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?