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. 

To start off this week, we have The Four Preps with their classic song, "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)" from 1957. It reached number 2 on the U.S. music charts.

For native Angelenos, this is a cherished song, especially to those who lived the beach lifestyle and who have been to Santa Catalina Island. I have been to Santa Catalina Island twice, the first being on the S.S. Catalina in 1974 and this song played on the ship as we headed to the island.

Above, yours truly on Catalina Island in 1974. My hair was thick in those days.

From Wikipedia:

The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", "Big Man", "Lazy Summer Night", and "Down by the Station".

The Four Preps' numerous television and motion picture appearances included four years backing teen heartthrob Ricky Nelson on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and appearing with Sandra Dee in the film Gidget. The group's most recent television appearance was with the award-winning 2004 PBS special, Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop.

The current incarnation of the Four Preps features co-founder and original lead singer Bruce Belland, Bob Duncan (formerly with the Diamonds and the Crew Cuts), Michael Redman (of the Crew Cuts), and Jim Armstrong. Their shows are currently an amalgamation of singing everything from doo-wop to Tin Pan Alley standards and comedy.

T + L: 12 Best Tropical Vacations in the U.S.

Above, Dolphin Quest at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that we're creeping towards summer, now's the time to start planning for a tropical vacation. Some places are already good, weather-wise, for such a vacation. 

Travel + Leisure has posted an article of 12 of the best tropical vacations in U.S. One of them is surprising, since it is in the desert of Nevada.

I have been to several of them over the years: Key West, Santa Barbara, Catalina Island, Hawaii and Las Vegas (yes, this one's the surprise). 

They begin with:

When you're dreaming of a tropical vacation, but both time and money are in short supply, you can find what you want without going too far. Whether you're on the East or West Coast, a tropical destination is just a few hours away. There are islands, beach towns, and resorts that will satisfy that longing for balmy weather, palm trees, and icy cocktails topped with fruit and tiny umbrellas.

Pack a swimsuit, shades, and sunscreen and leave the passport at home when you travel to one of these tropical vacation destinations in the U.S.

 To read more, go here.

Farewell to the S.S. Catalina

Above, the S.S. Catalina anchored off Long Beach in the early 1980s. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Below is a video of the final phase of the scrapping of the "Great White Steamer", 

the S.S. Catalina in Ensenada, Mexico. Such a ignoble demise.

Above, Max Bettman, Mitch Geriminsky and yours truly aboard the S.S. Catalina in July 1974.

The Draft Lottery

Above, yours truly on Catalina Island in 1974.

A discussion on the draft in a RV forum I belong to got me to take a look at how I fared with the draft lottery system.

According to the Selective Service website:

LOTTERY TABLE INFORMATION 

Administrative processing number (APN) denotes the highest lottery numbers called for each table year. The APN (highest number) called for a physical was 215 for tables 1970 through 1976.

The last draft call was on December 7, 1972, and the authority to induct expired on June 30, 1973. The date of the last drawing for the lottery was on March 12, 1975. 

Registration with the Selective Service System was suspended on April 1, 1975, and registrant processing was suspended on January 27, 1976.

Registration was resumed in July 1980 for men born in 1960 and later, and is in effect to this present time. Men are required to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday.

For my birth year, 1954, the lottery was held on March 8, 1973 for the 1974 Random Selection Sequence. But the Viet Nam war ended two months prior.

Even if the United States were still involved in Viet Nam, I wasn't worried about being called up for service since my lottery number was 150 for my birthdate.

Somewhere around here, I still have my draft registration papers.

Congratulations, Andrew!

Above, yours truly with Andrew after the ceremonies. Photo by Jeff Guba.

The George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management held their 2016 Commencement ceremonies today at the Pepperdine University Firestone Field House on the Malibu campus.

I was invited to the ceremonies by fellow G-fan Andrew Nguyen, who received his Master of Business Administration degree today.

Above, Santa Catalina Island from Pepperdine University in Malibu. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was an enjoyable occasion and I was glad to come. The weather couldn't have been more gorgeous as I was able to clearly see Santa Catalina Island as I drove down Malibu Canyon Road.

Above, Andrew receiving his degree. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The highlight for me was the Commencement Address by Raymond W. Smith, the former chair of Verizon Ventures.

Above, Raymond W. Smith's Commencement Address. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Following the Commencement, we headed to Bui Sushi in Malibu for lunch.

Above, Jeff Guba with Andrew and his parents. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, yours truly with Andrew and his parents. Photo by Jeff Guba.

It was nice to be back on the Pepperdine University campus after all these years. It was the first time I've been there since I attended a luncheon speech by Ronald Reagan at the law school department in 1978.

Congratulations to Andrew for earning his Master's Degree!

Birthday Celebrating At The Redondo Beach Pier

Above, Denise and I at Old Tony's at the Redondo Beach Pier.

Today, Denise and I headed down to the Redondo Beach Pier to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of my 39th birthday.

She had never been to the pier before and it had been ages since the last time I was there. It was one of my hangouts back in the 1970s and 1980s. I've been wanting to go there for quite a while.

Above, the bar at Old Tony's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We got to Redondo Beach by driving along the coast from Dockweiler Beach. We drove through El Porto, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach before reaching Redondo Beach. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach looked pretty much as I remembered them, still with their "beachy" charm. We were able to see Catalina Island during the drive. I asked Denise if she had ever been to Catalina. She said she hadn't. We'll have to rectify that this summer!

Above, Old Tony's on the Redondo Beach Pier. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We had lunch at Old Tony's on the pier. We sat at a window table with a great view of King Harbor. Tony's still looked the same as it always did. It has been in business since 1952. They had a close call in 1988 when much of the Redondo Beach Pier succumbed to a massive fire.

Above, King Harbor and the boat hoists. I remember vividly the boat hoists as my grandfather
 used to take us fishing and would have his boat put into the water here. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

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After lunch, we wandered around the pier and stopped at Kobe Pearls. Denise has no pearl jewelry and wasn't even aware that pearls even came from oysters. The oysters Kobe has were from the Izu Peninsula in Japan. For $11.00, you can buy an oyster and select it. Once selected, the shopkeeper opens it up to retrieve the pearl inside.

Above, Denise during lunch. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Denise selected an oyster that contained a beautiful golden pearl, one of the nicest I've seen. The shopkeeper said it is worth around $68.00. We had it mounted on a necklace. She has to wait a day for the special glue to properly cure solid before she can wear it.

Above, I am about to blow out the candle on the cake Denise got me.

We then headed back to the Valley. It was nice visiting one of my old "haunts" after so many years. It was great to be back in the South Bay!

Avalon's Centennial

Above, yours truly in Avalon in 1974 at the ripe old age of 20.

The first time I went to Santa Catalina Island was in the summer of 1974 aboard "The Great White Steamer," the S.S. Catalina.  The 2-hour voyage on the Catalina was fun, plus the ship had a full bar that made it more enjoyable.

The S.S. Catalina is gone (dismantled for scrap in Mexico), but Santa Catalina Island is still there as is Avalon.

On that trip, two friends and I went swimming, horseback riding and had a great lunch in the island town of Avalon.  When we walked in the residential area of Avalon, it felt as if we were transported back to the 1940s as the architecture and decor of the homes looked like that era.

Above, aboard the S.S. Catalina in 1974.

The last time I visited Santa Catalina Island was back in the early 1980s aboard a private yacht.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the town of Avalon.  The town has events in store this June to mark the centennial. 

On June 20, the Centennial Festival/Fair will be held.  A community fish fry will be held on June 21.  Music lovers will enjoy the Xceptional Music Concert on June 22.  Movie lovers will enjoy the Catalina Movie Night On The Beach with movies filmed in Catalina shown on June 23.  The Community Picnic will be held June 24 at Joe Machado Field.  Music lovers again will have a Local Band Night on June 25.  Finally, the Community Gala Dinner will be held at the Casino in Avalon.

For more information, contact the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau at (310) 510-1520 or www.catalinachamber.com.

XNGH Steve Born Gone To Golden Hills

Above, Steve Born (right) poses with a plaque commemorating The Ridge Route with Glenn Thornhill.

Steven Born, XNGH of the Peter Lebeck Chapter of E Clampus Vitus, has gone to the Golden Hills.

Steve was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital yesterday afternoon. He developed an infection and required a blood transfusion because his blood was too thin from medication (for multiple medical issues) and his body was in shock with massive organ failure.

He passed away this morning at 5:00 a.m.

He married his longtime sweetheart Joanne in October 2009 in a ceremony (below) on Catalina Island on a hilltop overlooking Avalon Harbor.



Information on services will be posted here.

Aboard The S.S. Catalina

Summer is here. I thought this would be a good time to take a look back at another summer when two friends and I went to Catalina Island aboard "The Great White Steamer."

From Wikipedia:

The S.S. Catalina, also known as The Great White Steamer, was a 301-foot steamship built in 1924 that provided passenger service on the 26-mile passage between Los Angeles and Santa Catalina Island from 1924 to 1975. According to the Steamship Historical Society of America, the Catalina has carried more passengers than any other vessel anywhere. The S.S. Catalina also served as a troop ship during World War II, transporting more than 800,000 soldiers and sailors. After a period of service as a floating discotheque, the ship ran aground on a sandbar in Ensenada Harbor in 1997 and remained there half-submerged and decaying for more than a decade.

In January 2009, it was announced that the ship would be cut up for scrap, which has been completed.

July 24, 1974

It was on July 24, 1974 that Max Bettman, Mitch Geriminsky and I took a round-trip cruise to Catalina Island aboard the S.S. Catalina. There were faster, but smaller boats ferrying visitors to the island, but we opted to take the historical S.S. Catalina instead. Besides, the ship had a full bar!

At the time, we were students at El Camino College but were on summer vacation. Little did we know at the time that this would be the next-to-last season of the S.S. Catalina. The owners had financial difficulties, with smaller and faster boats competing for passengers to Catalina Island.

Above, en route to Catalina Island, passengers enjoy the ocean view on the S.S. Catalina's bow.

Above, Mitch Geriminsky (left) and Max Bettman aboard the S.S. Catalina.

Above, the three of us aboard the S.S. Catalina as we headed to Catalina Island. Looks like we all could've used haircuts!

Above, Catalina's Avalon Harbor is in sight as we approached the island.

Above, here I am after getting off the ship. This was my first visit to Catalina Island. I was 20 at the time.

Once we arrived on Catalina Island, we spent the day swimming in Avalon Harbor and did some horseback riding. When we walked to the stables, we had to go through an Avalon neighborhood. It was like being transported 30-40 years back in time as the homes looked like they were time-locked in the 1930s or 1940s.

After a day's worth of fun on Catalina Island, we got back on board the S.S. Catalina for the return trip to the mainland.

1982: Destined For Oblivion

After the 1974 trip to Catalina Island, I hadn't seen the S.S. Catalina until 1982, when a group of us were cruising on a business associate's yacht.

Above, the S.S. Catalina at anchor in Long Beach Harbor as our boat approached.

Early in 2009, it was announced that the S.S. Catalina would be dismantled and sold for scrap. It had partially sunken into the mud of Ensenada Harbor, Mexico. Preservationists tried to raise funds to re-float the ship and restore it, but they were unable to do so.

The old ship is now gone. Here are a couple of photos of the ship that I took in 1982. The ship was at anchor in Long Beach Harbor at the time, waiting for oblivion in Ensenada Harbor.

Above, a business associate invited several of us for a lunch cruise on his yacht and we passed by the Catalina during the cruise. The photo above was taken as we closed in.

This little song was played aboard the S.S. Catalina as we sailed to Catalina Island:

San Pedro & Catalina Island Railroad

I was perusing my library of pamplets and booklets the other day and came across one called The San Pedro & Catalina Island Railroad: Ambition and Adversity In Railroading, 1870-1920, by Abraham Hoffman, PhD.

In the booklet, Hoffman provides the history of the railroad connecting Catalina Island and the mainland. The prime backer of the railroad was Phineas Banning, with the aid of Senator John P. Jones.

Construction on the railroad began on February 9, 1876 and it was completed in 1878. Redwood logs were used as they were water-resistant and huge pile drivers were needed to drive them into the ocean floor.

Initally, the railroad was very profitable to the San Pedro & Catalina Railroad Company, but costs began to skyrocket and the railroad eventually ceased operation in 1912. In 1919, William Wrigley, Jr. bought Catalina Island and the railroad bridge for his own use. He saw tourism possibilities and further developed Avalon, the largest village on Catalina. He was uninterested in reviving bridge traffic and received complaints from coastal shippers that the bridge blocked the way. Accordingly, Wrigley ordered the razing of the bridge and removed the bridge support piles, which took about six months to complete.

Occasionally, a relic of the channel bridge will surface.

Nice to revisit a tidbit of obscure California History on occasion.