Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
Last week noted the LA fire and our local dining excursion (hot dogs in Visalia). This is a small follow-up.
The fires in Los Angeles are still burning, but seemingly under control, having burned over 40,000 acres. Cousin Bonny is back in her home in Sierra Madre and friend Mike reports that he is OK in Manhattan Beach, just south of the Palisades fire zone. Fire fighting has been intense, with retardant and water drops from an armada of aircraft and thousands of ground troupes from throughout the state and nearby Mexico. I even caught a video clip of a search and rescue crew from Fresno joining in the difficult task of victim recovery. It's hard to imagine the trauma of both the fire victims and those that heroically worked to help. How do folks avoid a lifetime of nightmares?
On a lighter note, last week's hot dog excursion became this week's "chili dump". Our neighbors sponsored a dinner party where guests were told to bring chili and all contributions would be "dumped" together. It sounds strange, but their hospitality made it a real hit. This was the first general neighborhood gathering in many months and I hope we can continue Cambridge Ave friendliness. It's a little too chilly to start bocce and barbecues, but it won't be too long in our global warming climate.
Our big event this week was a trip to the Saroyan Theater for a Town Hall presentation. This month's guest speaker was Jeff Atmajian, a Fresno native who has done well as a successful film orchestrator in both Los Angeles and London. He described his job as an orchestrator/composer and the changing role music has played in film over the decades. The explanation was far too short for Marianne and me, but I suppose Town Hall presentations are only meant to be introductions, not complete courses. However, thanks to just this introduction, I will listen to film scores differently.
Beyond this, our week has continued routinely. We are starting to plan an April and May trip back to Europe, and a few visits to more local friends, family, and tourist attractions. I find it hard to balance the comfort of routine, the unsettling impacts of changes (health, politics, climate, etc), and the nebulous-for-me benefits of travel. I'm working on it.
Stay tuned.
John and Marianne