Bubblegum Alley in SLO

Freshman orientation at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo included a nighttime foray in the creek that runs through town and a stop at bubblegum alley to stick a wad on the wall.

At least that is what I remember.

It was creepy and muddy and dank along the creek but the alley was all fun and whimsy.

Well, times have changed. The creek sparkles. It is now lined with upscale eateries and walking bridges.

The alley is another story.

Yes, they did put in a bubblegum machine nearby, in case you forgot to bring your own chew.

But the smell and sight of Bubblegum Alley is ewwwwwwwwwwwwww.

The concept is still amusing, but all the flies, not so much.

And I wasn't able to identify my petrified gum from years ago.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

There is so much going on along the coast, the pier and State Street that it is easy to neglect the inland beauty of Santa Barbara.

Most visitors stop by the Mission.

But it is not much further to get to the Botanic Garden.

All natural, all nature, holiday garland.

Inspiration Point in the distance.

Shady spots along the way.

Coast Redwood - Sequoia sempervirens

In addition to the trails, there is a tea house, gift shop and succulents for sale.

Before you leave, walk across the parking lot, cross the street, hike up the short trail and take one last look --- at the city and Pacific Ocean spread out below.

Homeowner Association

There are rules in our neighborhood.

Related to the upkeep of house and yard.

Months ago, it was apparent that half the block received the same form letter as residents gave their garage doors a fresh coat of paint and fertilized their lawns en masse.

It is nice that the entire street looks decent but wouldn't it be fun to live outside those confines.

Over the holidays, we drove around Summerland and came upon this house.

Which probably does not have an HOA.

Or perhaps it is a freewheeling live-and-let-live HOA. 

The 'collection' is amazing in both size and diversity and were it not for our HOA, I would have liked to bring home a treasure or two...

Levitated Mass at LACMA

When I lived in Massachusetts, I found Plymouth Rock to be, well, quite small. Rather disappointing. At least as a rock.

Great, in terms of historical significance.

So when all the hoopla was going on in Los Angeles to get a big rock from a quarry near Riverside to its final destination at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, I was hoping it really was a BIG rock.

At 340-tons, it surely should be grand.

And it is....up close.

North of the Resnick Pavilion is a large expanse of gravel.

A concrete channel holds up the mass and allows visitors to walk towards and under the Levitated Mass.

Because the museum itself is large and sprawling and it sits inside a city that is also large and sprawling surrounded by enormously tall palm trees, the rock only seems mammoth when you get quite close.

And then it truly is impressive.

What's New at UTC

A massive renovation took place at UTC in La Jolla.

Completed in time for the holidays.

Here is a look, in case you weren't able to find a parking spot this weekend.

Thanksgiving Feast

In lieu of my regular Cooking/English class in City Heights, the teachers and I prepared a feast.

A typical Thanksgiving meal.

And served it to the 40+ refugee students learning English as well as American customs and traditions.

We held up a picture of a live turkey.

"Gobble Gobble."

Then brought out an oven roasted turkey and pointed out the wing, the leg and the breast as the bird was carved and presented on a platter.

That is when a hand popped up.

"Where is the head?" asked a student.

"It was not included in the Butterball frozen package."

It was easier to explain gravy, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, apple pie, pumpkin pie and cider.

All dishes they were able to identify and spell by the time dessert was served.

At the end of the meal, one gentleman leaned back in his chair, rubbed his belly in a circular motion and said, "I am very full."

A sentiment sure to be repeated all over the country next Thursday!

Pop's Telescope

When I was young I didn't realize that it was unusual that my Dad built our television set.

In junior high our family moved into a fixer-upper. There was never a handyman, carpenter or contractor on site. Just my parents. Yet major roofing, plumbing, tiling and electrical projects got done. Along with digging out a basement and building an addition. And later a gazebo for my wedding day.

Outside our home in San Diego is a two-man wooden kayak that Dad built. It is a work of art. We are often stopped, while paddling on Mission Bay, so admirers can take a look at his craftsmanship.

So it came as no surprise that we celebrated his recent milestone birthday with a telescope viewing night. Using the telescope he built. From scratch. Even grinding the glass after building test plans and marking graphs to ensure it would be 'ground to perfection'.

Ground board leveled with equatorial platform sitting on rollers. In the process of pulling
out the mirror box so that it can be rotated 90 degrees and set back into the rocker box.

The cover on the mirror box is removed so that the accessories tray is exposed.

Once the tray is lifted out, it is possible to get at the Upper Transport Assembly carrying the diagonal mirror
supported on the spider vanes. The mirror is protected with the circular cover at the bottom of the mirror box.

Upper Transport Assembly (UTA) removed showing the mirror cover
which is protecting the mirror while the UTA is assembled.

To install the trusses, the corner clamps in the mirror box are installed
(labelled with matching dots for easy assembly)

The aluminum truss tubes are installed in the corner clamps. The UTA
is off to the left, ready to be installed after the mirror cover is removed.

Truss tube clamps being installed to ready the UTA for assembly at the top of the telescope.

UTA carefully placed on the truss tubes as the mirror cover has been removed.
The tubes are rotated to seat them in the clamps and then the 8 clamps are tightened.

Looking down into the mirror box showing the 12.5" diameter mirror that has a 2" hole cut
in the middle for a future project. Internal surfaces are flat black to keep down stray light.

Final assembly with finder scope mounted on the left of the UTA. 2 C clamps as
counter weights. The eyepiece holder is on the far side of the UTA and not pictured.

We lined up last Saturday night and took turns looking at Jupiter and its four main moons.

Ooohing and aaahing.

But I thought it was considerably more impressive checking out the actual telescope.

Happy 75th Birthday Pops!