Driving to San Diego
We learn from mutual friends that Sandy Sharp has passed away and his wake is to be held in North County San Diego. At the last minute we pile into Peter's Subaru and drive south on a Friday afternoon. We stop in Morro Bay at
Tognazzini's Dockside Fish Market for a lunch of Alaska Amber draft beer and locally grown BBQ-ed oysters.
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| A table with a view |
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The traffic is crazy as we near Santa Barbara so we take the back roads along the foothills behind Montecito's expensive estates to circumvent the traffic.
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| Trainers exercising Polo ponies along the road |
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We make it time for dinner in Ojai with Peter's sister Holly. Her backyard is in full late summer splendor.
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| Bougainvillea in full bloom |
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Raccoon crossing
(Holly's feeding the critters) |
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| Ahhh... so when will the pomegranates be ripe? |
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The next morning we are up early to sneak through the LA Basin wasteland (yup - I don't have a high opinion of the Los Angeles area), before too many people are up and out on the roads.
A Wake for Sandy
We have some time before the wake, so we decide to check out the
Cedros Avenue Design District in Solano Beach. We always giggle over how this area has changed over the years. Years ago it was a dirt road with cheap but good Mexican restaurants and the infamous dive - the
Belly Up. We once saw Dan Hicks in the late '70's at the Belly Up. Dan was so drunk he fell off the stage during his performance. Now this street is home to high end "design" shops and the Belly Up hosts more reputable performers at higher ticket costs.
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| Cedros Avenue Design District |
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| Large mobile of colorful paper butterflies |
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| A driftwood horse waits for a new owner |
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The wake is held the home of Sandy's good friends Ron and Holly. Each of us bring drinks and food. The dining room table is set with photos from Sandy's life. After catching up with old friends and making new ones, we all gather on the patio to tell our stories about our friendship with Sandy.
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| Photos celebrating Sandy's life and the things he loved |
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Peter was one of the first to meet Sandy shortly after he arrived in North County. Peter was in the process of moving from Santa Barbara and rented a bedroom in Del Mar. After paying for his room, he told his housemates that he would return in a month's time. After the month passed, Peter returned and was shocked to find three British wetbacks living in his room - Sandy, Cherry (Sandy's girlfriend), and their friend David. After Peter protested they were inhabiting the room he paid for, the three Brits moved into another smaller bedroom. To make a long story short, Peter and Sandy became good friends.
Despite threatening to return to Scotland, Sandy got seduced by the warm weather and easy lifestyle in North County and even eventually became a US citizen. He loved to drink and argue philosophy and politics. He was superb at darts and could easily win beer money from any of us. Forced to earn a living, Sandy became a house painter and a very good one at that.
In fact, when Peter and I were preparing our house in Boulder Creek for sale, we hired Sandy to stay with us while repainting the house. As we barely had enough money to make purchasing our current home go through, it was a stressful time for Peter and I. Sandy, on the other hand, was always calm and reassuring throughout the process. After the escrow closed, I asked Sandy why he was so sure the deal would complete in our favor. He just smiled and said that our new house address of 1845 was the same as his in Leucadia. It was a positive omen of success. Everyone on the patio just smiled and nodded that Sandy had a superstitious streak.
Sandy loved color and urged Holly and Ron to use their imagination when choosing the new colors for their home. Holly decided she wanted to use Mexican restaurant colors... and so they did.
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| Turquoise in a guest bedroom |
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| Orange in the bathroom |
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Ron converted their back yard to a challenging 18 hole miniature golf course, complete with a choice of golf clubs and a 19th hole. After the stories are all told, Ron gives us a tour of his course.
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| First pick a club by the Tiki |
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| Then start off at the first tee |
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| The course winds through the yard and ends back at the 19 hole |
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The 19th hole has a shuffle board table as well as an outside fire pit and bar. No wonder Sandy liked hanging out with Ron and Holly. Wakes are definitely better than funerals. Rest in peace Sandy. We will miss you.
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| Ron demos correct technique |
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| Peter lets a shot go |
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| Marshall looks on |
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A Birthday for Patti
The month after Sandy's wake, we return to Leucadia by plane for Patti's 87th Birthday.
It's funny... no matter how old we get, lighted candles on a birthday cake brings out the kid in all of us.
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| Patti making a wish before blowing out her birthday candles |
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A New Home for Karen
Over the years, our friend Karen has gone from living on several acres out in the country to the suburbs to a downtown high rise condo. She invites us to see her new home on the 23rd floor above downtown San Diego.
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| Karen's high rise building |
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| The view north from her balcony |
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| View south over the train station toward the Coronado Bridge |
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Being country mice, Peter and I are fascinated with her new downtown lifestyle with all her needs within a short walk or short drive. No - we won't be abandoning Corralitos for a downtown condo any time soon.
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| A Coaster leaves the station next to her building |
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| Walkway between the tracks and high rises |
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Flying Home
After a late leisurely lunch, Karen drives us a few minutes to the airport, where we catch a small prop jet bound for Monterey. These planes (operated by Horizon Air for Alaska Air) are each painted with the logos from various college athletic teams. We guess that they are leased from time to time by the college with the appropriate logo. I am delighted our home bound plane sports the logo from my old undergraduate alma mater - the Oregon State University Beavers.
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| Downtown San Diego at take off |
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| OSU Beavers |
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| Above Lindbergh Field and Shelter Island |
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The flight north is through mostly clear skies into the deepening sunset. We are treated a a clear coastline with good views of both the
Channel Islands and the
Big Sur coastline.
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| Sunset colored light clouds |
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| Anacapa Island casts long shadows on a red sea |
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