Nothing makes me happier than travel, preferably somewhere in Latin America.
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Category Archives: southern california
Athletes
I know that, for the most part, they’re not professional, but I would have to answer the men and women who compete in the Summer Olympics: I get the feeling that there is more love and effort in their competition than in pro sports.
Relaxing
The key thing is to allow yourself to let go. If you place limits on your relaxation, you will have achieved nothing. The body and mind need to be at rest for part of the day. If you brag about being busy every minute of the day, it is tantamount to admitting failure.
Word
Daily writing prompt
If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?
I think it would be “absolutely,” or any other term implying a certainty I am not necessarily prepared to defend.
Furthest
Daily writing prompt
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.
The furthest I have ever traveled from home is to the southern tip of Argentina: to Ushuaia in the State of Tierra del Fuego. The absolute furthest was to the end of Route 3, at Bahia Lapataia in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, within sight of the Chilean border. I was there in both 2006 and 2011.
Why Blog?
I find that the discipline of trying to write every day keeps my mind fresh and active.
A Major Assumption
The Image of Christ Pantokrator at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church
The assumption of which I speak is that of the Blessed Virgin Mary Theotokos, or “God Bearer.” Today Martine and I drove to Long Beach to visit the Greek festival at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church.
According to both the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, when the Blessed Virgin died, she was taken up body and soul to heaven. Her feast day is celebrated by both religions on August 15.
There was music, dancing, Greek food (including scrumptious cookies), and a tour of the colorful church. The Assumption of the BVM Church in Long Beach is particularly colorful: The walls have painted images of literally hundreds of saints in addition to Biblical scenes from both the Old and New Testaments.
One of the saints depicted was Peter the Aleut, surnamed Cungagnak, who was martyred in 1815 after being tortured and killed by the Spanish in California. There are some doubts as to whether Peter ever existed, as the Russian Orthodox ministers on Kodiak Island said the Jesuits were behind the martyrdom. There were no Jesuits in California at that time, just mostly Franciscans. But it’s a nice story anyway.
Kid TV
Going back to 1949, I watched Howdy Doody, hosted by Buffalo Bob Smith. I particularly liked the episodes about the Platinum Platypus.
Favorite Time?
In a heat wave such as the one we are now experiencing, I would have to say from the time the sun goes down in the evening to the time the sun comes up in the morning.
August Is for Lizards
We’ve had it pretty easy up until now. We all knew that the heat would suddenly descend on us along the Southern California coast, just as it has for weeks in the East, South, and Midwest.
Even now, it is nowhere near as hot and sticky here as it is inland or in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. (And we won’t even mention the Coachella Valley.)
Living as we do in an apartment building without any insulation, let alone air conditioning, it can get hot after a few days of heat radiating toward our walls and roof—and it can stay hot. Martine and I have fans going all over the place. It helps, particularly after the sun goes down; but dropping off to sleep is not easy.
I was going to cook a minted rice casserole for supper. As dinner time approached, however, I gave up on the idea. What? Turn on the oven on a day like this? No way José!
Instead I had some blue cheese with Ritz crackers, a glass of unsweetened ice tea, and a white peach.
Based on past experience, I knew the heat wave would last for days, perhaps even weeks, longer than the weather forecasters said it would. Time to live like a lizard!
Tarnmoor 
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