Joe West
If you look closely, the umpire standing on the first base line is my favorite major league umpire ever (and the only one I know by name). He has such a unique presence that you can’t miss him. I spent a lot of the game yelling out his name and clapping. / Joe West was the umpire that called Dave Roberts safe on the famous steal of second base in the ninth inning of the 2004 ALCS. (This is worth a look.) Millar’s walk, Roberts’ pinch running and “the steal”, Joe West calling him safe (and he was), then Bill Mueller’s rbi single to tie the game. Amazing baseball. / Joe was a busy man last night. After a close play at first early in the evening which resulted in the Angels’ only run, Jim Leyland rode him from the dugout the whole game. Leyland even came out between innings to jaw at him, then finally late in the game he got tossed. Lots of fun.
1546 Chestnut, Santa Ana, CA
John Kishel knows so much about the obscure history of Southern California. We were talking about guitars the other day and he mentioned that as a kid he would send in a coupon from Boy’s Life Magazine to the Fender Guitar Company to receive a free catalogue. The address on the coupon was 1546 Chestnut, Santa Ana, Calif. Fender guitars were made in Fullerton, but in 1958 the company opened up a sales and distribution center in Santa Ana. It is interesting to think about all the incredible guitars and amps that were shipped from this building. And it sits less than 3 miles from his house. We went out for a meal tonight and stopped by for a visit on our way home.
I like being in places where cool stuff happened. The building has something to do with Culligan water treatment now and the front entrance is obviously not in use. Love the light fixtures though. They look original to the building.
Tustin Walk
Peter and I had a nice walk around the neighborhood today. It is very hot, but there is a bit of a breeze and there is always something interesting to see. Plants just grow out here, many of which I have never seen before. This round thing is about twice the size of a basketball.
This El Camino SS 396 is parked just down the street. We’ve been driving by it all week and I especially wanted to get some photos before we leave.
Watts Towers
John and Lynne took us on a mini tour of places of note in the LA area yesterday. It is amazing to watch John navigate around the area. He grew up out here and knows the streets very well. Lynne does the driving and John says things like “Why don’t you turn right here?” We always end up in amazing places. The Watts towers are a National Historic Landmark and worth a visit. Learn more about them here.
Whenever I think of Watts I am reminded of my great friend Alex’s tales of his time as a young man in the National Guard and being placed on a corner with live ammunition during the riots of 1965. Not having been given much in the way of guidance, he wasn’t sure what would happen, and fortunately for everyone around where he was stationed, not much did.
Toby
Toby is Lynne and John’s Sealyham terrier. He is a really lovely dog and has a quite a personality. You get the idea that he is ready to get into mischief at the drop of a hat.
Yaz
Cris and I flew to California last night. JetBlue is the only airline with direct flights from Logan to Long Beach, and it was a nice flight. It was pleasant to see this life-sized Yaz at the gate. Only in Boston, I guess. To get to the airport, you drive through the Ted Williams tunnel and then just before you get on the plane you are reminded again about how big a role the Sox play in New England’s identity. I didn’t see Paul Revere anywhere, but Sam Adams was in all the bars.
Concrete flowers
I love plants that seem to grow out of concrete. As usual, I have no idea what these flowers are but help in identifying them is welcome.
Ladybug (family Coccinellidae)
I have always liked ladybugs. For some reason they make me think of my mom. Looks like this one is drying out one of his wings. / I seem to be spending more time out on the deck following the progress of the tomatoes and herbs. Everything is still growing nicely. This beetle is sitting on the thyme enjoying the morning sunshine.
Essex Salt Marsh
Peter and I both had doctors appointments in the Boston area today, so we decided to head up along the North Shore for some clams. We have been to the Clam Box in Ipswich and wanted to try something new. Dr. O suggested Essex and we checked out Farnham’s first and decided to give them a go. This is the view from the picnic tables just off the parking lot. Very cool and windy today; lovely light and the clams were perfect. So far, our favorite location.
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
This is an amazing year for the Mountain Laurel. Some years it barely flowers, and some years it is nice but nothing special. This is the best I have seen it in a very long time. The woods are alive with it. In fact, this whole Spring/Early Summer has been interesting. Everything is flowering like crazy, and we have had 2 black bears in the past few days. On Thursday a smallish youngster and yesterday morning its mother. She was huge and looking to come up on the deck to have a go at the bird feeders. I was bummed to have to bring them inside. The hummingbirds have been draining their feeder every few days and I had just started to see the rose breasted grosbeaks. Oh well, I’ll still try to hang them during the day and hope for the best.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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