Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The House

Andrew Mack was planning to buy a house in a year or two, after his car was paid off.  He figured he would like to live in Mira Mesa, which is closer to his work.  But Mira Mesa is nearer the Pacific Ocean, and property values go up proportionally as they near the ocean.  In two years he could not afford Mira Mesa.  In fact, it turns out he could not afford it now.  

The Mackay Family Trust  trustee, me, with the approval of Trevor, Wendy and Heather, all thought it a good investment for the Trust if we bought a house in Mira Mesa that Mack could take care of for us.  Mack thought it a good idea too.  

We had a very trusted real estate agent in Palos Verdes, who sold our house there and helped us buy the Manhattan Beach house.  I asked her if she could recommend a realtor in the San Diego area.  She said John Bassler was the one, so we contacted him and he showed us everything in the areas that Mack though suitable.  One was literally within walking distance of the campus where he works, and the price was right.  One catch.  The land it was on is owned by the University.  No good.

There were five possibilities and we looked at them all.  Then a sixth came on the market and were able to see it through an open house on the weekend.  It was love at first sight for Mack.  Only problem, there were five offers for it after only two hours!

There were only two cash offers, and ours won out because John sweetened the deal with a short escrow.

My broker at Chase thought she could do a line of credit from the trust brokerage account.  Unfortunately, Robin had had our credit frozen by three different companies, being very cautious in such matters.  We had difficulty buying the Porsche as a result.  But he kept the locks on, and Trevor advised me to do the same after he died.  When Chase realized the lock, they had to scramble to make funds available another way before the close of escrow deadline.  It was a cliff hanger, with minutes to spare before we fell out of escrow!  I won't go into details, but modern electronic transfer methods made it possible. Thanks to John, Lauren at Chase, the local Chase Bank, Trevor in Manhattan Beach and Mack, it all came together.  Whew!  Mack got the keys on Friday.

We then embarked on a new adventure.  Trevor has been preparing the Manhattan Beach house for a tenant.  So he had lots of 'stuff' that Mack might be able to use, and even store for family members.  

He drove to La Costa Glen early one morning.  We bought two train tickets on line.  Then we Ubered (is that a verb?) to the Solano Beach train station, to board a train for Union Station, Los Angeles.

Our train, we soon learned, was annulled!!  Was it married?  No, just  out of action.  We waited an hour and fifteen minutes before another train finally came.  We changed the ticket with a cell phone.  Again, tech saved the day.

Mack knew how to take the shuttle to LAX.  I'm glad, because the shuttle to LAX is not called Shuttle to LAX but, how cute, The Flyaway!  Lots of signs to the Flyaway, but nothing denoting an airport shuttle.

Trev met us at Terminal 1, and took us to 3020 Highland Avenue where we admired the new paint, newly finished floors (spectacular), two newly concreted porches done by Trev and Jonathan (spectacular),  new curtains, fireplace damper brought to code, numerous other details, new carpets (spectacular), on and on.

We had dinner with Jack and Marilyn and Trev and Robyn joined us at the Big Wok.  Mack and I stayed in a spacious suite in the Seaview Inn, within short walking distance of 3020.  We had breakfast and went to pick up the UHaul.

Trevor and Mack loaded everything they could find and when it was full to bursting we took off south, for Indio Way.  Mack had no difficulty driving the thing, and the traffic was light, the day sunny.  We got to his new house in record time.  Then we Ubered back to La Costa Glen to pick up his car and drop me off.  He recruited two friends to help him unload most of the furniture.  I will go over soon and see what I can take of the stuff earmarked for Wendy and Trevor to store in my garage here. 

This is why there have been no blogs for awhile.

Mack's new address is:
6731 Indio Way
San Diego, CA 92126

Friday, February 23, 2018

We did it!   Today we bought a house in a wonderful part of Southern California, near the ocean and destined to go up in value.  ( We hope.)

Mack will be custodian of this estate property and will take good care of it I know.  All Mackays will be welcome at this paradise location, so lets plan a big reunion here soon. Party, party!

You all come!

Sunday February 16, 2018

Wendy sent me pictures of these wonderful things!   You can see Matthew in the background.  What are they?  Wendy found kits for these kinetic art pieces.  She arranged for Santa to give Wendy, Michel, Alex and Matthew a kit in their stocking, and they spent a happy time together at Magnolia's house (Michel's mother) assembling them, and bringing them back to Paris on the train!  Wendy now has to figure out how to display them in their Paris house.

The one on the top left ia a musical instrument that you can play.  There is a timer, and a safe that works, lower left, and a random pattern generator.  I asked for videos.  Perhaps she will oblige.  Aren't they amazing?

Friday, February 16, 2018

Trevor has been doing an extraordinary job of getting the Manhattan Beach house ready for a tenant.  Housing values have been going up rapidly in the sand section of Manhattan Beach  so it seems like a good idea to lease instead of sell. With Robin' s death the house reverts to zero (capital gains).


At this end, I have been working with a broker to buy a house in Mira Mesa that Andrew can keep up for me.  It will be a good real estate investment I think, and he will have a nice place to live, and the family can come here to visit without having to pay for a motel.  The best part, he is about half an hour closer to me!  He will be able to get to work in just a few minutes a big plus for him. Escrow closes on Tuesday, we hope, and then he can move in.

I am not fond of being a real estate mogul, but so far everyone has been very helpful and supportive.  

At the La Costa Glen side I have been making friends and engaging in new activities.  Yesterday I watched a Tai Chi session which I might try next week.  I am already going to Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning classes in the Stretch and Balance classes.    Tuesday there is an hour and a half Genaires choral practice which I love.  We have 5 parts, Soprano (me), Second Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass.  We even do some whistling!  Our latest are a Cole Porter medley and a round.  Other selections: Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Ashokan Farewell, a Jamaica Medley, That's Entertainment, Wabash  Cannonball , At Last,  and More Than You Know.  We will perform in June.  Please come.

I am on a party committee for the Garden Villa residents.  We will meet for lunch, with a speaker, on February 27, with a social beforehand.  Paula, who trains the dining room staff here, is the speaker.  

There is a computer class today.  Then my friend is taking me to an event of some sort in Solana Beach.  Last week we went to Rancho Santa Fe, a very expensive town, similar to Palos Verdes Rolling Hills, with huge lots where they raise polo ponies.   We went to the library and made valentines.  All sorts of materials were laid out and you could choose whatever you needed.  I made about five lovely valentines!  We also stopped at a Japanese farm that grows gourmet salad greens and vegetables.  No prices posted.  If you have to ask the price they don't want your business.  Chefs go there.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Japan Story

Hyama

The Westerners in Yokohama in the thirties used to go to the mountains or the sea to escape the heat.  The women and children stayed for the summer. The men would swelter from Monday to Friday, and rejoin their families on weekends.  

The summer I turned four we went to a seaside resort called Hyama.  I do not remember the cottage we stayed in except that it was right on the beach set under a grove of pine trees.  What I do remember is the beach.  My mother and I would go walking together on the sand. We played a game, "Cowrie".  The beach was a treasure trove of large, beautiful  cowrie shells and when my mother or I spotted one we would sing out,

"I found a cowrie!"

The collection grew.  I would count them when we got back to the cottage and regarded them as great wealth.  I do not know how many there were but it must have been thirty or forty.   They are long gone. Cowries were actually used as money at one time. 

We also went on shorter excursions.  I remember Kamakura, also by the sea.  I remember going inside the great budda climbing up to his head and looking out.  You cannot do that today.  There was also a hotel there where my parents would have tea, leaving me to play on the swings outside on the sand.  They were very tall swings, and I would flop onto the seat, head down, and walk around in a circle to twist the ropes.  Then, feet off the ground, I would whirl round and round getting gloriously dizzy.

Another favorite day trip was Hakone.  The last part was steep and there was a little cog railway that took us up to the hotel where the mynah bird greeted us. It is a tourist destination to this day.  Near there was a shop where I  painted a picture with glaze on an unfired china dish. They fired it  for me and I took home a wonderful souvenier of my art. Also long gone.

Near there was also a hotel at Myanoshta that I have mentioned where the mynah bird greeted us in Japanese.  Adjacent was a souvenier shop where we bought a set of nested wooden dolls.  I called them my Bundle Family and played happily with them on the wicker train seat all the way home.

Japan Story FrenchTutor

Japan Story

The last year we were in Japan we had moved to 234E The Bluff, with Jane Savory our Eurasian maid and her little daughter Setseko-San.  There were big changes in the world, and luxuries we had always taken for granted were no longer available.  There were food shortages.  My mother and I would set forth to the market where she would barter my outgrown clothing for precious food items.  I remember one incident when she traded several pairs of little socks for an equal number of eggs.  She had learned enough Japanese to do this.  I was impressed!

It was at that time that I was given a Japanese doll, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing.  I still  have the doll, although some of her clothing including her obi, was lost.  I named her Setseko-San.

Setseko and I played together, although she did not understand a word of English, and I did not understand Japanese.   I remember one day when the screens had been taken off the windows to be stored for the winter, and were temporarily piled on the front lawn.  No one seemed to mind, so we built a wonderful house out of those screens, and played happily with our dolls.

I visited her room where she lived in the back with her mother.  She showed me a Japanese comic book.  But you had to read it from the last page to the first!  That was most interesting.

If learning Japanese was not a priority for my education, French was.  I had a private tutor come to the house.  We sat at the low round table in my bedroom and read from a book called "La Vie de Madame Lapine".  I leaned that there was one  extra color in the rainbow.  Indigo.

  

Japan Story Friends

The bungalow at No. 11 The Bluff was situated on a steep hill with a lane, I cannot call it a driveway because no one had cars, leading down to two houses.  

The other house was inhabited by an American lady with a little dog.  She had a strong  Southern accent, and could be heard calling her little dog,

"Come, Ray-aaaags!  Come Ray-aggggs!"

There were no neighborhood children.  My friends were either from school or from the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club we belonged to, children of my parent's friends.   Most of my social life was what we would call  today 'play dates'.

I remember going to Linda Jackson's house.  We were sent to 'play' in the bedroom, so Linda and I were pretending to be wiggling worms on the bed.  I wiggled a bit too rambunctiously and Linda went over the side and onto the floor.  I looked at her.  She was rolling her eyes.  Then she began to howl!  Her mother came rushing in, picked up her sobbing child. 

And sent me home!

I had other friends.  Diana Lucy Fox, Irene and Betty Robertson who came to Vancouver with us in 1940, and others whose names I do not recall.

One day, when in the company of my father, some terrible tragedy occurred and little Valerie was crying inconsolably. He tried to cheer me up.

"Who is your BEST friend?" he asked, expecting me to say, 

"My daddy."

He recalled later that I stopped crying immediately, thought for a moment and said, 

"Linda Jackson!"