Growth of the USA

http://www.animatedatlas.com/movie.html
This was sent to me by my brother-in-law, Tony.  It is a very interesting lesson in US history, which I have to say is not my strong point.  In fact as a boy I struggled with history a lot.

I was on the point of leaving school when I finally "got it."  The problem with English history is that there is so much of it and back in the day, in order to impress the masters one had to be good with all the dates.  Being severly numerically challenged, dates were not my strong point.  I've always regretted the fact that I failed my GCE "O" levels in the subject - albeit narrowly.
This hot link leads you into a ten minute short history of the US, and at the end while it tries to suggest you buy an updated copy of the program ,you can enjoy your knowledge of the geography of the land by running the curser over all the states which are then displayed.  Enjoy it.

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day.  In some ways it's the same as Remembrance Day in England, but it in the USA it is a public holiday.

Remembrance Day in the UK is always on a Sunday - the closest one to the date of 11/11.  The armistice of the first world war was enacted at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  Prior to the event volunteers are out in force selling cloth poppies.  This is to remember the poppies of the fields of Flanders where most of the worst battles of WWI were fought.  Perhaps WWI is of greater importance in England as an entire generation of men were affected by the war.
 
I believe the military are given more respect here than in Europe.  Most TV programs here over the Memorial weekend include tributes to the forces in their advert breaks.  American Airlines board any uniformed military ahead of everyone else, and many a soldier has found himself given a first class seat on a plane when the booked occupant has requested a downgrade.  Anyone who has heard the round of applause following a uniformed marine or other branch of the military as they make their way across an airport cannot fail to be moved.
At the end of WWI there was a short poem written that has always been said since on such occasions.  Perhaps among all the hot dog barbecues and celebrations today it is worthwhile repeating:
They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We shall remember them, we shall remember them.
I wrote this poem out last November for Rembrance Day, but I think it's worth repeating.

Sunday's Column - Maloof

Sunday's column is about the Maloof Foundation.  I was fortunate to meet Mr. Maloof a few years back.  He was then 93 and still working as the country's best wood worker.  His creations are wonderful and regarded as works of art - one of his chairs created by his still working team can go for $25,000.

Mike Johnson with the Maloof chair

Unfortunately Mr. Maloof died about 15 months after my visit, but his home with many of his creations is open to the public and well worth a visit.  You can read the column in full at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels
You can also see their Web site at http://www.malooffoundation.org/

Music Track - Evita

This is the best recording of Barbara Dickson singing Another Suitcase in Another Hall. It was one of the showstoppers in the show, even though it was sung by a very minor character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bWkSmUUhIw&feature=related

Shaking Hands

This was posted last year, but I'm putting it up again as the subject has recently come up and I think it bears repeating

I'm sure Americans shake hands more than the Brits.  The latter tend to leave this little ceremony more for slightly formal occasions, whereas I've noticed that Americans shake hands with each other all the time.  That includes that strange period we went through where there was all this hand slapping and odd choreography. Fortunately, that seems to have dwindled now to a touching of clenched fists, which is a sort of lesser handshake.

I taught my grandson, Evan, to shake hands when he was about eight.  I still make him practise as this is one of those things that if done well no one will really notice, but if done badly will leave a very poor impression.  A year ago I took him on an assignment and a lady offered her hand to him and then said "Good handshake!"  Both he and I were rather pleased with that.

Now I need some advice here.  Etiquette years ago stated that a man should never offer his hand to a woman; he should wait until she offers her hand to him.  I also note that not too many women shake hands with each other.  I'm out of the business world now so things may have changed there.  But I would like to know the feeling on this man/woman hand shaking thing.  Until then Ladies, it's up to you to make the first move.

Bar-B-Que

The first barbecue I ever had was a very small one in the UK.  Naturally when it came time to try it out the weather turned nasty.  I couldn't get the coals to light and in the end I had to bring each one in individually to hold it over the gas stove - not the most efficient method!

With such a lack of performance, I believe the barbecue was designated to that far corner of the garage, from where nothing ever sees the light of day again.

When we arrived here in the US almost 30 years ago, I had to admit that in the barbecue department I was worse than a novice.

As with all culinary matters, barbecuing is a matter of timing, and you have to learn that by experience.

On the odd occasion we would attend barbecues, where the host would rush about doing all the cooking, and I would marvel at his apparent ease with the fire, knowing that in nearly every other area of food preparation he was useless.  But I learned that he had picked up all he needed to know from watching his dad or some other male relative.  I'm glad to say that I do now know how to do this form of cooking and I have a good grill outside on the patio to work with. No more heating coals on the stove!

Cycling

View from the West End

I used to run.  Sadly the hard pavements of S. California did a number on my knees and I had to stop after some arthroscopic surgery.  So I took to the bicycle and for the last twenty or so years I have tried to cycle every other day.  I even go out in the winter if the pavement's dry and the wind is not too fierce.  Of course, a ride round the lake of about 16 miles is the best one, but I don't do that too often.  I went round on Sunday and made a few stops to take pictures - here are a some of them.

Snow melt running through Grout Bay into the lake

Some early morning fishermen in front of the Observatory

Looking south across to Snow Forest Ski Slopes



From the East End a family gets ready for a day's fishing.



Rapture

This just in; the "Reverend" Harold Camping has announced that his forecast for the end of the world was off by five months.  It was just one of those pesky biblical misunderstandings.  It will now occur on October 21st.  It's such a shame as we were all so hoping for last Sunday, and now we've got all summer to spend in waiting.  Please make a note on all your calenders.  October 21st, right?  Got it!
Oh, by the way, in the unlikely event that the "Reverend" Camping has got it wrong again, the Mayans apparently forecasted the same thing for next year on December 21st, I think.  At least there seems to be some sort of consistency with the days, the 21sts being equinox's or something.

Endorsement

There is a way to make money from blogs, where you mention a product and then small amounts of dough trickle in once people buy the stuff.  I decided that this was not for me as I didn't want to make this blog too commercial.  However, while doing my thing at my local market the other day (I was as usual taking my time in the produce section as I truly like vegetables) the manager, Steve, approached me. He reads my blog and said he liked the piece I did on my breafast every day of various fruits and berries.  He said it would be nice to get an endorsement out of it.  So here is it.  PRODUCE SECTION, STATER BROTHERS SUPERMARKET, BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.  No, I don't expect anything out of it, the stuff you provide is really good, Steve!

Willy Jeep

This was sent to me by my brother-in-law, Tony.  It's a remarkable four minutes and well worth watching.
Seven or eight soldiers pull up on a main street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They're in a standard issue WWII type Willys Jeep (general purpose vehicle). In the span of about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes they completely break down the vehicle, reassemble it and drive off with it fully operational! The idea being to show the genius that went into the making of the Jeep and its basic simplicity. Fantastic. Click on the link below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=lgwF8mdQwlw&feature=player_embedded

Sunday's Column - Heritage House

Sunday's column is about an historic house in San Bernardino, a city which could certainly use a little culture.  It's the first time I've visited this place and it was an interesting experience.  On the outside sits the original S/B jail, which is just an iron cage with bars and no comfort whatsoever.  I did wonder if we might re-introduce such a punishment from time to time as I'm sure it would cut down on the current rate of recidivism.

San Bernardino's original jail

The house itself is a fine example of a Victorian dwelling and was first built as a "spec" house by a judge who sold it to another judge.

This was in the days when San Bernardino was a respectable place and not run down like it is today - well, most of it.

The decoration around the bottom and the top of the front deck was ordered from a catalogue after the house was built.

The house dates from 1891, and it is a great place to spend some time looking at how things were back in the day!

You can read the entire column and get directions at
http://www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

Music Track - Pomp and Circumstance #4

This is a short version of the march which could easily have been used at the recent royal wedding instead of Crown Imperial.  It's a recording done in 1953 with Sir Malcom Sergant.  He was known as "Flash Harry," as he was always immaculate in his dress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKhQPEfloGY
The very first Promenade Concert I attended in the Royal Albert Hall in London was in 1956.  Somehow my friend and I managed to get into the first row in the very front.  Flash Harry came out in his tails and bowed to everyone.  He then looked down on us in the standing section right in front of him and whispered, "Behave!"  Naturally we did.  The first piece of music played that night was Beethoven's Coriolanus Overture.  It was followed by the Choral Fantasia.  I'm amazed that I should remember such details these 55 years later.

Judgement Day

I sincerely hope that you are able to read this.  It seems that a certain Harold Camping, a somewhat nasty looking, pinched-faced 89 year old evangelical has figured out from the Bible that today is Judgement Day.  May 21st 2011, if you want to write it down in your calendars.  He and his lot are going to be yanked up into Heaven, leaving the rest of us to face a certain apocalypse.  Doesn't seem like much of a Christian attitude to take to me.  Now this event has been forecasted several times in my life, and what I can guarantee is that should we all make through to May 22nd, Mr Harold Camping will not be around to explains his mistake.  Being a Sunday tomorrow, no doubt he'll be hard at it praying in his church in Oakland. CA.  I hope that he asks for forgiveness at making a bunch of fools out of all his many followers.
In the event that he's right and the rest of us have ignored his prophecy, then my regret is that I went out and bought a new car a couple of days ago.  But then in the general mayhem that's supposed to occur, I guess it doesn't matter.  I would have liked a couple of beers before the hellfire hits, but I imagine it would be tasteless to call Mr. Camping and ask him to postpone the event until next Friday.

New Car

We bought a new car yesterday.  Not really exciting as it's the third Subaru Forester we've owned.  There are quite a few new bells and whistles on it however, and I like the color.  I'm surprised to realize that this is the 34th car to roll up onto the Summons' driveway.  Quite a lot in a lifetime of driving that spans over 50 years.  I've had so many because the early days my career, shall we say, were not too robust, and as a car came with each job as an outside rep, the number stacked up with every firing!

The one feature that I really like on this one is a sun/moon roof.  Where did the "moon" bit come from I wonder?  Anyway of my previous 33 models that I've had I can say that I remember them all fondly.  There was only one that I didn't like among the collection and that was a 1967 Mk II Cortina in dark blue.  I never took to it.  My favorite, well, it has to be the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado that I drove from about 1983 to 1990.  I was the last white man to be seen driving that particular model around Los Angeles.  We used to call it Big Bertha.

Big Bear 2

Having been unable to confirm that Big Bear is the 3rd sunniest place on earth, I found in the same magazine that the original name for the area was Yuhaviat, which is what the Serrano Indians called it.  It means 'Pine Place.' 

In 1845 a fellow called Ben Wilson came up here, with a posse of 200 men.  They were chasing Indians who had been stealing from their ranches down below.  They found very large numbers of Grizzly Bears here.

They roped and captured eleven of these bears on one day and brought them back to their camp, which was at the edge of Baldwin Lake at the east end of the Valley.  Big Bear Lake did not exist back then; it was just a pine filled valley.

Big Bear is a man-made lake which was completed in 1885, as a reservoir for the orange growers down in the San Bernardino area.  But at the time of Davis' visit, it was Baldwin that took the name, which then spread to the lake we know today.

Incidentally, Baldwin Lake is now dry and only fills after excessive rain.  The water company capped all the wells that used to fill it naturally, in order to sell the water to it's customers.  The price of capitalism!  There have been no Grizzles since 1920, but we do get Brown Bears appearing from time to time - even in the village.

Big Bear

I was reading a local visitors guide the other day that stated that Big Bear was the third sunniest place on earth.  Frankly I was doubtful of the claim so I did a bit of Googling and could not find any substance to the claim.  The sunniest places seem to be either a) Yuma, Arizona, b) a bit of the Pacific, or c) a bit of the Sahara.

This is Boulder Bay which is on the South West part of the lake.  My search also confirmed that Antarctica is pretty sunny and parts of Africa too.  Neither of which appeals me to live in.  The sunniest place in England is supposed to be Weymouth, which has up to 67 days of sun a year.  As for Big Bear we get 300 days, and that is one of the reasons I live here.

San Francisco 1906

My friend in England, Stan, sent me this wonderful video.  It's apparently the first 35mm home movie ever, and it was done by strapping a camera on the front of a cable car in S/F.  The amount of traffic is amazing and there seems to be no right of way in place.  Look at the number of horse drawn vehicles vying with the trolleys, cars and trams.  Also every one is wearing a hat.  It's a ride down Market Street and the clock tower at the end on Embarcadero is still there.  It last 7 minutes and I had to watch it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1RvgfoXGTs

On the Wagon

I decided to go on the wagon for the month of May.  It had been a tough few months leading up to and enduring the sailing trip in Japan, so I felt it was time to shock the system into some normality.

So until May 27th not a drop of booze will pass the Smmons' lips.  I'm about halfway through now and I have to say it hasn't been much of a struggle.  They sell O'Doules at the local and I've had a few of those.  It isn't the same, I can tell you.  I think I prefer diet seven-up, but I don't want to hurt my image.  At these times I'm reminded of Sinatra's famous saying: "I feel sorry for people who don't drink.  When they wake up in the morning, that's the best they're going to feel all day!"
I appreciate that a purist would point out that the 27th is not the end of May, but it's the Friday before, so what the heck!

Sunday's Column - Asistencia

Sunday's column is a visit to the Asistencia in Redlands.  I was sitting at a taco stand eating a lunchtime burrito, when I though how little Europeans know about Mexico.  It's not surprising as after all if they want "Spanish" they've got Spain near by.

The Asisitencia has been built and rebuilt a few times, but it has a genuine feel of authenticity about it.

It's become a popular spot for weddings and the chapel has a nice atmosphere for such celebrations.

The reception room next door has that solid heavy feel of Spanish and Mexican furniture.

There is a small museum on the premises which plots the history of the ranch that was started here originally in 1771.

In 1876, Jedediah Smith came by to leave an injured man, and in 1834 the place was raided by Indians.

Entering the grounds you are immediately "South of the Border," and in a different age.  You can read the entire column at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

Where: 26930 Barton Road, Redlands, CA 92373. (Between Nevada Street and Alabama Street.)
Telephone number is (909) 793-5402.
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday from 10.00am to 4.00pm, and on Sundays from 1.00pm to 4.00pm, provided no wedding is taking place.

Music Track - Chess

This week's music track come from Chess.  It was a musical written by the ABBA men in the 80's. It didn't do particularly well, which I think may have something to do with the concept.  After all, rival chess masters, even with a strong love interest don't normally excite the masses.  But one song did come out of it deservedly - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeMk7B46xg8.  This is the original with Elaine Page and Barbara Dickson, both of whom have wonderful voices.  The tune has also been recently recorded with the latest unlikely musical phenomenon, Susan Boyle.

Unsolicited Magazines

The other day I recieved a copy of Popular Mechanics.  It's not my kind of thing, although I did have a quick read through it.  A week later another copy arrived and then another.  I felt it fair to call the company to let them know that I didn't order this and it wasn't really my cup of tea.  They told me that it had been arranged by another company.  I called and was told that it wasn't them but yet another company.  I made that call too, and eventually after a very long wait I talked to a young man, who said he would take my name of the list of people who had been "selected" for this generous offer.  Popular Science stopped.
The other day I recieved a copy of Maxim - a sort of soft porn men's mag, with very little to commend it it.  Heck, the females are all wearing clothing, for heaven's sake.
Now does anyone know what the legal status is for being on the end of this business?  Should I send the magazines back saying Deseased?

Michael

Today is a special day as my eldest son, Michael is retiring.  Yes, after some 27 years in the markets he's decided to hang it up.  He's 46.  He came to me about 1983 to say that although he had the qualifications to go to university, he didn't want to do that and instead he wanted to go to the city and make some money.  I thought that was great as at least he knew what he wanted.  So he went to a trading house, then eventually into the money markets.  After a few other moves he went out to Japan, back to the UK and then back to Japan with his lovely wife Eiko.  They have lived there now for about 13 years.
His workmates want to know why he's retiring, and his answer is simply that the reason he's worked so hard is so that he can give it up.  Sensible chap!  Oh, what of the future?  Well, as anyone who knows him will expect, he won't be idle for long.  For those of you worrying that the family is not paying its fair share, my younger son, Simon, is hard at it still, and also daughter, Sue, up in Reno, so taxes are still being paid!

Flowers

We're getting ready for the planting season up here in the mountains.  But beware, there is an old saying:  "Don't plant before Mother's Day!"  But it's hard to take the advice.  After all, the temperatures are up in the 70's every day with bright blue skies - a little chilly in the morning but the sun comes up early.  However, the price for visiting the nursery too early is that you'll be going back there again very soon.  We've all done it!

Our neighbors came up from their home in Las Vegas the other day.  Both keen gardeners, they put a lot of little plantlings in before we had a chance to tell them of the problems with the time of year.  Sadly, most of their efforts have gone for naught.  The temperatures, you see, go down to about 35 at night and that's enough to put a dusting of frost around, which will kill flowers.  As old hands, we'll delay our planting for another week, I think, even though it's Mother's Day on Sunday.

Bicycles

My friend Paul, in England, sent me this link http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7a562fd6-7766-11e0-824c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1Lefvo4HF  It's about the popularity of a new bicycle hiring scheme they are running in London.  For a couple of years now they have developed the hiring of bicycles from racks to take to other racks all over the city.  (Apparantly you never have to go more than 400 yards to find one) Basically, you pay a fee - about $100 a year and then $10 for each trip of over half an hour - I think less than that  its at no extra cost.
There are 5,500 bikes in the scheme and they make a collected 24,000 trips each day.
The bikes are very distinctive and heavy - about 50 pounds each and colored blue and grey.  So far they have only had ten stolen. 
I wonder if this idea will come to any American cities - I think you can rule out San Francisco!

Sunday's Column - Nature Center in Fontana

Sunday's column was about the Mary Vagle Nature Center in Fontana.  It's a modest place, but serves to teach children about the natural world.  Without their instruction most of the kids who come to them would not know the difference between a goose and a duck!  By the way, do you ?

Anyway, while I was there one of the volunteers, called John, brought out an animal for me to see.  It was a bearded dragon lizard.  One of the skills this creature has is when it's scared it shoots blood out of its eyes?  Yes, I think under the circumstances, I would back off a trifle!

John also offered to put me up close and personal with a snake that had just shed its skin.  I'm not fond of snakes, but he said he could cure my phobia in a few minutes.  I told him it wasn't a real phobia, but having lived with it all these years, I'm happy to travel the rest of the way in a similar condition, thank you very much!
You can read the entire column at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels

Bulls

The other evening while at my favorite watering hole, the TV was showing bull riding.  Now if ever the saneness of man is to be questioned it is with this in mind.  Who on earth would want to sit astride a very angry one-ton animal, who has had his nether regions tampered with, and then be released from a cage out into an area?  Madness!

And yet this particular form of entertainment is very popular with the NASCAR crowd.  Once thrown off, the bull is distracted by some other madman dressed in clowns clothing and make up, while the rider escapes.  I'm not sure which of the two is the worst profession.
In Uwakima, Japan they have another form of bull fighting, which is called Sumo Bull.  Here the two antagonists - bulls - are put to the task of pushing each other out of the circle, like human sumo wrestlers do.  They have handlers to help them in this task.  I guess if I had to choose, I would go the route of the latter "sport."  And don't even get me started on the Spanish thing - totally unspeakable!

Music Track - Crown Imperial

This week, I've chosen the piece of music that was played for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey.  Had I been responsible for the music at the affair I would have made the same choice.  Crown Imperial by Sir William Walton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WMrQe87gRk

The Lost Column

I was bought lunch this week by my editor.  There was no particular reason for this event; the paper is doing well and buying up others in the region.  He was also able to allay my fears of unwanted retirement with the strange disappearance of my column last Sunday.  (I know one particular gentleman up here would have had his entire day spoiled by its absence.)

It is a mystery to us both as it came out in all the other papers.  So my "award winning!" piece on The Ice Castle in Lake Arrowhead is in today.  It's about the practice rink where many of the world's greatest skaters come to hone their skills.  While I as there, I met a couple of young men who were putting on quite the show. Daisuke Mirukami from Japan and Misha Ge from Uzbekistan.  The Ice Castle is open to the public but beware, there are no hand rails!

Brekkers

Growing up, every morning, my mother would cook a full English breakfast for us.  Eggs, bacon, possibly a tomato and always fried bread.  Now this, like the rest, was cooked in lard which had usually come from the roast beef or lamb cooked every Sunday. Of course, at the time none of us realized we were eating heart attack stuff, although we all managed to survive.  Years later I gave up breakfast completely and ate nothing until lunchtime, along with that I've never been much of a fruit person. So She Who Must Be Obeyed (S.W.M.B.O.) recognized that some improvement could be done on the model and began encouraging me to eat fruit first thing in the morning.

She cuts up the fruit and gives it to me like this every morning.  Strawberry, melon, blueberries and grapes are sometimes accompanied by a chopped banana.  I have to say I've become rather fond of it and in fact I'm nibbling away at it now as I edit this post.

Tree Felling

We have a lot of very tall fir trees in the Valley.  Being at so high an elevation most of them are immune to the dreaded beetles that pervade other areas.  I was told by local botanists that at this elevation in order to survive, they have to be a lot hardier.  However they do from time to time contract this pest and have to be felled.  Watching the men do this is fascinating.

Firstly, they chop off all the side branches.  This is done by a man wearing grabbers on his legs and feet, and using a harness that goes around the trunk.  He has to shin his way up removing the side branches, usually from the bottom, allowing each limb to be lowered on a rope to his colleagues beneath.  They then feed these branches into a wood chipper.  For the main trunk the same system is used.  Using a chain saw, he starts cutting off lengths from the top, about ten feet at a time, lowering the pieces carefully downwards.  These men are working in the street opposite and they let the big chunks fall straight down.  It shook the ground considerably.  These large chunks are then carted of in trucks.  Costs for such an operation of 100-foot tall trees like these are at least $1000.

iPhones

During our trip on Milestone, it was noticeable that Michael used his iPhone to navigate our way 500 miles, and not always in good conditions.  We had GPS on board and our professional sailor too had a set with him.

But it was the iPhone that guided us safely across the Pacific and along the Inland Sea.  The device says clearly that it is not to be used for navigation purposes and that it is for "entertainment" purposes only, but frankly it was a lot easier to use than the other devices.  A true wonder of technology that will get you to within 20 feet of where you're wanting to go.

Boating

One of the first posts I did on this blog was about the problems I had with raccoons.  Pretty little animals but not the sort of chaps you want living on your boat.  Now in fairness, unlike my friend Dave, who's boat it seems was an inducement to wild raccoon parties, they behaved themselves on mine.  Nonetheless, they are quite destructive and had eaten a life jacket that was under one of the seats where they liked to go.  And let's say, they're not exactly house trained, or even boat trained!

So we contacted a lady up here last year and she made a waterproof cover which is kept on with pop studs, and I can report it completely defeated the normally nimble little hands of the invading creatures.  At the end of last season, while the boat was being shrink wrapped and with its cover off, they came around to check on things and their little paw marks were all over the back seat. So they really do seem to like my boat..

Here we are just about to drive the block and a half to the yard for a tune up prior to launching.  I invested heavily in some Mexicans down at the car wash to detail the boat, and I have to say it was worth it as the old girl gussied up nicely.  Happy boating!

Sunday's Column - Ice Skating

Well, it doesn't happen very often but I was dropped this Sunday, although the story of Lake Arrowhead's Ice Castle is up on the Web site at www.sbsun.com/trevorstravels if you can't wait a week.  I'm sure it will be back next Sunday for those of you needing the hard copy.

Traveling Story

I have no real story to tell of my travels recently as most of them have been endured by everyone.  But some time ago a man told me this story which is worth repeating.  He was traveling to LA and on arrival there was a woman looking around the carousel area.  He asked her if he could help her, and she said that she was waiting for her dog to come through as she'd traveled from Philadelphia with it.  He suggested that she wait by the area where they unload extra large packages.  Nothing appeared, and so he made inquires for her.  It seemed that the dog had inadvertently been sent on to San Diego, which was the last stop for the plane.  The woman seemed upset so he said to the attendant that he wanted to be sure that the dog would be reunited with its owner, and to call him to let him know.

The next day he was contacted and was told that it had been very upsetting all around.  When the dog arrived in its crate it was seen to be dead.  The authorities saw that it was a a pretty ordinary animal and in a panic they ran around all the shelters to find one that looked the same.  Eventually they found a mongrel that seemed to look right and sent it up to LA to the woman.  Standing at the door with the dog on the end of its leash they rang the bell.  "Here's your dog, lady," the lucky lad said, being totally in the dark about it all.  "That's not my dog,' the woman said.  "My dog's dead!  I brought him out here to bury him."
It seems that in San Diego, the dead dog had been thrown in the trash.  My raconteur didn't know what happened next, but I think it might have been uncomfortable for the airline employees, don't you?.

Music Track - Malaguena Salerosa

Still sticking with the Kill Bill II theme, here is the final walking out music, unless you want to read all the people who took part in this stimulating movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiiMAq13-ZI
I have to say I really like Mexican music and this is some of the best.