HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 27 VOL 7
FEBRUARY 27TH 2008
WEATHER; NICE BUT COOL, LOW HUMIDITY, 26/64 DEGREES
GAS; HOLDING IN THERE AT $3.02- $3.05
WE’RE GOING TO SEE IF WE CAN GET A FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND TO BUY THE FIREPLACE PEGGY AND PAUL GAVE US FOR CHRISTMA (PEGGY AGREES WE SHOULD GET SOMETHING WE CAN USE SAFELY) OR SEE ABOUT TAKING IT BACK TO LOWE’S AND TRADE IT IN ON A “CHIMNEA” WE CAN USE ON THE DECK!
THE ONE EXPERIENCE I WAS TOLD I HAD AS A BABY WITH A FIREPLACE WAS; MY DAD HAD A DRY CLEANING BUSINESS AND CAME HOME ONE DAY AND UNLOADED HIS POCKETS ON A SMALL TABLE THAT SAT NEXT TO OUR FIREPLACE WHICH HAD A SMALL FIRE IN IT AT THE TIME! THE THINGS MY DAD TOOK OUT OF HIS POCKETS INCLUDED OVER $100.00 IN BILLS PART OF WHICH WAS MY MOTHERS GROCERY MONEY FOR THE MONTH I THINK MADELINE SAID IT WAS $35.00!
EVIDENTLY NOBODY WAS WATCHING ME AND I STOOD AT THE TABLE THROWING BILLS INTO THE FIRE LAUGHING AS THEY BURST INTO FLAMES! I UNDERSTAND I GOT YELLED AT AND MY HANDS SLAPPED BY MY DAD BUT MY MOTHER GOT ALL OVER HIM FOR LEAVING THE MONEY WHERE I COULD GET AT IT! I WAS TO YOUNG TO REMEMBER THIS BUT I’M SURE IT HAPPENED!
ANYHOW WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON WHAT WE DO WITH THE FIREPLACE! I’M HOPING SOMEBODY IN THE FAMILY WILL BUY IT, IT’S REALLY A NICE LOOKING PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AND ISN’T JUNK BUT WE JUST CAN’T USE IT ON OUR DECK!
IN THE EARLY SUMMER OF 1944 LOU WATT AND I MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO PACK A LUNCH AND RIDE OUT BIKES TO “GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY” THAT SETS ON A MOUNTAIN INSIDE OF GRIFFITH PARK! THIS WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THE FAMILY HEADED FOR THE CAMPGROUND, THIS YEAR WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THE “BAY SHORE” BECAUSE THE OCEAN SIDE WAS OFF LIMITS DUE TO THE WAR!
WE MET AT HIS HOUSE IN TOLUCA LAKE AT 7AM AND HEADED OUT! MY BIKE WAS A BALOON TIRED SEARS AND HIS WAS AN “IVER-JOHNSON RACING BIKE BY THE TIME WE GOT TO OBSERVATORY DRIVE THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO THE OBSERVATORY IT WAS ALMOST 10AM
THE ROAD TO THE OBSERVATORY WAS A PRETTY STEEP ONE AND WE HAD TO PUSH OUR BIKES ALL THE WAY UP A GOOD MILE! WE STOPPED ALONG THE WAY AND SAT ON PEOPLES LAWNS TO REST AND GET DRINKS OF WATER OUT OF GARDEN HOSES! WE FINALLY GOT TO THE OBSERVATORY AT NOON AND SAT AT A PICNIC TABLE OUTSIDE TO EAT OUR LUNCHES! WE DECIDED WE BETTER HEAD FOR HOME ABOUT 5PM!
WE HAD NEVER BEEN TO AN OBSERVATORY AND WHEN WE WALKED IN IT WAS LIKE ENTERING ANOTHER WORLD! THE FIRST THING YOU COME ACROSS IS A BIG PIT WITH A LARGE SHINEY BALL HANGING FROM THE CEILING SWINGING BACK AND FORTH. EVERYTIME IT REACHES ONE SIDE IT KNOCKS DOWN A PEG STANDING IN A CIRCLE LINE AROUND THE PIT FLOOR! THE PEGS LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE 4-5 INCHES LONG. WE READ THE EXPLANIATION THAT WAS WRITTEN ON A PLACK ON THE RIM OF THE PIT! THIS IS A MOTION CLOCK THAT GOT POWER FROM THE MOTION OF THE EARTH “I THINK THAT’S WHAT IT SAID!”
WE STARTED WALKING AROUND LOOKING AT ALL THE EXIBITS TRYING OUT THE ONES THAT SAID WE COULD. WE FINALLY CAME TO A THEATER THAT HAD A SIGN ANNOUNCING ;”A TRIP TO THE STARS”, NEXT SHOW AT 3PM, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO LAST TILL 5PM WHICH WOULD WORK OUT FINE, THAT’S WHEN WE WERE TO LEAVE FOR HOME!
THE SHOW WAS THE MOST FANTASTIC THING WE HAD EVER SEEN, THE SEATS RECLINED AND WHEN WE LAUNCHED IT WAS SO REAL, THE SEATS VIBRATED AND ROCKED FROM SIDE TO SIDE, WE HAD SEAT BELT ON AND THEY HAD MOVIES SHOWING IN THE WINDOWS THAT SHOWED THE CLOUDS AS WE WENT THROUGH THEM AND THEN THE SKY GOT DARKER AND DARKER TILL WE REACHED WHERE WE COULD SEE MILLIONS OF STARS PROJECTED ON THE CURVED (CONCAVE) CEILING OF THE THEATER AND THE MAN GIVING THE SHOW STARTED IDENTIFYING THE DIFFERENT STARS AND CONSTILLATIONS! 2 HOURS WENT BY SO FAST WE DECIDED TO COME BACK IN A COUPLE OF MONTH TO SEE THE NEXT SHOW, “A TRIP AROUND THE MOON” BUT WE NEVER DID. IT WAS 10 YEARS BEFORE I WENT BACK FOR A SHOW AND I DON’T KNOW IF LOU EVER DID?
NOW THE FUN BEGINS; WE HAD TO EITHER RIDE OUR BIKES DOWN THE ROAD OR PUSH THEM! I DECIDED TO PUSH MINE BUT LOU FIGURED HE HAD HAND BRAKES SO HE RODE HIS DOWN!
I WATCHED THE BRAKE PADS SMOKE THEN STAR THROWING SPARKS AROUND THE RIMS AND THE BIKE WAS PICKING UP SPEED REAL FAST! I RAN DOWN PUSHING MY BIKE AND WHEN I GOT A BLOCK FROM THE MAIN ROAD, LAS FELITZ BLVD.
I COULD SEE TRAFFIC GOING BY IN GROUPS, IT WAS ALMOST 5:30PM AND THE SIGNAL ARM ( THEY WERE THE OLD ARMS THAT HAD GO AND STOP ON THEM) SHOWED STOP FOR LOU AND JUST AS HE GOT TO THE INTERSECTION IT CHANGED TO GO! HE WENT ANOTHER BLOCK BEFORE HE COULD STOP,
I RAN DOWN TO HIM AND HE WAS SETTING ON THE CURB WITH SMOKE COMING OFF HIS SHOES, HE HAD BEEN DRAGGING HIS FEET TO SLOW HIM DOWN HE TOOK THEM OFF AND LET THEM COOL! WE WAITED FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES THEN HEADED HOME! GOING HOME WAS REAL EASY COMPARED TO GOING UP THE ROAD TO THE OBSERVATORY. SINCE IT WAS SUMMER AND DAYLIGHT SAVINGS WAS IN EFFECT BY THE TIME WE GOT TO HIS HOUSE IT WAS ALMOST 8PM AND THEN I HAD ANOTHER ½ HOUR TO MY HOUSE! I’LL NEVER FORGET THIS EXPERIENCE BUT AS I LOOK BACK ON IT JUST SEEING THE THINGS AT THE OBSERVATORY MADE IT WORTH ALL THE TROUBLE!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.
HOWARD
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