Huntington Beach Pier, 100th Anniversary

I had not seen my brother in over on month. He has been living in an assistant living apartment for eight years now. Seven years ago, he came down with Glaucoma. A botched laxer treatment left him blind in that eye. He had been getting shots for the good eye, the left one for over two years now. He could barely read the E on the eye chart due to a leaky eye. Three days ago I called Mel and he told me he could see out of the left eye. 

Inside the dinning room sat my brother Mel, larger than life itself, chewing the last bites of waffles. I entered the dining area of the his assistant living home. The first sitting must have been over, but still only a few remained.This time he saw me enter the room. I knew it would be a great beach day today in Huntington Beach for the Goldberg Brothers.  ( At thirteen, a judge overruled my name and changed it to Garrett.) 
   "Mel, what in God's name did you do to your hair. Who shaved it.?" "I'm glad you made it. It will grow back, don't you worry." An employee brought me coffee. She asked if I was  "El Hermano De Melvyn?" 
    "Oui, Yo es El hermano de Mel." Mel's face had changed from dread to delighted.  Yes, his face appeared happy today at the Golden Rays Assistant Living Center  changed from dread to. I asked him about his three table mates.
    "They returned Ruthie to the hospital. She refused to eat and is wasting away. Think she is on her way out." I had met Ruthie about four years ago. She looked like an Albino. The Ogden Utah native refused to eat - even then but had a angelic personality.
    He told me the two others had left. One was from the Philippines and the other from Virginia. Their social security payments were enough for shelter and three square meals a day. I told Mel to get ready for a trip to the beach...he met me in the Patio area.
    
It is aptly named Beach Boulevard since it delivers you where the surf meets the sandy beaches.  Many years ago, Oil derricks covered Huntington Beach and it took hours to remove the oily-film from ones feet. Instead of Oil city, it has been transformed into Surf City U.S.A. It is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.  
  I made a left on Main Street and marveled at these older-than-time Spanish and Victorian homes with lattice and gables watching my every move. Each house was well-manicured and why not? Each was published in Whose Home.  
   My disabled license plate allowed me to park   across from  the Sugar Shack  a beach icon. My drive north on the 5 before it gave a high-five to the  405  produced a generous appetite. I ordered the special with sausage, Pancakes, and eggs. Mel watched me eat. I could not believe he simply watched. It was not Mel-like to watch without sampling, and why you ask? He's happy and does not need food for nourishment. Life is nourishment!
   Main Street is home to surf stores, beachwear, bars, but most of all lots of color. Unlike other towns, the freeways don't surf here and the soft winds make it a vacation here.  
 We then walked to the beach and we sat on the concrete bleachers. Mel could now  make out the yellow number on the life guard tower. That was a miracle.  A few young gals did somersaults on the grass while  beach-goers walked on the strand with their dogs and husbands in toe. Beside us were a band if tourists from China. They were tall and each owned a Canon camera. . 
  I videoed my brother singing Eddie Fisher's Oh My Papa and the song, If I Ever Needed Love? My brother had the golden voice and as far as I am concerned, its better than Frankie. 

Of course I took pictures of the surfers and volleyball players. The sun played  peek-a-boo with the sun-worshipers. 
  The day was not over. I treated him to Norm's and a  New York Steak, shrimp, carrots, potatoes, Jumbo soup, salad and four coke refills.  
   "Hey Mel, can I get you another order?"  "No I wish to see the Green Bay game."  "Seattle will win by six" and we left. Mel gave me the lift I needed and I did the same. That is what all brother are for, aren't they?  
   .

 
 

The End of World War 11

It is a treat for me to meet Paul every-other Saturday at seven o'clock. His 1967 Pontiac stands in front of Dennis across from the Motel Six. My legs are shot from a night of dancing at a club in Carlsbad. He had already eaten and had placed a five dollar bill on the table. His wide moon-like smile greeted me this colder than average morning. In fact, he was bigger than life. 

   "Looks like you've already eaten. Couldn't you have waited for me?'
    "You know George while a Marine, My  Coronel worried about me since I arrived at least twenty minutes early for every meeting.  I brought a picture of my wife Cathy with me.  And inside this calender is one of General Vandergrift."
     I took he pictures on my digital camera. The waitress comes over and I order the same: a pancake and two scrambled eggs. At 88, Paul Stevenson is a picture of health. And the picture of the both of them after a renewal of their wedding vows proved he could have been the poster boy for all Marines. As he said many times, once a Marine always a Marine.
     "You know George, we took our second wedding vows in a small town outside Maryland. A Justice of the peace drove up, got out of his car, and did the quick service in no time. The little town was famous for fast marriages."  I asked him a little more about the Midway Islands the battle of Bougainvillea. To simplify this exchange, I will piecemeal what surfaced this morning.
    

 'I had a few months of training at Fort Elliot in San Diego before going on a transport ship to New Zealand in 1942. The Transport Ship left from the  Broadway Pier. The First Marine Division was getting ready to invade Guadalcanal. We learned everything needed to stay alive, including hand-to-hand combat in the four months of training on that Island.  He told me that Major General Vandergrift had left Henderson Field and had left the mopping up to Paul Stevenson.   .
     "The remaining Japanese hid in the trees or inside tunnels.  Sometimes they tied themselves to the many coconut or banana trees. These snipers didn't miss often. The fruit and fish were plentiful. Anyone shot above the waist was in trouble. We didn't use Agent Orange in that war. 
      "Like many, I came down with Malaria and was given quinine to quell the terrible headaches and diarrhea it brought on. "I will never forget those nasty headaches. My head pounded like a baseball bat was hitting it. I always readied myself for the next day, except my Coronel saw how bad I looked and sent me to sick bay."
   "One of our worst days was when the Yorktown took a hit and limped back to Pearl Harbor. A Japanese torpedo hit the Juneau where the explosives were and went down in a flash. George Sullivan survived the fire only to be killed by a shark while bathing in the Pacific."
     "At the tail end of the war, I will never forget the sound of those B-29's taking off at four o'clock. Their sound shook the ground in the early morning hours. We were on Wake Island and some B-29 bombers took off for Japan. A few didn't return and some came back with one or two engines missing. 
    Some newly arrived recruits on this Island ran up to me excited. 'The Japanese have surrendered.' This  Pachuca regiment came from East Los Angeles.
    
The clock entertained 8:30. Paul could not stop talking. This time I needed to remind him. He paid the waitress for my pancakes and eggs and told me he would be busy the next week. "We are having at Camp Pendleton a reunion of our First Marine Division. You probably could make it for our Thursday dinner but it is expensive. They are charging $45 dollars for it. 
     I walked the tall hunch-back Marine to his steady 1967 Pontiac. The red but sturdy car mirrored Paul. It had over 500,000 miles on it but never meandered too far from his garage. "By the way George, could you look for a hospice for my ailing wife. No longer can I give  Cathy the care I would like to. 
    In the west, the sun had risen as smiling Paul left in his old but reliable car. And aren't all good Marines reliable?
    
 

May 21st, Schindler day

I met Jose Lopez and Blanca on a Saturday while I entered the Tip Top Restaurant  in Carlsbad. The restaurant was full and I asked them if I could plant myself at their long table. They agreed and asked me what I was writing about. I found out that Blanca had bought two tickets to the game in San Diego as the Trojans would be playing Nebraska in one of the too-many bowl games.
    They had driven all-the-way from Bell, California, just east of downtown Los Angeles. 
They were eating the Big John Special. The cost was a shade under seven dollars and guaranteed to put five pounds on you.  It included all the meat you could eat-but no seconds on Bacon. The plate came with scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast. except bacon,  scrambled eggs, hash browns. "You have tickets for the game against Nebraska,
   "First we are going to a tail-gait party at the stadium.Our friends will bring the hot doggies and burgers and we will supply the pastry." Jose was consumed with his dish, but Blanca's dish happened to be me. She wished to know what I was working on.  
   "I am working on the Ambrose Schindler Story. He played football for U.S.C and is still kicking at 97. I am going to try to get the San Diego City Council make May 21st, Ambrose Schindler day in San Diego.  You know he played his football at U.S.C after leaving San Diego High School. Do you still work Blanca?
  "I work at the U.S.C. hospital. . We have developed a unique way to perform  Esophageal operations on cancer patients. We are the only hospital that removes the damaged esophagus and replace it with a part of the patients intestine. We have a high cure rate." Her husband now looked up at me. His plate was clean. He was muscularly large and face that would light up Christmas lights. In short, he was all smiles, and why not, with a wife as adorable as Blanca. Where did you-two meet?
   "WE met at a grammar school in Bell,California. . I was thirteen at the time. We married a few years later and have been married for forty five years.Our four kids are in their thirties and all have gone to college" 
    Blanca looked adorable, and her husband's grin told me their forty three year marriage was one that love-stories are written about. I asked her husband if he has considered retirement? 
"No Way. I love my job with U.P.S . I have been working for them for thirty two years and have so much seniority, that I make $160,000 a year. I work the big trucks twice a week and travel from Los Angeles to cities in Arizona." Blanca Chimed in now. 
   "We just returned from a three month trip to Europe. Did we enjoy Italy! The meal now finished they waited for some pastry to be boxed for them. Julian pies were in season.
   After lunch, I took them to the  finest produce markets on the vine in Carlsbad. I had been going there for five years and the Grand Market had just moved. Now it was across from the Tip Top Restaurant. 
  . I knew the U.S.C. Tail-Gators would enjoy the local farmer's fruit. They must have since she returned to the Tip Top and gave me a long kiss on the cheeks. 


http://youtube/QxNMAUMG3Iw

The Battle of Midway

I needed a swift pick up today. Paul, the 88 year-old Marine would breakfast with  me again at Dennis,across from the Carlsbad Motel Six.The 32 year-Marine's gripping story had interested me ever since we met at the eatery two months ago. He takes care of his bed-ridden wife on a hilly house up the street...I was still upset about a lady who waited to be tutored at the Encinitas' Senior Center. She almost cried when the tutor did not show up. So upset I became, I took my woes to City Hall and complained that we need paid tutors every day.   

    It was going on seven in the morning. I left the Motel Six and poured a complimentary coffee at the motel's office. I meandered towards Dennis and tired to look through the window. The sun's rays filtered through the glass which made it difficult to see anything. I walked inside and made out the silhouette of a hunched over bald man.
    The old man bellowed, "George, have a seat and a happy New Year."
     "Is it you Paul? Where-in-the-hell is your hat, and that old car of yours? What ya having?"
    "One pancake and eggs. I'm sure you want two. I left my two-bullet-holed Marine cap at home. . Next time I will wear it so you can recognize me."
    "You read my mind." I turned to the waitress and ordered the same.
    "I was interested in what you told me after the War. You had told me that the Marines had down-sided and had released you. After the Marine stint, where did you head for?" .
    The waitress returned with cold water and a straw. I decided to return to my motel to pick up my teeth. I had forgotten my teeth but it didn't matter. Teeth are not needed for scrambled eggs and pancakes .
     "I left for Akron and the home of my parents after the World War 2. I was nineteen. You know Akron is the home to many tire manufactures. I felt homesick and had written a letter to Major General Vandergrift  for the Marines.  . My twenty dollar check waited for me at our local post office  my twenty dollar check and looked for any mail from Major General Vandergrift. I was a member of the 50-20 club-whatever that means. The Marines sent me a twenty dollar check each week and it would continue for twenty weeks check each week."
   Just then the waitress returned with my two pancakes and scrambled eggs. "Did you want butter?" No, but thanks for asking. A family of four sat in the next booth. The parents scanned their smart phones while they drew pictures.
      "I felt homesick for the Marines. As they say,  'Once a Marine always a Marine.' I wished to re-enlist.  The Marine Core had always fed me well and treated me even better. As long as we performed, that was all that mattered. I was a member of the 50-20 club. I am not sure what it means, but the post office had a twenty dollar check every check for 50 weeks.I wrote letters to Major General Vandergrift."
    "My sister opened a letter for me. I read it and found out it was from Major General Vandergrift. I needed to high-tail it to Washington to re-enlist. My buddy drove me all-the-way.  The Korean War had just begun and I joined up
"My buddy drove me to Quanterow, Virginia. It had opened up in 1914. A news item in the Marine paper the Register told me the Marine base was having football tryouts the next day. About one hundred and fifty showed up. I was picked. To celebrate the next night, I went to our mess hall where a band was playing."
     "I saw this cute little gal and we danced a few. I invited her to our football practice. She was a member of the Army and stationed in another town. For two weeks we camped out together at night. Soon we got hitched""I was either eighteen when I was told to report to Camp Pendleton. I drove my Plymouth across the United States and left it in La Jolla. I paid the couple ten dollars a month to keep it there while I unhitched the battery cable."

 I told Paul to speak more about General Vandergrift. The Storms of War  connected his name to the Battle for Guadalcanal. 'Would you mind telling me as much about General Vandergrift?"
   "Well George, I had been on that hell-hole-Island for over one month. We had tried to kick the Japanese from a field they wished to use as a airfield. It was strategic and they could have been closer to Hawaii and our main land.
 "Would you mind tracing back to World War 11. I would like more information about your landing on Guadalcanal."
"Well I can still feel those dam mosquitoes. After a few days of taking some Marines in my long tank, we dug in. In a few days, I came down with Malaria. Quinine was given to me each day. The Medics drew blood to see how much of the medication I would need.'
"Many took Morphine for pain. For me finding a toilet was impossible. And at any time a Japanese bullet might remove my testicles. The Japanese were good at sleeping on the ground. When cold at night, they built tunnels and lit up some gas at the beginning of a hole to keep them warm."
 "Many of the Marines died of their wounds. But we kicked there ass out of the field. A Lieutenant wished to sleep inside a tank and I told him the enemy would sneak-up on him and shoot him. He told me he would court-marshal me. He thanked me later.
  "I was one of several to escort the General Vandergrift on the Island. I knew the enemy would have loved to capture him. It didn't take long before we had driven the Japanese out of that airfield and then tried to ready it for our own planes. (92 Year Old Paul reminds me of what good soldiers were like. There is a good chance I will write his story of three wars: World War 2, the Korean, and Vietnam. He is spry for one ancient at only 92 and walks and does twenty push-ups a day.
     

   


   

The Sun has come out over Moonlight Beach.

"Did you feel that wind Craig? The weather is about to change. I can remove my long-johns in favor of volleyball shorts." We sat on a bench on the bluffs. 
   Yesterday,early afternoon, at one thirty to be exact, I felt a shift in the wind. I knew the  Santa Ana's had ended their unmerciful cold-windy-weather. I could don my shorts for the first time in three weeks. Oh yes, Craig is my buddy. The ex-sub sailor always tags along. He uses me as an ear for his many sarcastic stories about what is wrong with San Diego. 
   Two lovers had already camped out besides my white picket fence. I had used it to deflect the cold December winds and as hat to protect my face. I had remembered what my grand daughter had told me when she saw dark blotches on my arms. "Why didn't you use sun-screen?" That occurred two months ago.
   I placed gobs of the lotion over my ears, nose and the back of my head. I removed my folding beach chair and volleyball and left with Craig down a path to the gorgeous beach. I felt in beach heaven.
   Craig and I threw the ball around. My foot arches finally had a good work out. We slept against the wall until three. "George, been to Whole Foods lately?"
   "No is there one in Encinitas?"
   "Yes right down the street on 101."
   We left the cozy beach and I  parked in the Whole Food's underground lot. I picked out a small fish soup and later, a mixed vegetable and fish salad. It cost over twelve for both, but what the hell, my state check arrived earlier and I would celebrate today. 
    Later I'm back at my Motel Six, I felt a surge of energy. Yes, that natural vitamin D did it again. I pampered myself by crossing the street and visiting Albertsons. I bought a big Hershey with almonds and also a cheese-it. Back at my motel, I savor every bite...A few minutes later,  I fell asleep. 

Today I will replay yesterday's. I need to buy a hat and also shorts. The  sun will be a bit higher and the days longer, while I am alive to savor every sunny moment. One hitch today. 
   When i returned to Table 5 in Encinitas, paramedics were hovering around Horst Cahn. He had had a bad cold last week and he fell asleep. 
   They placed him on a litter, and one asked, "How do you feel?" With his eyes barely opened, he replied, "Ask my finger?" 
    In one more hour, I will be back at the sunny-side- of the United States. My own fingers itch to play volleyball. I hope the white picket fense is not taken. I love shade. 
    It is six o'clock and just arrived at the Carlsbad Library to finish my football story. Have a hunch it will lead to bigger and better things but after this afternoon, it will be hard to match the serenity at Moon Light Beach.
    Again I napped before running in the sand. The beach is known for its sunsets, and at about five o'clock it was a dandy. I love to watch the sun go to bed. The colors very with a predominance of yellow and bright red.
    I finished off the evening with a fish soup. It was a bit salty so I have to watch it. The large cups are three times the size of the smaller one. I dip a lot of fish from a different station to get my moneys worth.
   

Encinitas New Year's Dance

Over 12 tables were decorated with blowers, balloons, and baby Hershey Bars. The Encinitas' Senior Center would hold the New Year's dance. It would begin at three and end at six. The guests came from the Wednesday's one o'clock dance club and also the regulars from the Encinitas' Senior Center.  
   I was in a festive mood since everything was going my way. It had been a year of many ups and downs. But lately, everything was turning up Roses. And most of all, The Carlsbad ocean air seemed a lot cleaner than the putrid air of San Diego. 
  One daughter, who I now call 'Magic',  has turned her life around. I still can't believe she threw Marlboro Gold's away  in favor of life itself.  So I sat contemplating the newer version of George. Sure I was over four years older than the 71 when I first made San Diego my home. 
  But with lots of adversity,  I have learned to shed my old clothes and put on newer ones.  Now I shower and painstakingly look over my face and attire before leaving the Carlsbad Motel Six, where I bed down today. 
  I am good to go, and every lady my age has to watch their step. The newer George has arrived. The disco music began with a few dancers. The gals still looked wrinkled and a bit worn, but my new eyes transformed each into a beauty queen.
  
I sit in a back table. To me the rest of life is a floor show. The others become the minor characters while I am the director. Marty and Sharon have put on a good show. Their DJ music is just right for the New Year's Eve. A young thing comes up to me. 
  "May I take this chair."
   "Go right ahead."  Still there were six chairs left at my table.  Anther gal came towards my table.
   "Can my friends join you?"
    "How can I say no to one so adorable."
    Ruth sat down with Abe and four others followed. There was Martin, Gale, Mike and Susie. Ruth is one I had set my eyes on long ago. To be correct, it was four years ago. A waltz was played and my feet looked up and asked "Why not now?" 
   That is when Cleo and her sister Bessie came inside. I knew the tickets had been sold out, and wondered who let them in. They both looked simply divine. Yes divine. Cleo was putting on her dancing clogs. I waited till I had signed her dancing ticket. 
   It felt great to have a cutie in my arms. I counted in my head. "One two thee, pause, four five six..." I twirled Cleo around and around. My body felt in heaven. The three dollar lessons in Balboa Park had paid bit dividends. And then it happened. 
   "Don't tell me when to turn. Just dance!" 
http://youtu.be/B5eyptQDS_0

Well that did not spoil my evening I knew she had been married five times so it could not be my fault. 

I returned to my table and spoke to ninety one year old Abe. He was the one who brought little smiling Ruth. 
   "Where you from Abe." Only one at our table was not Jewish. 
    "From Springfield." 
    "You mean in Indiana." 
    "No, Massachusetts. I went to Springfield College there and had been on the wrestling team."
    "Will you mind if I have the liberty of one dance with Ruth?" His eyes said no but he reconsidered. 
    "Just one. That is all." 
    Ruth jumped up and danced a wee-too-close for my own good. Just then a movie show began with pictures of us on a big wide screen. It was going on six now, and I wished to get my Motel Six's moneys worth. I bed down at seven and fell fast asleep just before New Year Day. 
     There will be a U-Tube on this party soon. And below is Olive Oil grabbing more food. She is filling her paper plate with strawberries. She can't weigh more than forty pounds but puts away one hundred pounds of food each day. She can be seen greasing the dance floor at every San Diego dance.