city, and the Palau de la Música Catalana is a sight to behold.  But like most big cities, Barcelona is plagued or blessed--depending upon your perspective--with graffiti.  We saw a lot of graffiti, especially along the rail to Sitges as it passed through rougher neighborhoods, tenements to the south of the city.

The most interesting street art--guerrilla and otherwise--is seen on the security doors of storefronts around the city.  The artists, using the corrugated steel doors as their "canvas," often leave the surrounding stonework of ancient buildings untouched.

Graffiti is often frowned upon and seen in America--especially among those who support the "Broken Widows Theory" of criminology--as a precursor to increased crime and the lowering of property values.  If the infamous and mysterious street artist known as Banksy can be believed, some of his work is actually having the opposite effect.  In his book "Wall and Piece,"  he publishes a plea received on his Web site asking him to cease working in a London neighborhood because it is leading to its gentrification.  In other words, it is raising rents because it is becoming so cool to be living near his artwork.

I don't know how the residents of Barcelona take to the guerrilla art around them (It's probably mixed), but it does appear the art is co-existing very well with the tourists of the city.

At the least, the creative spirit, laced perhaps with a dose of the rebel's thrill, cannot be suppressed.

Here are three photos of the best we saw.  Click here to see a few more.

If someone has a link to a good, balanced discussion on this topic, I'd be pleased to consider including it here.


              --- RCH

Spain: Being a Tourist is Tough Work

We arrived in Barcelona a day earlier than Larry and Maggie.  Hoping for a comfortable bed, we ended up seeing the early action of morning delivery trucks on the night-lively Placa Reial, just off La Rambla, Barcelona's famous promenade.

The flight had been a long one, crowded and noisy, with mediocre food and cramped seating; your typical Atlantic air crossing.  But we held hope of some rest in a comfortable bed in our comfortable apartment, right off the Rambla.  But it didn't work out as planned.

We had arrived early at the nearly-abandonded Barcelona Airport, greeted by sleepy Spanish customs officials who dutifully stamped our passports.  We exchanged some dollars for Euros and hopped on the A-1 bus to downtown, and arrived at our apartment about 8:30 a.m., before its reception staff.  After an hour wait, we got the word: We could not move in until 3:00 p.m.  What do you do for six hours, dragging around luggage and in dire need of sleep and a shower?


What to do?  We staggered over to a nearby plaza.  It turned out to be Barcelona's most lively square, and one of our favorite sites of the city.

We had stumbled upon the Placa Reial.  Built in the 1850s, it is adorned with palms and carriage
lanterns designed by Gaudí.

"Placa" is Catalan for Plaza, and the "C" should have a little serif at the bottom to be accurate.  We were confused at first by the reference to Placa Garibaldi, the famous Mexico City gathering space, but figured some enterprising city planner arranged for some sister city exchange with the "Ciutat de Mexic," catalan for Mexico's capital.

There is something magical in these old 19th century plazas.  You feel it as you dine in the chilly night air, yet warmed by the musical sounds of buskers playing everything from gypsy violins and accordions to familiar American Rock tunes on acoustic guitars.

One evening the rain made everything glisten.

Click here for more photos of the Placa Reial.


We made it through that first day in Barcelona.  After convincing apartment staff to keep watch over our luggage.  We kept awake by walking the streets of old Barcelona--the Barri Gotíc, tasting tapas along the way, falling asleep while sitting up, and at one point, I even stumbled to my knees.

As we said many times during the tour, "Being a tourist is tough work."

Barcelona is a visual feast.  Click here to see some photos of Gaudí's work and other photos from Barcelona.

       --- RCH

Spain: A Secular Pilgrimage

We spent most of the month of October in Spain.  We wanted to experience the country's cultural, political and artistic diversity, so we moved around a bit.  We rented apartments for a week each in Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla.  Also, in a rented car, we visited the Rioja wine district in the north not far from Pamplona, and later the historic cities of Córdoba and Granada to absorb the Moorish-influenced Andalucía in the south... and many points in between.

A big part of travel, we've found, is what the traveler brings to the experience:  What is your perspective, what are your interests, what are your intentions?  What is your "mission"?  One writer has identified tourists in two groups: 1) Those who are consumers and 2) those who are pilgrims.  Pilgrims, as I understand it, are those--secular and otherwise--who take risks in new lands, often experience mild discomforts and leave a little of themselves behind, as they explore new depths in unfamiliar worlds. Speaking of visitors to that great, sacred city Kyoto, Preston L. Houser, in the Forward to Japanese Garden Design by Marc P. Keane, said: "... the pilgrims come to gain a sense of artistic heritage which will expand and enrich their cultural identities... For the shoppers, on the other hand, traveling is a kind of consumption called 'doing,' as 'doing' New York or 'doing' the Louvre..."

We were fortunate to be traveling with long-time Sacramento friends (and pilgrims) Larry Baird and Maggie Jimenez, who joined us in confronting the unfamiliar, and brought a lot of their own experience, research and perspective to the trip--sharing their unique ways of viewing the world.  Larry has a Ph.D. in Political Science and is currently doing research in alternative energy for the California State Senate.  (Spain, we learned is in the vanguard of wind power development, among other sources of alternative energy, and we saw wind farms everywhere.)  In addition to Larry's  jovial manner, we all benefited from this knowledge, and from his general curiosity and interest in philosophy and history.

Maggie, an energetic artist and photographer, was constantly alerting us to colors, shapes, textures and the way light played off the landscape. Thanks to her, we saw more of the visual marvels around us--from the works of turn-of the-20th century architect and designer Antoni Gaudí's in Barcelona to the those of the ancients that crafted the Mezquita of Córdoba and the Real Alcazar of Sevilla.   Maggie is--among other things--a mosaic artist. 

If you click on these two links immediately above, you'll see a few photos that will tell you why Maggie was in her element.      -- RCH

We Love Spaniards

It' been more than two weeks since we returned from our three-week tour of Spain, and its time to reflect.

We love Spain; but better yet, we love Spaniards.

This photo says it all.  Taken on Barcelona's Avinguda de Gaudí by our friend, traveling companion and artist Maggie Jimenez, the photo reminds us of the Spanish openness, eagerness to engage and generosity we found wherever we traveled.

These gentlemen, who were probably chatting in Catalan, might not identify themselves as primarily Spaniards.  Nonetheless, the Spanish spirit is there.

Spain is a beautiful country with a fascinating history which connects with our own in many ways.  And its art, architecture, cuisine and music are wonders to behold.  These next several blog posts will attempt to share some of that with you.  But what we most want to share is the Spanish spirit that captivated us so.

Much of our focus, then, will be on relationships we formed with Spaniards. In these posts, we want to explore, affirm and celebrate relationship--to borrow from a favorite writer who'll you soon meet here.

We'll be using links to photos and Websites to focus on details or broaden perspective.   If you have the time and interest to pursue a theme further, we invite you to click on the links we provide.   --- RCH

Spain: Olé, Olé; It's Heating Up for the Trip to Spain

It's heating up around here, in more ways than one. Sure, this week the all-time heat record for downtown L.A. was set at 113 degrees (this was before the official thermometer broke), but just a few days earlier, the sounds of Latin music had things really steaming on the L.A. Music Center Plaza.

In celebration of Latino Heritage Month, the Music Center's Active Arts program presented A Taste of Dance on Saturday. The hot dance sounds of mambo, rhumba, afro-Brazilian, among others, could be heard throughout the day. But the genre that really got my juices flowing was FLAMENCO.

We're gearing up for our trip to Spain--reading, planning, making reservations, all of which seems a bit abstract. But a brief flamenco lesson, from a professional flamenco dancer, and teacher suddenly makes it more real.

Our teacher, Linda "La Matadora" Andrade, dressed in gypsy garb and full of inspiring attitude, encouraged us to "stand erect, chest out, show some pride," and then introduced us to one of flamenco's simpler rhythms, the rumba flamenca. She talked of the energy of "palmas," rhythmic hand-clapping, and spontaneous and heartfelt shouts of encouragement--Olé, a gypsy's equivalent of "bravo."

She also told us of the centuries of migrating gypsies, who much like the American blues singer and the Argentine tango

dancer, came to express their souls in their art form. If everything clicks and you're in the groove, when you're feeling the vibe deep in your soul, then you're said to have "duende," she said. Then she got us moving... some of us only moderately "deep in our souls."

To recorded music, she had us clapping hands held high, clicking heels, and turning as we gyrate hips, our arms snaking to the sky.

Finally, she placed us in a circle to create our own version of the gypsy jam session, a " juerga," clapping and clicking heels and shouting olés of encouragement to the brave souls who dared show their stuff in the center.

"Matadora" is Spanish for female bullfighter, but the term is derived from the word "matar," to kill, which is what a matadora does to the bull at the end of the elaborate display of gore and grace we know as the bullfight. Just between you and me, I doubt that Linda "La Matadora" Andrade has ever killed a bull, but I do know from direct observation, that she is a killer flamenco dancer and teacher. She also has a killer Web site and Blog.

And she inspired this old gringo to pack his laptop in order to be able to blog from Spain--to make the trip a sort of pilgrimage where engaged creativity trumps detached connoisseurship.

More about this later.

                ---  RCH

(Click on "Active Arts" and "Spain" labels for related posts.)

A Blast From the Past

It was a blast from the past. Hooking up in Santa Ana with old friends from my OC Community Services Agency days. See photo of me, sitting with IT wizards Paul Cook and Jack Luster, below one of those marvelous El Tapatio Restaurant murals depicting traditional life in rural México.

Great conversation: from life in the bureaucracy to how much music is still playing in our lives. (Jack was the bassist in our "Bureaucracy Blues Band.") It had been 8 years since I had visited El Tapatio but, as I entered, I was recognized and heartily greeted in Spanish by Gloria--who's been serving there for 28 years--as if it had only been days since relishing my usual cocido chico con tortillas de maíz.

--RCH

Feeling Adventuresome? Go Fly a Kite.

Karl, a "worker bee" on the Long Beach Boeing C-17 Globemaster III engineering team, keeps a kite in his car, "just in case I come across a breezy hilltop on my lunch hour," he says with a smile.

A long-time Long Beach area resident, he remembers working as a kid at his grandparents' Ray's Shooting Gallery on the old Long Beach Pike.

He told me he is a Vegan and spoke highly of the health and ecological benefits of the dietary regimen. Then we got into Buddhism, for some reason. I suggested he read a little Robert Aitken, the Zen master who died earlier this month and who "... made Zen Buddhism workable for Westerners."

Karl spoke enthusiastically about his passion for bicycling. He suggested I take a look at the work of his friend, photographer and cyclist Russ Roca, who is documenting his grand cycling tour of the States in a blog called The Path Less Pedaled.

And there is another friend, Adrian, who is due to arrive shortly in Costa Rica after cycling through Mexico and much of Central America. It's notable that Adrian is touring using a "fixed-gear" bicycle, meaning there is no freewheel to provide the opportunity to coast; no need for brakes, a simple machine, synchronizing legs and wheels. "What's the purpose of that?," I asked. A moment's hesitation, a quick smile, then: "I suppose it's the challenge," he said.

Meanwhile, there's Karl, taking a break from work to fly his kite on Signal Hill... thinking about pedaling. Another sweet, Pleasant Encounter on Signal Hill.

(For more Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill, scroll down or click on slideshow in sidebar to the right.)

-- RCH

The Poetry of Artist Annie Stromquist

Artist, author and teacher Annie Stromquist, from the Long Beach neighborhood of Bixby Knolls, takes vigorous walks almost daily on the Hill. You see her zest for life on the trail and in her art.

Maria and I had set out for a rare early-morning walk on the Hill to help our niece and nephew--Marcia and Lee-- shake out some of the jet lag cobwebs lingering after their return flight from a vacation in France. Maria and Lee made first contact with Annie up on the Panorama Promenade; later the five of us had this Pleasant Encounter on the Hillside trail.

At age 35, Annie left her job as associate dean of Occidental College to pursue her life-long interest in the arts. After getting a third master's degree--this time in Fine Arts at Cal State Long Beach--she took up the life of an artist.

Now, a print maker, Annie creates mixed media works on paper which she calls "'monoprints', made by pressing a variety of found objects covered with ink into wet paper." What propels her forward, she writes, "is a fascination with process, and how I might push the medium I'm using in new, interesting ways."

She even wrote a book about print making: Simple Screen Printing: Basic Techniques and Creative Projects.

Her work is abstract--neither symbolic nor representational. Much like a Zen master preferring gesture over words to point directly to a thing's essence, Annie lets the materials, and her intimate connection to them, speak for themselves. She writes, "When an eloquent form emerges from a process that is, in equal measures, controlled and fortuitous, it conveys the essence of the revelatory of which art is uniquely expressive."

That's a pretty eloquent use of words, too! No purist, she told us on the trail that she's found that writing her blog, One Artist's Life, is (surprisingly?) helpful to her art.

Take a little time to click on the above links, and tell me, Would you agree that Annie Stromquist is both poet of the visual and the verbal?

(For the full Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill project, scroll down or see slideshow on sidebar to the right.)

--RCH

Four Words of Encouragement

"Good goin'," said I. "You too," said she.

Most Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill are fleeting: no opportunity to take a photo, no chance for a brief caption. Usually it's a friendly smile, a warm greeting, a word or two of encouragement. Today, Liz and I shared these four words of encouragement, and then met up again at the Hilltop for this photo.

I was powering up one of the steeper streets on the Hill when she passed me on her new baby blue road bike, complete with fingernails to match. This brief exchange, a flashing smile, and then it was back to work.

Liz, of nearby Lakewood, has been seriously riding since last October, and is happy to announce she has lost 57 pounds. But, to be able to keep up with her fellow cycling club members, she needs to improve her hill-climbing. So for now it's one day a week on Signal Hill. Tomorrow she's got an even longer hill ride on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Four words of encouragement and a final promise: "We'll be seeing you on the Hill and online."

(Scroll down or click on the slideshow to the right for the entire Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill project.)

-- RCH

Active Arts of the L.A. Music Center Poised to Step Up for Downtown's Renaissance

The Los Angeles Music Center is poised to take a big step in support of L.A.'s Downtown Renaissance. We learned recently in an LA Times article that the Music Center's president, Stephen Roundtree, is in early discussions to take over management and programming of the 12 acre Civic Park, once its major makeover is completed.

This is good news for the arts, for L.A., and for the Music Center. As attendance drops and as communities become increasingly disenchanted with the "citadel on the hill" as the civic icon for music presentation, performing arts centers are looking for new paradigms for success.

In response, with leadership from its Active Arts program, the Music Center is broadening its mission and is re-thinking the architectural persona it presents to its community. It is transforming itself from a performing arts center to a civic cultural center.

And it is about to embark upon a redesign of its own plaza, with its iconic Joseph Lipchitz "Peace On Earth Fountain," in conjunction with the redesign of the Civic Park across Grand Avenue, both seen in the photo of a model of the site above.

Plaza re-designers will be challenged to make the structural links to the park that are necessary for embracing the community, since the Music Center is built upon a "hill" on top of an existing structure that provides essential parking, but serves to distance itself from the community. If the Music Center were built from scratch today, it is likely it would follow the path taken more recently by the Newark Performing Arts Center, keeping entryways at street level, and creating pathways that connect visitors with the city as part of their musical performance experience.

But, despite the architectural challenges, it is encouraging to note that, if handed the reins, the Music Center's Active Arts program would overcome these physical limitations for integration of the site with the community, through its unique management and programming.


(Click on "Active Arts" in "Labels" for this post below for previous posts on related topics.)


---RCH

Dog Poop: An Adventure, a Business

We had met on the Hill before, each time he was picking up dog poop and each time I thanked him. "I always do it," he said, "and it makes me angry when others don't."

It was during this latest exchange that I noticed he was walking different dogs. It dawned on me: "You're a professional dog walker," I said.

Yes, retired Bellflower resident Harry Ruiterman--seen here with chocolate "curly" lab Coco and mix-breed Chase--and his wife, Evelyn, operate the small business Affordable Pet Sitters, providing dog walking services for just $18 a 45-minute walk for up to two dogs. Add two dollars for an additional dog.

It begins with an interview where dog-human compatibility is determined. They walk some dogs daily and others two or three times a week; and it takes "dog people" like Harry and Evelyn to be successful. Harry takes the larger dogs, while Evelyn walks the smaller ones, since she suffered a health set-back recently.

They also provide overnight pet sitting services and plan to expand soon into poop scooping--a technical term of the trade.

Business is good. Harry and Evelyn have their hands full, working mostly in Signal Hill and Long Beach, and relying on word of mouth to bring in new clientele to accommodate turnover. In fact, Harry resists pressures to expand the business, decrying the unwanted complexities that would come with hiring others.

For Harry, picking up dog poop is not only the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense.

(Scroll down for more Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill or click on slideshow to the right for the complete project.)

---- RCH

Endorphines Prompt Lively Discussion

A good workout brings out the best in us. Some say it is the increased blood to the brain, others claim its the higher levels of endorphins. It's probably both.

I stopped to view the plume coming off a Wilmington oil refinery fire, seen in the distance, after my 45 minute vigorous walk on the Hill. Bryan, of Long Beach, did the same after running up the Hill's steepest street-- four times!

As we watched the plume grow, we started commenting on the parallels with the British Petroleum disaster currently playing out in the Gulf. I asked his opinion about how well President Obama is handling the disaster, and he gave me a nuanced response. "The situation is far too complex to pin blame," he said. He then went on to discuss the multiple agencies, jurisdictions and historic considerations involved, unwilling to join the large numbers of Americans who say Obama is not responding well.

"Complexity" kept cropping up, as Bryan ranged from problems confronted by developing nations; to his documentary video project in Guyana, (formerly British Guyana in South America) where he was born; to the challenges of living a life of principle, exemplified by the just deceased coach John Wooden.

Finally, we discussed the political complexities of preserving open public space, pointing to the Hilltop Park and the trails nearby.

Bryan, owner of an IT company in Long Beach found at Shuffler.com, runs daily on the Hill. "I love those trails," he said.

We shook hands twice before we parted, and said we'd be seeing each other on line and on the Hill.

-- See slide show to the right for the entire Pleasant Encounters project

-- RCH

Sacramento Jazz Jubilee

I knew I was in trouble when Bethany changed to her dancing shoes.

Since Maria was home sick in bed, I was on my own, free to indulge in my own exuberant, anarchic and undisciplined dance style--by myself--to the swinging sounds of traditional jazz. I guess Bethany had seen some potential there, asking me to dance, and wakening me from my crazy little world. She changed her shoes, and I started apologizing for not knowing the conventional steps and moves. But it wasn't long before we got into the groove, thanks to her encouragement and coaching.

A swing dance fan since high school, Bethany, of Pittsburg, P.A., had scheduled her visit to friend Peter, currently living in Sacramento, for Memorial Day Weekend so she could dance at this, the 37th Sacramento Jazz and Jubilee. Peter, a non-dancer, sat nearby, trying not to look too interested; after all trad jazz isn't real hip these days. Bethany herself commented that this is her grandmother's music. (I suggested that it is really her great grandmother's music, since it was my parents' music.)

We were dancing to the music of the Fulton Street Jazz Band, a favorite of the Jubilee, and led by Bob Ringwald, pianist and father of film star Molly Ringwald, famous for The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and many other movie and TV credits. She got her start at a very early age, singing with the band at the first two Jubilees. This year Molly was a featured performer at the Jubilee, separate from her dad and fronting her own band. (Click on the Fulton Street Jazz Band link above for a taste of Dad's music.)

(And click on Jazz Jubilee Photo Album for a few photos of this year's Jubilee.)

The Jubilee, begun originally in 1974 as a dixieland Memorial Day festival sponsored by the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, quickly expanded to include various types of traditional jazz, favorites of the older crowd. Now, as those older fans die out, the focus has broadened even more to include latin, blues, zydeco, straight ahead jazz, gypsy jazz, and other genres, to attract a younger audience.

This year, 60 professional and 15 youth bands--mostly from California-- played to 60,000 to 70,000, at about 20 venues. Today, most of the music is centered at Old Town Sac, the Holiday Inn downtown, and the Convention Center Area, including the Sheraton Hotel.

Just 15 years ago, 100 bands were coming from as far away as Poland, Germany, Scotland and Guatemala, to play for as many as 200,000 happy fans, in about 40 different venues: in Old Town Sac, Cal Expo, the Convention Center, the Crest Theater, and small tents scattered in between. Rumors of budget and management problems have persisted throughout.

But the musical artistry persists. By and large, it is a happy, danceable music. The crowd is still pretty old, not particularly hip by today's standards, but it is a happy crowd. And the musicians? Many are what I've taken to calling "community musicians," artist for whom artistic expression and a more intimate connection with the audience and fellow musicians trump the allure of fame and fortune. Community musicians are the "organic farmers" of the musical world, says Rick Lotter, the drummer who first introduced me to the term, and who is leader of Sacramento's Capital Jazz Project, a straight ahead jazz combo which performed this year, and of a more roots music group, Mumbo Gumbo, that has performed at previous Jubilees.

Community musicians are a throwback to an earlier era, with a new technology twist. They are DIY regional musicians who, with assistance from the Internet, can compose, record, perform, distribute their music, and build a loyal fan base. They hustle gigs and teach aspiring amateurs... AND they can afford to raise families. They are the embodiment of an alternative to the superficial glitz and glamour of "American Idol."

My interests in music are far-ranging, from classical, folk, rock, and blues, roots, straight ahead jazz and world music. In my opinion, none can match the exuberance and joy of traditional jazz and swing. I don't listen to or play much of it during the year, but as Memorial Day Weekend approaches, the corners of my mouth seem to turn up in anticipation.

Its not only a time for music, but it is a time to reunite with old friends and make new ones. Our annual visit to the Jubilee over these past 30 years, has become a gathering, a reunion of old graduate school buddies. Our pace has slowed, and we've even buried a couple of friends. But we keep coming back.

To get to the heart of the matter, we have learned that our annual trek to Sacramento is a ritual, perhaps even a sacrament in Old Sac. To paraphrase from the noted music scholar Christopher Small's Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening, the music and the event help us explore, affirm and celebrate our link with the Great Pattern that connects the whole living world.

This is what keeps us coming back.

-- RCH

Signal Hill Water Workers--Our "Boys in Orange"

We don't give them much thought, unless they block off our street, make all that racket, or cut off our water for repairs. No, we seldom give much thought to our "Boys in Orange." We take them--and the water they deliver to us--for granted.

I recently spent a week getting to know what they do there, digging in our streets, as they replaced 60-year-old galvanized service lines to our, and our neighbor's residences, with 1-inch copper pipes. I learned to appreciate these unsung workers of ours.

You can see photos of the process, with explanatory captions, by clicking on project.

There were several things that impressed me by this team of workers that I would otherwise not have experienced, had I not approached them with an appeal to let me document their work. Among these impressions are:

1. How, despite their cool and tough street-smart veneer, they were pleased to have someone take an interest in what they do on a daily basis; and how eager they were to show off their talents, and to share the complexities of their trade. They appreciate fully the intricacies of our vast water delivery system, and their own roles in that.

2. How they operated as a team, efficiently and methodically going about their business. Basically, a non-verbal group, relying heavily on hand signs, often midst noisy operations, to guide and protect fellow team members in their work. Without apparent direction, team members would share the work, digging or lifting a heavy piece of equipment, with an intuitive sense of what was needed. I saw a brute strength mixed with a delicate operation, to get the job done.

3. How each member of the team is able to do all project functions, and how the team does it all--from designation and notification of the work site to the final topping off of the trench with temporary patch and finished concrete work around the meter boxes. We discussed how working for a small city like Signal Hill allows them to be generalists, keeping the job interesting, and providing a good training ground for the young guys. The downside is the specialist, working in a big city, probably makes a bit more money.

4. How convivial the group is, and how each person is protective of the others. On the one hand, I saw good-natured ribbing--as when the dump truck inadvertently dumped its entire load; while on the other, I saw heartfelt concern, as they recounted a significant burn accident experienced by one of their team--Hector--that laid him up for two years.

5. I sensed a little frustrations over the increasing complexity and number of regulations that they must always be adapting to. Safety to the the worker and to the environment is a constant concern, and training on these matters is continual. During my week of observation, team leader Senior Water Worker, Rick, pointing to the large water jug attached to their truck, said he had just learned that they are out of compliance with the amount of drinking water they must carry: at least two gallons of water per worker per day.

6. How each project is unique, especially in older neighborhoods where there is a history of extensive oil drilling and operations. Despite the sophisticated Underground Service Alert system (USA), whereby all utilities are informed of proposed digging projects, and underground pipes are indicated by color-coded lines sprayed on pavement, there are most always surprises. I watched as they conferred among themselves, and also with their supervisor back in the office, to resolve unexpected challenges.

Take a look at the accompanying photo album, with captions, if you want to learn a little more about our "Boys in Orange" and the work they do. Further, it is instructive to consider that for each trade and for each system we rely upon--electrical, sewer, trash removal, gas, telephone, etc.--there are equivalents of our "Boys in Orange," who spend their professional lives training for, maintaining and repairing the infrastructure we rely upon daily.

Finally below see a very brief and poorly filmed video of Eric demonstrating one of the labor-saving skills he and the others have developed.

A Beautiful Little Girl, a Dog Story and a Baseball Story--Irresistible

A friendly foursome meets up on the Panorama Promenade. Camryn, right, is a dog lover; she has her own small dog back at home in the Wrigley neighborhood of Long Beach, and is smitten by this "Wrigley," a dog named after the venerable Chicago Cubs ballpark, with its loyal and long-suffering fans. She and her dad, Fritz, walk occasionally on the Hill.

Chicagoan Margaret left, walks Wrigley--sporting a Cubbies collar-- daily on the Hill. She and her husband are recent residents of a townhouse on the Hill's north side. They love the neighborhood, its amenities and central location--She works in Orange County, he in L.A.

The Cubbies collar will come off after baseball season. "Wrigley can endure only so much," Margaret says.

(See other Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill in slide show to the right.)

--RCH

Public Practice at the Disney Concert Hall Garden

Its one thing to sit inside the elegant Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall--as we did last night--and feel the rapture and excitement of sounds made by world class musicians. Its quite another to pick a tune--as I did today on my guitar--just outside, in the garden. Both experiences were thrilling.

Active Arts at the Los Angeles Music Center is wrapping up its spring Public Practice program for amateur instrumentalists at its campus downtown--at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The debate about the value of investing public funds for the arts always seems to heat up in tough economic times. We are hearing more about how a community can become more vital, even spur economic growth, by keeping it arts programs alive. And on the level of the individual, we are told that music can improve the mind, raise test scores and make us better learners, young and old, alike.

But, as reported in March 1, 2010 edition of the L.A. Times,( Beyond the Mozart Effect) you have to be a hands-on participant, not just a listener to gain these individual benefits. Said another way, engaged creativity trumps detached connoisseurship. This does not mean we should value any less sitting back and enjoying a fine performance. But it does point to where we should be putting our public and private dollars, and investing our own time.

Compared to most European countries, we in the United States invest a paltry amount of public funds in the arts. Usually the big concert halls, the symphony orchestras, the opera are dependent upon charitable contributions made by wealthy patrons. Public and non-profit organizations will team up with many of these same patrons to minimally fund hands-on arts programs--but those mostly are limited to children.

The times, they are a changin'. And a perfect storm's a brewin'. We are better understanding the value of the arts both to the individual--of any age--and the community. At the same time, performing arts centers like the Music Center--along with museums, historic sites, and live music performances in general--are on a long-term slide down, in terms of attendance. In this high-tech, user-generated, YouTube world of the 21st Century, it is not enough to bring in exciting young geniuses like Gustavo Dudamel, and expect the slide to reverse itself.

Performing arts centers are searching for a new, transformative model, and Active Arts at the Music Center is a leading scout on the search. Public Practice is one of its more innovative programs.

(Scroll down for two more posts on Active arts.)

-- RCH

Seeing

I seldom go directly

To the thing itself;

All mere fancy dancing.

Until Kay Ryan reminds me

To see the mother-daughter

Walking hand in hand to school.

-- RCH

"Tree Terrorists Attack Signal Hill"

Hyperbole ranks right up there with porn as something the Web needs less of. But I couldn't resist passing on a little hyperbole, myself.

Signal Hill Petroleum is offering a $2,500 reward for the arrest and conviction of "Tree Terrorists" who have sawn through or injected poison into about ten eucalyptus trees on the north slope of Signal Hill.

"We are sickened by these horrible acts of destruction and for the loss of these beautiful trees," said Craig Barto, SHP's president. The Signal Hill Tribune reported that the trees are 30 to 40 feet tall, and two could be more than 70 years old.

The largely undeveloped north slope, sprinkled with oil pumpers, has been basically open for hikers, joggers and people walking their dogs, according to one SHP official. The City of Signal Hill and the local Sierra Club have expressed interest in purchasing the 32-acre site for a natural preserve or a park.

The costly removal of the dying trees is necessary to protect hikers. A SHP official noted that "aside from the danger to human life, the trees add beauty to the hill and their root system prevent mudslides during heavy rainfall."

The Signal Hill Police is investigating. A common-sense lead would point to the new homes on the hilltop whose views may be compromised by the trees. City Planning staff, in the past, has noted that when view properties come up for sale, their owners are particularly insistent about tree removal or topping to enhance views and thus property values. The police would be wise to pursue this line of thinking in their investigations.

Here are a few more pictures. The damaged trees have been identified with a red ribbon.

http://bit.ly/90pewg

--- RCH

Public Practice at the LA Music Center

This month more than 30 adult amateur musicians of all skill levels, playing various instruments--from harp to harmonium-- will help animate the outdoor spaces of the LA Music Center. They will be practicing--not performing--their instruments there, as part of the Music Center's Public Practice program. (Click on link.)

I chose to practice my guitar in the program--I'm learning a Villa-Lobos piece--for several reasons:

1. It is a thrill to practice at the Music Center, and to be somehow connected to the creativity that this great institution has promoted and shared for so many years. But, more importantly, the institution is changing. It is transforming itself from a performing arts center to a civic cultural center, using participatory arts and its public spaces to build community. I want to support that transformation.

2. Music is more than a product--a performance or a CD. It is a process, (See Process Philosophy for a synopsis of Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy.) and an important part of that process is practice. Practice is disciplined preparation to achieve a performance goal, or it may be a heart-felt letting go to simply enjoy the sound and the process of learning. I want to experience that.

3. Music is RELATIONSHIP. It explores affirms and celebrates one's link with the Great Pattern that connects the whole living world. The late composer John Cage had a very expansive understanding of music. He urged us to fully listen to our soundscape, where we might find music in what may be formerly considered cacophonous noise. Public Practice offers me the opportunity to be in, and contribute to, the downtown LA soundscape.

4. Finally, the West Coast, and Los Angeles and the Music Center in particular, are known for their spirit and promotion of experimentation in the arts. I feel fortunate to be able to participate--in some small way--in that experiment.

Seen from this perspective, Public Practice is at the heart of arts promotion for building community. I look forward to my time next week of practicing in public, along with the sounds of the Peace Fountain (see photo) and the City.

-- RCH

Active Arts in Signal Hill and Long Beach ?

There was a period in America when music was played live, frequently in parlors and on dusty porches. Creative expression reigned; and the term "amateur musician" was something to be proud of, a lover (to use the term's French origin) of music not a bungler of music, that seems to be a derisive and dismissive use of the term in common use today.

Since then, recorded and commercialized music and has turned us into "passive and detached connoisseurs, " rather than citizens engaged in creative expression that is so vital to a healthy and thriving community.

The Los Angeles Music Center--through its Active Arts program (watch the video)-- is transforming itself from principally a performance art center to a civic cultural center, using participatory arts and its public spaces to build community. This is a complex task that challenges our assumptions about the meaning of art, as well as our own personal and institutional roles in that.

I've been fortunate to be involved with this transformation the last four years. I will be posting here developments at the Music Center, with the hope of creating a dialogue among interested arts and culture advocates in the Signal Hill-Long Beach area, to see if there may be something to be learned and applied locally. Stay tuned; engage in the dialogue!

-- RCH

Another Pleasant Encounter on Signal Hill

Glen and Mary pose in front of a stone pillar manufactured to look like old stone walls of the Denny Mansion, on the hill before oil was discovered in the early 1920s.

Mary--a terrier-chihuahua mix--gets her way; taken out daily for a walk on the Hilltop. Glen is very patient with her.

(Click on slide show at right for entire project to date.)

--- RCH

Another Pleasant Encounter on Signal Hill

Lori & Lance are 11-year residents of Signal Hill, and neighbors from around the corner.

After peeking over the railing to the street below, "Richard, is that you?" "Lori?" ...It turns out we worked together 17 years ago, in Orange County.

We had a long conversation on our front deck, and learned of their four children, their home schooling, sailing adventures on the high seas, and discussed the possibility of forming a Signal Hill Beta Club to promote civic engagement by local teens. -- RCH

(Click on Side Show @ rt. for more encounters.)

Community Policing: One Small, Encouraging Example

The City of Signal Hill Police Department has a reputation. For us residents, it is very positive, and shows the value of a small city having its own force. The "bad guys" probably have a different view.

It is no easy task to sensitively respond to citizen needs and concerns while, at the same time, being prepared and willing to use the full force of the law to protect those same citizens. Call it a delicate balancing act that especially challenges larger city police departments.

In our 20 years in Signal Hill, we've personally seen several instances where the quality of the SHPD has shone through. Today we saw another. A single woman, living by herself in our neighborhood discovered small holes in her front window pane, and began to worry.

She called the SHPD who responded within minutes to take a report. The responding officer did not dismiss her concerns as mere vandalism, but talked of the need to resolve the problem before it escalated into something worse. He took a small BB he found below the window to another neighbor up the hill, where a teenager lives. The father immediately owned-up to his son's probable vandalism, met with the woman, and resolved to make repairs and promised his son would apologize.

This is not compelling material for "Law and Order" or the evening news. It is an example of good community policing.

--- RCH

Short History of Signal Hill

Short history of Signal Hill tells us of our Native American and Spanish heritage. And then discovery of oil in the early 1920s changed everything. Here you see a photo of the Hill when it was called Porcupine Hill for the hundreds of derricks on the Hill. An intricate network of pipes connected the wells to oil collection sites, and eventually several small refineries.

Today, Signal Hill boasts high-end view residential properties, coexisting with wells that may produce for another 20 years.

RCH

Signal Hill a Salt Dome?

Bob Hickman, a geologist, former Southern Californian, and owner of the Gallery of the American West in Sacramento, says that Signal Hill is a salt dome, and that has very significant implication for petroleum extraction.

But my limited research emphasizes seismic activity and sandstone layers, without mentioning salt domes. See: Long Beach Geology and Salt Dome

What about it. Is Signal Hill a salt dome? And what may be its significance?

-- RCH

Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill

Our first post to Signal Hill Views is a photo project called Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill.

Building community and delighting in the great mosaic of life on the hill.

Click on Come Walk With Me to see my route

To see more, click on the "Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill" label below or go to the slide show, at the column to the right; click on a photo for a short caption.

-- RCH