Reagan Portrait Re-Framed and Matted

Last year, I had a photographic portrait of President Ronald Reagan matted and framed with my invitation to the White House as shown above. It now hangs in my living room.

The portrait was a thank-you gift from the Citizens for Reagan campaign in 1976. I served as an area chairman for the campaign in my congressional district that year. I also was a California Delegate to the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Above, in 1981, I had my collection of Reagan campaign memorabilia
 on display at the Hawthorne Library. The photo above shows me
 holding the portrait in its original matte and frame at the Library.
Photo by Mike Davis of the Daily Breeze.

The California Delegation to the 1980 Republican National Convention were invited to the White House in June 1982 for a reception. The convention was held in Detroit, Michigan. While President Reagan was mingling with the Delegation guests in the East Room, I had him sign my invitation. 

Above, the California Delegation reception in the East Room. President Reagan signing a delegate's invitation. I am in the background at left behind someone's white shoulder. White House photo.

I had the items framed and matted at Frame 'N Art in Gallup. 

UPDATE: 

Here I am at the presidential podium (before the seal was put on it) in the East Room of the White House.

Congratulations Les On Your Retirement!

Above, Les and I at his Hawthorne home for Independence Day 2013.

Congratulations to Les Geriminsky on his retirement! 

His brother Mitch and I have been nagging him for years to retire, but those paychecks were too good to pass up.

Above, Les's Jeep.

I've been also bugging him to come out here with his Jeep to do some off-roading in Six Mile Canyon. Now that he has the time, he can finally do so. 

Today Is National Cat Day

Above, Sierra Claire Vaquer. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At my house, everyday is National Cat Day. 

But officially, today is National Cat Day.

From Wikipedia:

National Cat Day is celebrated in various countries. In some areas it is an awareness day to raise public awareness of cat adoption. 

The National Cat Day website states that the holiday was first celebrated in 2005 "to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued each year and also to encourage cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in their life for the unconditional love and companionship they bestow upon us."

I adopted my cat Sierra from the Hawthorne, California animal shelter in 2015. 

Brian Wilson's Family Files For Conservatorship

Above, Brian Wilson paid a visit to Hawthorne High School a few years ago.

When Brian Wilson's wife Melinda passed away recently, my immediate thoughts were who is going to fill the void she left for his and their children's care.

The answer has now been announced. 

According to Fox News:

Brian Wilson's family filed to place the musician under a conservatorship after The Beach Boys co-founder was diagnosed with dementia, Fox News Digital can confirm.

The diagnosis, coupled with the recent passing of Brian's wife, Melinda Wilson, led his family and doctors to make the decision.

"Following the passing of Brian’s beloved wife Melinda, after careful consideration and consultation among Brian, his seven children, Gloria Ramos and Brian’s doctors (and consistent with family processes put in place by Brian and Melinda), we are confirming that longtime Wilson family representatives LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers will serve as Brian’s co-conservators of the person," the family said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"This decision was made to ensure that there will be no extreme changes to the household and Brian and the children living at home will be taken care of and remain in the home where they are cared for by Gloria Ramos and the wonderful team at the house who have been in place for many years helping take care of the family," the statement continued. "Brian will be able to enjoy all of his family and friends and continue to work on current projects as well as participate in any activities he chooses."

I used to work at the gated community where the Wilson Family resides and would see either Brian or Melinda every so often either entering or leaving the community. 

For an interesting look at how Melinda saved Brian Wilson, see the movie, Love & Mercy.

To read more, go here.

Eight Years With Sierra

Yesterday marked eight years since I adopted Sierra from the Hawthorne (California) SPCA shelter.

It was my daughter who spotted a Facebook photo of her (she was named Claire) by the shelter and passed it one to me. After some deliberation, I went down there and adopted her. I didn't like "Claire" for her name, so I named her Sierra Claire.

My cat Siren passed away in September and I debated whether or not to get another cat at my age. But I like having a cat running around the house. I am glad that I did. 

It has been eight great years.

Above, the first meeting and adoption at the Hawthorne shelter.

Whatever Became of...The Boys Markets?

Above, the Hawthorne, California Boys Market store in the 1950s.

Back when I was a kid, my family used to shop at a supermarket on Vermont Avenue near 120th Street called The Boys in Los Angeles.

What I remember the most about it was that I was able to buy Aurora Plastics' Universal Pictures monster models (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man, The Mummy, etc.) in the store's toy department and saw Bozo the Clown (Vance Colvig) there.

Above, The Boys Market logo.

When we moved to Hawthorne, we shopped at Thriftimart or Ralphs, even though a Boys Market was there.

Then, in the late 1980, The Boys began to disappear.

According to LAist:

The Boys

Shortly after his father died, teenage Joe Goldstein and two of his brothers began selling fruit door-to-door to support their Boyle Heights family. Soon, they set up a produce stand along Telegraph Road in East Los Angeles. Folks would say they were going to visit "the boys'" stand. The name stuck. By the time the brothers opened their first market on the site in 1924, they were joined by another brother. By 1931, they'd opened what was billed as their first full-service market at Monte Vista St. and Avenue 55 in Highland Park. That market later served as the company's headquarters through the 1980s. The Boys turned their focus from suburban to urban locations, growing to 54 stores. The business stayed in the Goldstein family until 1988, when American Breco Company bought it. A year later, some suburban store names were changed to Market Basket, evoking a prior SoCal chain with the same name, that had only departed a few years earlier. Just 18 days later, American Breco merged into the Yucaipa Company (sound familiar?). A few stores still operated as The Boys as late as 1993. Then, the name faded into history.

To read more about bygone L.A. stores, go here. 

Reunion Photos

Before heading to L.A. for the 50ish Hawthorne High Reunion, I decided not to bring my camera. I decided to concentrate on the festivities rather than shutter-bugging.

My phone's camera was sufficient enough if I wanted to take a photo or two. Which I did. Some are posted below. For the ladies, I am just using their maiden names.

Above, Mitch Geriminsky, left, and Debbie Cogan behind the check-in desk.

Above, Lili Dana chatting with Larry Bach.

Above, Debbie Cogan, Karen Masters and yours truly.

Above, Coach Bill Featherston addressing the gathering. I heard he's 88. He looked good.

Above, Lili Dana and Dwight Kuntz.

Above, Mitch Geriminsky on the dance floor.

Group photo by Tim O'Mally

Above, at one point we all gathered for this group collage photo. Dwight Kuntz and I were kneeling
 in front. After the photo, our main concern was being able to stand back up. Photo by Tim O'Mally.

50ish Hawthorne High School Reunion

Above, with Debbie Cogan and Karen Masters.

Last night, Hawthorne High School classes from 1971 through 1973 had a reunion at the Embassy Suites hotel in El Segundo, California. 

I estimate that 200 attended.

I had a great time seeing many people that I knew back then.

Old Photos From the 1970s

Last evening, while Clint was working on the Jeep's brakes, I was going thought some boxes in the garage and found one small box of photographs and negatives dating back to the 1970s. I haven's seen these for many moons. Some were in Fotomat sleeves (remember Fotomat?).

Some were of everyday things, travel and miscellaneous family shots. Some were badly faded, despite being kept in a box out of light. I took these photos, except where I'm in them (obviously).

I scanned a few of them.

Above, my parents and I in Las Vegas, 1974.

Above, my uncle Ralph and aunt Rose, Thanksgiving 1975.

Above, co-worker Jeannie McDonald in January 1979. We did a photo shoot at her house. This was an outtake.

Above, my parents in Cedar City, Utah in 1975 on vacation. My dad hated this photo.

Above, Al Geriminsky and my dad working on a car (probably mine) in Hawthorne, California, 1975.

Above, yours truly at Grad Nite at Disneyland, 1972.

Above, Goodyear blimp over Long Beach. 

Classic Rock Music Monday

The stuff that now passes as "music", particularly rock 'n roll, leaves me cold. So, to start off the week, here's a video of a classic rock artist. 

Today, is a video of the Beach Boys, a band originating out of what I consider to be my hometown, Hawthorne, California. It is of their song, "Don't Worry Baby". The Wilson brothers attended the same high school as I did, Hawthorne High.

Vintage LAX Photos

Back in the late 1960s, I lived in Hawthorne, California, about four miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). 

The airport was close enough for my friends and I to ride our bicycles there. We would take Aviation Blvd. to Imperial Highway to Sepulveda Blvd. to get to the main terminals. Once there, we would ride our bikes around the terminals and park them and wander around a terminal on foot. One can't do that anymore. These were the days before TSA security restrictions.

A Hawthorne-oriented Facebook page posted a bunch of photos of LAX (by Jerry Miles) while it was under construction in the 1950s and 1960s and they reminded me of those fun times. We got plenty of exercise bike-riding.

The terminal area roadway had a second deck added just before the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Compared to other big city airports with enormous terminals areas that need trams and monorails, LAX is still an easy airport to navigate around without causing one to have a heart attack or stroke.

Here's the photos that reminded me of those bike rides:

The Theme Building

The Sepulveda Blvd. Runway Tunnel

The Terminals

4.0 Earthquake Rattles Lennox-Hawthorne Areas

Image: USGS.

An early morning 4.0 earthquake hit the Lennox area of Los Angeles County this morning.

This is familiar territory as I used to live in Hawthorne and it was centered at the intersection of Doty Ave. and Century Blvd., near where the Hollywood Park Racetrack used to be and where a new NFL stadium is being built.

According to NBC Los Angeles:

A magnitude-4.0 earthquake was one of three in the same area early Monday that rattled parts of Southern California.

The quake was centered in the Lennox area. It followed earthquakes of magnitude 3.3 and 2.5 in the same part of southwest Los Angeles County.

According to CBS Los Angeles:

The large earthquake occurred at 4:44 a.m., with its epicenter at Century Boulevard and Doty Avenue, just south of SoFi Stadium and north of the 105 Freeway and east of the 405 Freeway, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Mail-In Ballot Fraud In Hawthorne, California

Things haven't changed very much in Hawthorne, California. Political chicanery is still within the city's borders. It reminds me of the old days of when the late Joe Miller and his cronies ran the city.

From the Los Angeles Times:

As judges around the U.S. continue to dismiss claims of voter fraud by President Trump and his supporters, prosecutors and election officials in Los Angeles County said Tuesday that they had uncovered evidence of an actual attempt to fix an election — albeit a small, local one.

Carlos Antonio De Bourbon Montenegro, 53, and Marcos Raul Arevalo, 34, were charged with multiple counts of voter fraud after allegedly trying to register 8,000 “fictitious, nonexistent or deceased” voters to receive mail-in ballots. The scheme was part of an illicit bid by Montenegro to become mayor of Hawthorne, according to a criminal complaint made public Tuesday.

As Montenegro and Arevalo allegedly used three recently registered post office boxes and Montenegro’s home address to submit the fraudulent applications, election officials quickly flagged the suspicious ballots in mid-October, according to Dean Logan, the county’s top election official.

While court records show at least 29 mail-in ballots were issued to people Montenegro and Arevalo had allegedly ginned up, none of the ballots were tallied in the general election, Logan said.

The case, he added, highlights how difficult it would be to carry out the widespread voter fraud President Trump and others have claimed was rampant in the 2020 election.

To read more, go here. 

Birthday Girl

Today marks Sierra's 5th birthday.

Above, Sierra's Hawthorne SPCA baby photo from October 2015.

50th Anniversary of the First Moon Landing

Above, the iconic photo of Edwin Aldrin on the moon with Neil Armstrong seen reflected on his visor. NASA photo.

Today marks the half-century anniversary of the first moon landing by the crew of Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969.

The milestone by astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Mike Collins is arguably mankind's greatest achievement. If not, it certainly ranks in the top five (or top two).

Those were exciting times. I remember them well. I have always been a fan of the U.S. Space Program. We were gathered around the television set at home watching the moonwalk live. Seeing images broadcast from the moon was quite an achievement itself.

Above, Edwin Aldrin climbing down the Lunar Module's ladder. NASA photo.

For the past week and a half, I have watched several documentaries of the mission of Apollo 11. It dawned on me that we were doing this 30 years ago during the 20th anniversary. I remember watching A & E's "Apollo 11: As It Happened", hosted by Edwin Newman with my then-two-year-old daughter Amber on my lap. It is hard to believe it has been 30 years since then.

Today, while watching the new documentaries, I get a feeling of both pride in the achievement, but also a little sense of melancholy when I think of family members who were alive in 1969 but have passed on since. Both of my parents, three of four grandparents and all my aunts, uncles and cousins were alive then. Today, both of my parents, all of my grandparents, three cousins and all aunts and uncles, except for one aunt, are no longer alive. Time has certainly taken its toll.

Above, Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia as seen from the Lunar Module Eagle. NASA photo.

I was 15 in July 1969 and attending high school in Hawthorne, California. I remember audio-taping the July 16, 1969 launch on cassette. I still have it.

As I mentioned in another blog post, a wristwatch depicting the moon landing I got at the time still worked when I wound it today.

Today is the day to savor the 50th anniversary. 

100th Anniversary of A & W Root Beer

Above, my two A & W Root Beer mugs. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Did you know that 2019 marks 100 years since the founding of A & W Root Beer?

Well, it;s true!

According to Wikipedia:

A&W Root Beer is a root beer brand primarily available in the United States and Canada, started in 1919 by Roy W. Allen. In 1922, Allen partnered with Frank Wright. They combined their initials to create the brand "A&W" and inspired a restaurant chain, founded in 1922.

I first heard of A & W Root Beer when we visited my grandmother in 29 Palms, California. We used to stop at the A & W Root Beer restaurant there back in the 1960s.

Later, we used to hang out at the Hawthorne, California A & W Root Beer restaurant on Hawthorne Blvd. In fact, the Hawthorne A & W was a very popular hangout.

Many of the A & W Root Beer restaurants in Southern California closed up. But I did discover that there are several of them in New Mexico!

A & W Root Beer restaurants are mounting a comeback. Go here for details.

I have a couple of A & W Root Beer mugs. I bought them back in the 1970s or 1980s. I can't exactly say when I bought them, but it seems like I've always had them.

To access A & W Root Beer's website, go here.

For A & W Root Beer logo history, go here.

The Garage Is Getting There

Above, the boxes on the left contain stuff I am keeping. The ones on the right are to be disposed. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's an old saying, "You never know how much sh*t you have until you move!"

My experience seems to bear that out.

However, since most everything has been unpacked except for a half dozen boxes, I have a bunch of boxes that got too thrashed during the move to be worth saving.

Above, the garage as it stands today. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that the weather has turned warmer here, I've been getting rid of those boxes. I've made enough progress to be able to park the Mustang inside. The Mustang never had a garage to be parked in until now.

The boxes that came through the move okay have been folded and neatly stacked in a corner.

Above, the Waste Management container with Tuesday's load. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Unfortunately, I only have a single trash container from Waste Management to dispose of them in. So far, I got rid of one container load of boxes and have another load ready to be picked up this coming Tuesday (that's trash day here).

Above, a view from the front. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I figure it will take about two more weeks of trash pick-ups before all of the thrashed boxes are gone.

I am determined not to have a garage like my dad's "legendary" garages where it was difficult to walk in. Twice, as I recall, it was easier to pack up and move things from our homes in Los Angeles and Hawthorne than my dad's garages. When my mom sold the Hawthorne house after my dad passed, she rented a big dumpster to dump everything that was in the garage.

Above, I have a work table and heater (don't know if it works) in the garage. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I was thinking about burning the boxes, but I don't have a yard fire pit yet.

In any case, we're getting there!

Beatles Trivia: Olivia Harrison

Above, George and Olivia Harrison circa 1978.

Since today is Sunday, which the KLOS-FM show, "Breakfast With The Beatles" is broadcast in L.A., a little Beatles trivia.

Above, Olivia Trinidad Arias
during her Hawthorne High days.

From the Beatles By Day blog:

George Harrison married Olivia Trinidad Arias on September 2nd 1978. 

Olivia was born on May 18, 1948 in Mexico City, Mexico. At the age of 3 her parents moved to California, where she attended Hawthorne High School in Southern California.

I also attended Hawthorne High School and graduated in 1972. I didn't get there until 1968, three years after Olivia Harrison graduated in 1965.

Olivia was Harrison's second wife. He married Pattie Boyd in 1966 and they divorced in 1977. There is an article on Pattie Boyd on her life with Harrison and Eric Clapton. To read it go here.

Above, Hawthorne High School today. Photo by Aramnd Vaquer.

Learn To Surf In Hawaii

Above, surfers at Waikiki Beach. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Being from Hawthorne, California and having attended Hawthorne High School, the "high school of The Beach Boys", surfing has been part of the culture in my area. Although, personally, I never took part in it. But I did hang out with many surfers and attended the annual surf festivals held at the local beaches (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach).

According to an article in Travel Weekly, the sport of surfing originated in Polynesia and it took off in Hawaii. In fact, Travel Weekly recommends taking surfing lessons while in Hawaii.

They wrote:

Hawaii is a wonderful place to learn the sport. There are ample breaks, no need for restrictive wetsuits, a plethora of surf schools and unbeatable scenery. Surfing is believed to have originated in Polynesia, but the first written account of someone surfing came from Lt. James King, who served under James Cook and described native Hawaiians riding waves with wooden planks in 1779. The sport thrived and flourished in Hawaii, which is now home to top professionals and multiple world championship events. 

They then give several tips on surfing along with a few sobering statistics. Still, according to the article, Hawaii is the ideal place to learn to surf.

To read more, go here.