Yesterday I learned from Jane that Nancy Mackay, Robin's sister-in-law, had taken a really bad fall and is in the hospital. I talked to Jane and her Dad last night. Nancy will be transferred to a hospital in Nelson for continuing care. Contact Jane for more details.
Matthew came for a brief visit, but it was in depth. We discussed many things. Trevor and Robyn came over and we watched some cardistry. He is interested in the interface between computers and people, (which is what Wendy and Michel study), and may follow a similar career path.
He messaged me from the airport saying he got there OK, but he had to sit on the plane for two hours, then they let him off so he hung around LAX for several more hours leaving early in the morning. He had, even less time to get his stuff cleared out of the Seattle place and onto a flight for Boston the next morning. But he made it, and is busy settling into a new semester at Olin.
The other bit of news concerned my leg. I had this persistent sore on my shin, went to a skin doc who watched it for a month took a biopsy and said I should see a Dr. Fincher who could treat it. Yesterday Trev went with me to see Dr. Fincher, who has a beautiful new office in Torrance, but also works in Beverly Hills and Encino along with a team of other dermatologists. They have a very clever way of telling if they have got all the cancer cells. First Dr. Fincher cut a bit of tissue and analyzed it with MOHS. Half an hour later they read the results and told me I should get some more cut out. Another half hour, then good news, the MOHS system reports that he got it all. Sure beats waiting weeks for a biopsy.
Trevor had a glorious day at Space X on Sunday with his Hyperloop team, now called Paradigm, winning the fastest speed through the tunnel. Around 60 miles per hour. He is something of a legend, since he helped the initial team find a place to park, fed them steaks, and helped them with tools, electric feed etc. He chatted with with Elon Musk.
The flooding in Texas and Louisiana has added to an already extraordinary weekend.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Japanese House coninued...
The house had a front room which was our living room. It had tatami flooring, but in concession to Western anatomy, wicker chairs and a table or two, instead of cushions on the floor to kneel on, Japanese style. There was a door off this room, leading upstairs to a bedroom. I do not remember that part of the house very well. My father, wishing to indulge his precious child every delight, had rigged a swing in this room, hanging from the wooden ceiling beams. One day I came down the stairs, opened the door, and had the back of the swing strike me in the face. A friend had come to play, and was swinging merrily. My father, in placement of the swing, had not considered this possibility. For a few days I had a puffy lip, but no permanent damage was done.
I have mentioned the shoji, with opaque paper panes. There was one pane, leading to the porch from my bedroom that Brownie had designated as his 'cat door'. He would break the paper and slip through to be outside. No matter how many times the paper was replaced, he would break it again and again. We gave up and left it open for him!.
My mother rode to the village for groceries on her bicycle. I rode on a seat in the back. There was a basket in front of the handlebars for purchases. My mother had no servants in Karuizawa, so she did all the shopping and cooking. I do not remember ever eating at a restaurant, either there or in Yokohama.
My mother and I would go on wonderful walks. There was a landscaped trail up a mountain, with little benches and statues on the way which I found entrancing. One day, our walk was particularly exciting. Mt. Asama was erupting that summer, and we went out with an umbrella to protect us from falling ash. For fun, we turned the umbrella upside down to collect the ashes.
I loved that house. It was the last summer I was to spend in Japan.
The house had a front room which was our living room. It had tatami flooring, but in concession to Western anatomy, wicker chairs and a table or two, instead of cushions on the floor to kneel on, Japanese style. There was a door off this room, leading upstairs to a bedroom. I do not remember that part of the house very well. My father, wishing to indulge his precious child every delight, had rigged a swing in this room, hanging from the wooden ceiling beams. One day I came down the stairs, opened the door, and had the back of the swing strike me in the face. A friend had come to play, and was swinging merrily. My father, in placement of the swing, had not considered this possibility. For a few days I had a puffy lip, but no permanent damage was done.
I have mentioned the shoji, with opaque paper panes. There was one pane, leading to the porch from my bedroom that Brownie had designated as his 'cat door'. He would break the paper and slip through to be outside. No matter how many times the paper was replaced, he would break it again and again. We gave up and left it open for him!.
My mother rode to the village for groceries on her bicycle. I rode on a seat in the back. There was a basket in front of the handlebars for purchases. My mother had no servants in Karuizawa, so she did all the shopping and cooking. I do not remember ever eating at a restaurant, either there or in Yokohama.
My mother and I would go on wonderful walks. There was a landscaped trail up a mountain, with little benches and statues on the way which I found entrancing. One day, our walk was particularly exciting. Mt. Asama was erupting that summer, and we went out with an umbrella to protect us from falling ash. For fun, we turned the umbrella upside down to collect the ashes.
I loved that house. It was the last summer I was to spend in Japan.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
My Japanese House
The year I turned five my parents rented a traditional Japanese house for the summer in Karuizawa, in the Japanese alps. My mother and I came up by train to stay there all summer. My father would join us on weekends to escape the heat of Yokohama. In 1938 there was no office air conditioning. He brought up our cat, Brownie, in a basket on his lap.
My bed was a futon on the floor, surrounded by a tent of mosquito netting. A tent inside a house was exciting. After a bedtime story, my father would spray the room with a "flit gun" filled with mosquito repellent. Mosquitoes could transmit malaria, and there were other insects to be feared, like gagi-gagis (scorpions).
A sliding door with panes of opaque white paper, shoji, separated my room from the garden. There was a porch just outside, overhung by the roof, to protect the shoji from weather. There was no rail on the porch and I would sit with my legs dangling over, watching Brownie try to catch a koi in the pond. One day he fell in!
My favorite room was the bathroom, cedar lined and smelling wonderful. There was a traditional Japanese tub, with a heater - coals I think, underneath. It was delicious to sit in a wooden tub with water up to my chin. Afterwards my mother would dry me off and rub olive oil on my skin to prevent a skin rash caused by "prickly heat". Brownie knew the routine, and would come in to lick the olive oil off my legs.
In one of the rooms was a sunken well, with a permanently placed hibachi in the well. I remember my mother cooking lamb chops on it. We never ate traditional Japanese food. The only rice I ever ate in Japan was rice pudding.
to be continued.....
The year I turned five my parents rented a traditional Japanese house for the summer in Karuizawa, in the Japanese alps. My mother and I came up by train to stay there all summer. My father would join us on weekends to escape the heat of Yokohama. In 1938 there was no office air conditioning. He brought up our cat, Brownie, in a basket on his lap.
My bed was a futon on the floor, surrounded by a tent of mosquito netting. A tent inside a house was exciting. After a bedtime story, my father would spray the room with a "flit gun" filled with mosquito repellent. Mosquitoes could transmit malaria, and there were other insects to be feared, like gagi-gagis (scorpions).
A sliding door with panes of opaque white paper, shoji, separated my room from the garden. There was a porch just outside, overhung by the roof, to protect the shoji from weather. There was no rail on the porch and I would sit with my legs dangling over, watching Brownie try to catch a koi in the pond. One day he fell in!
My favorite room was the bathroom, cedar lined and smelling wonderful. There was a traditional Japanese tub, with a heater - coals I think, underneath. It was delicious to sit in a wooden tub with water up to my chin. Afterwards my mother would dry me off and rub olive oil on my skin to prevent a skin rash caused by "prickly heat". Brownie knew the routine, and would come in to lick the olive oil off my legs.
In one of the rooms was a sunken well, with a permanently placed hibachi in the well. I remember my mother cooking lamb chops on it. We never ate traditional Japanese food. The only rice I ever ate in Japan was rice pudding.
to be continued.....
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
I think Matthew may be visiting here on Thursday. He went to Oregon to watch the eclipse, and will head on here before returning to school in Boston. Hyper Loop, unfortunately, does not have enough guests tickets, so only very special guests, like Trev, will be able to see the competition at Space X. But we will find lots for him to do.
Andrew Mack will be interviewing new assistants all this week. He is striding into management very smoothly, and should be very successful in whatever path he follows. (He is also getting quite rich with the bitcoins he mined.)
Wendy and Mack call faithfully every day, and my brother Jon called from Toronto last night, so I am well taken care of. Trev has been busy getting his stuff done, and taking care of Robyn's car. What do people do without family?
Hope all is well with my far flung relatives. Let me have a little feedback on the blog from time to time.
Love to you all, Val
Andrew Mack will be interviewing new assistants all this week. He is striding into management very smoothly, and should be very successful in whatever path he follows. (He is also getting quite rich with the bitcoins he mined.)
Wendy and Mack call faithfully every day, and my brother Jon called from Toronto last night, so I am well taken care of. Trev has been busy getting his stuff done, and taking care of Robyn's car. What do people do without family?
Hope all is well with my far flung relatives. Let me have a little feedback on the blog from time to time.
Love to you all, Val
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Sunday, August 20, 2017
I went to a Manhattan Beach Republican Women's Federated meeting yesterday, and heard a doctor speak. He is running for 33rd Congressional District and thinks he can win. I will support him. He is not anti-Trump. Those Republicans who are, I will NOT support. His name is Dr. Kenneth Wright.
Talked to Brianne last night and they have the keys to their new house!!! She is excited. Despite teething, Maddox remains cheerful throughout. I 'talked' to him over the phone and he was very interested.
Robyn's car was hit overnight while in her parent's parking lot, and was considerably damaged. What a pain.
Now I have to take inventory of furniture, some to be shipped up to Seattle area, some to be shipped down to La Costa.
Hyperloop is next weekend at Space X, but Trevor is unsure of guest tickets since the demand this time is huge. Matthew is coming to visit on his way down from Seattle to school in Boston. He has been offered a job with Microsoft for next summer which he may not take, but is nice to have up his sleeve.
Haven't head much from the Lake Balfour side, but I think they are busy with visitors.
Hope everyone is well an happy, Love, Val
Talked to Brianne last night and they have the keys to their new house!!! She is excited. Despite teething, Maddox remains cheerful throughout. I 'talked' to him over the phone and he was very interested.
Robyn's car was hit overnight while in her parent's parking lot, and was considerably damaged. What a pain.
Now I have to take inventory of furniture, some to be shipped up to Seattle area, some to be shipped down to La Costa.
Hyperloop is next weekend at Space X, but Trevor is unsure of guest tickets since the demand this time is huge. Matthew is coming to visit on his way down from Seattle to school in Boston. He has been offered a job with Microsoft for next summer which he may not take, but is nice to have up his sleeve.
Haven't head much from the Lake Balfour side, but I think they are busy with visitors.
Hope everyone is well an happy, Love, Val
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Saturday, August 19, 2017
I am back from an intense two days at La Costa Glen. Trevor, Robyn and I drove down. I stayed at one of the guest rooms in La Costa, they in a nearby motel. We had dinner with Andrew Mack in the south campus dining room. All 'free' from the marketing department. Mack and I walked home and got a bit lost, its a big campus, but Mack pulled out his trusty smart phone and I got back to my room to find Robyn and Trevor camped outside my door.
Next morning I had eggs benedict for breakfast then was interviewed by the nurse. There is a compulsive cognitive test which I had to take. No problem except when they asked me to count backwards from 100 by sevens! I will do better next year.
We went out to a nearby shopping center, and Robyn found for me a pair of skinny pants at Anthropologie which I bought! Thank you Robyn, you are fun to shop with.
We got back in time for the welcome party by the waterfall, Greek theme, with food and wine. There were resident hosts to answer questions, some management folks, and new prospective residents. Very lively and informative.
After that Carolyn, my marketing rep. showed us some villas that are being 'gutted' to keep up to La Costa standards, which are very high. This gave us a chance to see what they look like inside.
In the morning I had breakfast with a resident, Ethel Iverson, who is a friend of a couple I know really well from Mammoth. She gave me the resident perspective, very valuable info. Then a meeting with Carloyn. I said I would take the first two bedroom condo or villa available, to speed things up and start the transition, but what I really want is a villa. I can then move stuff in by degrees. I have pretty much decided to sell the Manhattan Beach house.
Trev and Robyn were wonderful company and counsel. We made it back to Manhattan Beach and crashed!
Next morning I had eggs benedict for breakfast then was interviewed by the nurse. There is a compulsive cognitive test which I had to take. No problem except when they asked me to count backwards from 100 by sevens! I will do better next year.
We went out to a nearby shopping center, and Robyn found for me a pair of skinny pants at Anthropologie which I bought! Thank you Robyn, you are fun to shop with.
We got back in time for the welcome party by the waterfall, Greek theme, with food and wine. There were resident hosts to answer questions, some management folks, and new prospective residents. Very lively and informative.
After that Carolyn, my marketing rep. showed us some villas that are being 'gutted' to keep up to La Costa standards, which are very high. This gave us a chance to see what they look like inside.
In the morning I had breakfast with a resident, Ethel Iverson, who is a friend of a couple I know really well from Mammoth. She gave me the resident perspective, very valuable info. Then a meeting with Carloyn. I said I would take the first two bedroom condo or villa available, to speed things up and start the transition, but what I really want is a villa. I can then move stuff in by degrees. I have pretty much decided to sell the Manhattan Beach house.
Trev and Robyn were wonderful company and counsel. We made it back to Manhattan Beach and crashed!
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Today Trevor and I are going to visit La Costa Glen, and Robyn will be with us to check things out for her parents as well. We will be down there for two nights, and return Thursday when I will give a full report. They are having a party for us!
Yesterday afternoon the gas company turned the gas back on. This morning I did an orgy of washing, in nice hot water. Shower, hair, sheets. Luxury!
Stay tuned for La Costa report soon. Love to all, Val
Yesterday afternoon the gas company turned the gas back on. This morning I did an orgy of washing, in nice hot water. Shower, hair, sheets. Luxury!
Stay tuned for La Costa report soon. Love to all, Val
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017
No gas!
Yesterday I came back from a walk to find the gas man in front of my house, explaining that he had shut off my gas. The house next door is being tented and we are on the same gas line! It would be off for two days. He gave me a number to call to arrange it to be turned on again on Monday. When I called I said my husband had died in April and I was the only name on the account now. Oh my! What is your social security number? When were you born? Wait a minute! Your number has been frozen by Expedia!! It will take two business days to clear it before we can turn on the gas! (By then I will be in Carlsbad.) But there is a way out? What? What? I must go to the nearest So Cal office, in the heart of Inglewood, and present two (not one) government issued photo IDs, and call a number. Trevor very kindly drove me to the office and they looked at my IDs, then gave me a phone to call the number. After a long wait Trev finally talked to a live human who gave him a code number. Then he had to hang up and present this number, along with my two IDs to another person behind what looked like a bullet proof glass partition. She gave him another number. Then he called the first phone number again and waited for a human being. The stars must have been aligned right. This time they said the transfer to my name was complete, and they could come and turn on the gas Monday, sometime between 12:00 noon and 8:00 PM. I would have to be there all that time.
In the meantime I have no gas, so cannot do laundry, take a shower or wash the dishes. Oh well, I have been through worse.
I wonder why they didn't ask how much my grandfather weighed at birth???
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Thursday, August 10, 2017
All the paperwork is ready now for La Costa Glen, which is coming back into focus now after a three week hiatus in Mammoth. Trevor and I will go down next Tuesday, and return Thursday, the 17th. During that time I hope to experience more of the La Costa Glen vibes, firm up my preferences for living space, and make some long range decisions.
Trevor has been a tremendous help with the mountain of paperwork that has descended on me since Robin's death.
The world is in an interesting place right now, with 'peace in our time' types wishing for peace at any price, and rogue dictatorships drunk with power, threatening to blow everyone to bits. Been there, done that. Not a Hollywood movie, World War II. We will see what happens.
Robin, perhaps you died at the right time.
I promise to be more cheerful tomorrow. Love to you all, Val
Trevor has been a tremendous help with the mountain of paperwork that has descended on me since Robin's death.
The world is in an interesting place right now, with 'peace in our time' types wishing for peace at any price, and rogue dictatorships drunk with power, threatening to blow everyone to bits. Been there, done that. Not a Hollywood movie, World War II. We will see what happens.
Robin, perhaps you died at the right time.
I promise to be more cheerful tomorrow. Love to you all, Val
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Japan Story
The Ducks
I am being pushed in a stroller by my mother across a bridge. There are ducks swimming in the stream.
I have new gloves. Not mittens, but gloves like grownups, with a place for each finger, and even a thumb! They are mine and I love wearing them. But I take one off, because it is intricate to pull off each finger, and even the thumb. A gust of wind takes the glove and blows it into the water. Oh, I want my glove back! My mother tries to retrieve it, but it is too far gone. I cry and cry. My Mother, quick witted, tells me that a duck will make a warm pair of pants out of my glove. This idea so occupies me that I stop crying and try to figure out how the duck, with big feet and only two legs, will fit into a glove with closed off 'pant legs', five of them.
The Ducks
I am being pushed in a stroller by my mother across a bridge. There are ducks swimming in the stream.
I have new gloves. Not mittens, but gloves like grownups, with a place for each finger, and even a thumb! They are mine and I love wearing them. But I take one off, because it is intricate to pull off each finger, and even the thumb. A gust of wind takes the glove and blows it into the water. Oh, I want my glove back! My mother tries to retrieve it, but it is too far gone. I cry and cry. My Mother, quick witted, tells me that a duck will make a warm pair of pants out of my glove. This idea so occupies me that I stop crying and try to figure out how the duck, with big feet and only two legs, will fit into a glove with closed off 'pant legs', five of them.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Monday, August 7, 2017
Trevor and Robyn and I arrived back in Manhattan Beach (last Friday) after a pleasant few days together in Mammoth. Trevor and Robyn had visited his friend in St. George, Utah, and returned to Mammoth in time to celebrate my birthday. It was a very nice birthday, with Mammoth friends gathering for lunch for a double celebration with another friend Barbara Hope. She is an excellent skier, and with her husband, used to ski with Robin, one of the few who could out-ski him!
I watched Trevor and Robyn paddle board under the peaks at Horseshoe Lake. We also went to the fish hatchery and saw thousands of rainbow trout and brown trout of various sizes. It was very hazy driving back because of all the fires.
Went out for dinner last night with old friends Jack and Marilyn, and celebrated my birthday yet again! Can't complain.
More Japan stories coming, but not today. Love to you all, Val
I watched Trevor and Robyn paddle board under the peaks at Horseshoe Lake. We also went to the fish hatchery and saw thousands of rainbow trout and brown trout of various sizes. It was very hazy driving back because of all the fires.
Went out for dinner last night with old friends Jack and Marilyn, and celebrated my birthday yet again! Can't complain.
More Japan stories coming, but not today. Love to you all, Val
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Monday, July 31, 2017
Perhaps it is fitting that today I write about my eighth birthday, celebrated very quietly in Vancouver with some friends, Irene and Betty Robinson. Mrs. Robinson and her two girls, and Mrs. Wilde and Valerie had sailed on the Hiye Maru in March of 1941 to leave our comfortable life in Japan forever. My mother was not sure she would ever see my father again. Passage was almost impossible from Japan, and, in the tradition of 'women and children first we were lucky to find a place on the last ship to leave for Canada. We were allowed 50 pounds of luggage each. Everything else was left behind. I brought my doll, Setseko San, which I have to this day. On my birthday my father was still marooned in Japan. He wrote a letter with a special poem for the occasion. He was, besides being very musical, a poet!
The captain of the Hiye Maru was a kind man, and even though we were 'the enemy ' , he made us little gaijin children feel welcome. There was a sort of day care room provided with a young woman supervisor for all the English speaking children in first class. We decided to have a talent show to raise money for some good cause. There was a box in the passageway for donations. There were two children who did a skit called Knick and Knack. There was a boy, I think, who played the piano. Then there was an original play, written a few months before, by Valerie Wilde herself as presented in the program. Not knowing it was traditional to say 'Himself,' or 'Herself' in the program, I was a bit annoyed. Why not just, 'by Valerie Wilde'? Yes, we had programs! They were printed along with the daily menus, and distributed to all the audience in the fist class lounge who attended our production. The Captain had ordered two Japanese flags to serve as curtains. My play was, in retrospect, rather lame. It was called "A Night at the Ball" and was a little girl's dream of getting dressed up in a long gown and dancing the night away. I was the star, in a long gown, but I don't remember much else except we spoke our lines, and bowed to the wildly applauding audience at the end. The event was a success, judging by the overflowing donation box.
The Hiye Maru now lies at the bottom of the sea just off Truck Island. It became a troop carrier and was sunk by the Allies.
The captain of the Hiye Maru was a kind man, and even though we were 'the enemy ' , he made us little gaijin children feel welcome. There was a sort of day care room provided with a young woman supervisor for all the English speaking children in first class. We decided to have a talent show to raise money for some good cause. There was a box in the passageway for donations. There were two children who did a skit called Knick and Knack. There was a boy, I think, who played the piano. Then there was an original play, written a few months before, by Valerie Wilde herself as presented in the program. Not knowing it was traditional to say 'Himself,' or 'Herself' in the program, I was a bit annoyed. Why not just, 'by Valerie Wilde'? Yes, we had programs! They were printed along with the daily menus, and distributed to all the audience in the fist class lounge who attended our production. The Captain had ordered two Japanese flags to serve as curtains. My play was, in retrospect, rather lame. It was called "A Night at the Ball" and was a little girl's dream of getting dressed up in a long gown and dancing the night away. I was the star, in a long gown, but I don't remember much else except we spoke our lines, and bowed to the wildly applauding audience at the end. The event was a success, judging by the overflowing donation box.
The Hiye Maru now lies at the bottom of the sea just off Truck Island. It became a troop carrier and was sunk by the Allies.
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