Huntington Beach and Seal Beach

Photo by Matt S    To See and Be Seen!

Two of the nicest places in Orange County are Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. Even though they are both beaches with piers and a diner at the end of the pier, they are quite different communities.
I love Huntington Beach because of its diversity. My favorite place to eat breakfast there is the Sugar Shack.  Here you see tourists, of course, but also tanned white haired retirees with grandkids, grandparents with their kids and grandkids, surfers and volleyball players, young people, and youth in cut offs, halters and tattoos. You can sit outside on the street, if you want to be seen, which we don't, or inside, but why waste CA sunshine? Or on the patio behind, which is where we always go. The shops along Main Street are generally restaurants and clothing establishments. On the weekend a tent city of artists’ stalls clutters the promenade by the pier. It tends to be a crowded glitzy place, but isn’t that California?

Photo from the Bay Cinema Website

Seal Beach still has that 1950's atmosphere. Right at Main and Pacific Coast Highway 1 (PCH1) is an old cinema with its fancy marquee. You feel that born Californians live in Seal Beach and they stroll the through the shaded parks. Once we met a group of middle-aged people all walking their sleek miniature hounds (that’s what they appeared to be to me – I didn’t ask).

Youssef and I always eat breakfast at the Old Town Cafe, which has a distinctive blue Dutch door (top/bottom halves open separately). It is owned by a Mexican-American who worked in the café 20 years before he bought it in 2003. Besides the usual Euro-American fare they also have breakfast versions of burritos, huevos, refried beans, etc. On this last trip to California, I suggested to Wade that we eat there. They had plenty of patrons, Latino and Anglo. I ordered 'to die for' waffles with bananas, walnuts and syrup. I had so many walnuts I couldn't eat them all. And how I hate waste, especially walnuts! Wade had one of the Mexican breakfasts and liked it.

After breakfast we browsed passed little dress shops, a used book store, a floral nursery smelliing of fresh flowers, restaurants, coffee and ice cream parlors and walked out on the pier. Looking northwest we could just barely glimpse the Long Beach Pier.

If you want to know more about the Old Town Cafe with photos go to http://www.presstelegram.com/lifestyle/dining/ci_7781578

Antique Clock

Back in the late 1970’s or so, Youssef, Sharif and I were driving around in the West End of St. Louis when we came across an estate sale in Portland Place. There the houses are large and majestic, but had seen better days…at least in the 1970’s and early 80’s. The owner of this house was an antique collector/dealer, a man in his late 30’s, not my idea of a collector.

The collector had a number of clocks, and out of the blue Youssef asked how much he wanted for one in particular. The guy said $500. Youssef offered him, I think, half of what the man was asking -  $250. The man, being no fool, jumped at the offer and the deal was done. I was speechless with astonishment. The collector said it was an Ansonia Clock, and that only about 20 of them were made around 1887.  Yeah, I thought, says who?

Although I was in a state of denial, we took it to our home in University City and hung it above our couch. It tended to run slow, but it had a charming chime striking the hours and dinging once for the half hour.

When we moved to Egypt in 1991, we put it in storage. Returning ten years later, we got it out, but didn’t do much with it in our new home in Columbia. First, I hung it in the den, but fearing it might fall on someone’s head took it down. It lay around long enough for its chains to come to pieces and after a while I threw them away. Then I set the body of the clock on the mantel of the fireplace downstairs for atmosphere.

This summer, we took it to Bob, a clock repairman here in Columbia. He was reassuringly impressed. Bob confirmed that it was an Ansonia (whatever that means), and the copy write date (1887) is stamped inside the clock. He thought that the cabinet, the pendulum and the weights were all original. I thought, “Too bad I was so cavalier with the chains.”  He oiled the innards and installed new chains. It is now hanging on our wall again, charming us with its chimes and losing about five minutes every 24 hours.

Sights in St. Louis

Monday of last week (July 26th) docents from the Art and Archaeology Museum and friends took a bus to St. Louis to see "Treasures of the Vatican," at the Missouri Historical Museum.  My sister, Mary Sue and friend, Trudie, also made the trip.  I don't know what I was expecting, Michelangelo maybe, but I was pretty disappointed with the exhibition.  I couldn't get excited about a brick from Peter's tomb or an early Christian relief of the Visit of the Magi.  There was an interesting reliquary holding almost invisible bone chips. There was a plaster cast of the Pieta.  It was noted that 9 bronze Pieta's were made in the 1930"s and served the restorers well when they had to repair the Pieta after it was attack by a mad man with a hammer. 

  At 2:00 we returned to the bus after taking pictures in front of the fountain.

Then we went to the St. Louis Cathedral which has more mosaics than San Marcus in Venice. It was spectacular.
Our guide was great with an accent I last heard in  the Godfather movie.  He told us many stories, and gave us a great appreciation for the intricate workmanship involved.  As we wandered through the church a young man came and began to play the organ.  The music of the Doxology filled the sanctuary.

Some mosaics were made to look like paintings.  Some mosaics reminded me of Byzantine icons I had seen in Coptic churches in Egypt.

This bronze Pieta is one of the nine Pieta casts made in the 1930's and is touring the States.

The Cathedral garden was quiet.

And the lilly pond was tranquil.  This was good, because we left St. Louis at rush hour and arrived back in Columbia around 8:00.  Lovely trip.