Month: October 2009

Coastsider.com’s Barry Parr says:

Coastsider now has links to candidate videos produced by Darin Boville of
Montara Fog.

We’re linking to the videos in individual stories about the Half Moon Bay
City Council, Coastside County Water District, Granada Sanitary District,
and Coastside Fire Protection District races. Come see the videos and
discuss the candidates on Coastsider.

We’ll add more links and information to these stories in coming weeks.

Absentee ballots are out this week, so now is the time to make your
thoughts known on these races.

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June adds: Vote the bums out! And check out the Half Moon Bay Review, please click here

[Image below: The sophisticated, and, at once hard and soft Betsy (“Betts”) Draper, mother of three, who can no longer hide her need for “something more,” played to the hilt by pouty January Jones, perfectly cast in the role of wife to sexy “concealer of his dark past” Madmen advertising exec Don Draper.]

What’s going to happen on that increasingly magnetic antique “fainting couch?” that doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of her newly redecorated living room?

What’s a “fainting couch look like?” Here’s one from Lauren Crown Fine Furniture, to visit their site, please click here

What did you think about Bett’s outside updo, the one she wore in Rome when she and Don pretended not to know one another when they met for a drink? A playful game between husband and wife: A FANTASY. They were in Rome for a quickie business meeting with the very spontaneous Conrad–or more aptly, “Con-nie”–Hilton, a charming, very likable fellow. Bett’s hairdo definitely reminded me of a character out of  San Francisco’s epic BEACH BLANKET BABYLON, still playing, after all these decades at Club Fugazi in North Beach. The actors wear these enormously creative, elaborate, heavy headpieces, whole cities, sometimes , or maybe a South American banana plantation, on their small heads.

Surely one of Madmen’s fun loving hair stylists must have been inspired by Blanket Babylon’s original producer, Steve Silver, who I once met at San Jose State, where Silver was a student. As I recall, we were standing outside and Steve was sitting on a concrete ledge thingy, at once serious and carefree, swinging his legs—and I do believe he was talking about the concept for Beach Blanket Babylon, an idea that very soon turned into immensely successful reality for the City of San Francisco.

Story by John Vonderlin

Email John: [email protected]

OCEAN SHORE LINE DREAM OF YEARS
Santa Cruz Paper Reviews History of One of Coast’s Popular Enterprises

Calls Attention to Unparalleled Offer to Public to Buy Gilt Edge ßonds

The Santa Cruz Surf, under the caption “Again the Ocean Shore Railway,” says: Vicissitudes many and various have befallen this undertaking since its first inception, and these are typical and prophetic of the general conditions in California and the whole country to a degree. The Ocean Shore railway project was conceived and  the company incorporated three years ago, when the country was on the crest of a bounding prosperity, and optimism regarding the future was epidemic and contagious. It was a bold enterprise fitting the times, when capital was abundant and men’s ambitions easily vaulted over difficulties.

For thirty years prophetic minds had been attracted to the rich possibilities of this coast country and its wonderful resources, material, climatic and scenic, and to  the enormous transits of  people which would result from closer contact between San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

It was an alluring vision to the promoter, but the engineer and the investor said nay, nay. Too many canyons to cross, too many hills to climb, too many bluffs to blast, too many tunnels to bore, and so the undertaking lay dormant year on year, decade after decade.

TIME MAKES CHANGE

Meanwhile the science of railroad engineering developed, the value of the resources of the section increased, capital became more plentlful and rates of interest reduced, vvhen. lo! suddenly the project sprang into life, vigorous, strong, self confident.

A more enthusiastic bunch never coalesced in any enterprise than the original incorporators of the Ocean Shore railway. They had a good thing, they felt sure; they had. plenty of money, and in 15 months they promised the road, double tracked, electrically
operated.

To Santa Cruz, the Ocean Shore company, came in the guise of King Fortunatus. Nothing to ask, all to bring. It literally promised to elevate  Santa Cruz from a city of the . fifth; to the third class in five years without us lifting a finger. Like many another vision. of joy, this proved to be too  good to be true, but nevertheless, this was the appearance, and purpose, when their enterprise first took form.

Stock in the Ocean Shore railroad was not ‘for sale.  Bonds of  the Ocean Shore railroad were not for sale. The incorporators were sufficient unto themselves. Thus matters went on until rights of way were secured, surveys completed and perhaps half the grading accomplished.

SOMETHING HAPPENS
Then something happened. Not our fault, or their fault, but, it happened, and in three days’ time earthquake and fire  had robbed some of those interested in the company, of  their fortunes and impaired the fortune of every one connected with the scheme. Some dropped out. President Harvey and a few others stayed with the ship. Then the era of stock assessments and bond sales. But the day of railroad bond sales in blocks of millions was over. Wall Street capital was no  longer seeking legitimate investment. There was trouble ahead for the “system.” It became evident last year that local capital had got (sic)to lift on the enterprise if it went through. Readers of the Surf, we trust, have not forgotten the campaign for $300,000 Ocean Shore bonds from this county, made a few  months ago and which seemed on the eve of realization when, again something happened.

The “financial flurry” scattered to the wind the plan, then so nearly perfected. Now with the new year, with new financial and commercial conditions, we are entering upon a new era with the Ocean Shore railway, as with every other industrial enterprise.

UNPARALLELED PROPOSITION

President Harvey has done what all politicians and financiers do in an emergency ~he has appealed to the people, to the “common people.” if you. please, as distinguisheded from the “capitalistic class.” He has offered a loan in sums of $100 on partial payments.

The proposition is without parallel or precedent in railroad construction. It is the beginning of a new financial era in American affairs.

Of all that  has been said in the Surf  about the advantage of the Ocean Sbore line, there is not a word to retract, amid the untoward circumstances.

When a railroad over this route was first projected in the early 80’s this paper prophesied that it would make its owners opulent

Every change of time has only added to the attractions of this route,  only brought a larger buisiness into view. Moreover, every year has made its construction more and more; important to the city and county of Santa Cuz. When  it .promised  to come to us like the bag of gold at the end of the rainbowr it looked good.

Now, when the time has come when we must (sic) needs help build it ourselves or see it closed to us forever as a competitive route it not only looks good, but.it looks like a necessity to the future progress and advancement of this section. As an investment there is nothing better on the market than the Ocean Shore railway bonds. As a matter of self protection and self interest every taxpayer in this county ought to buy one or more. Every man and woman ought to be an active missionary, day by day, for the sale of these bonds, until  they are all  bought, and the road made a certainty.

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If you want to know more about financial panics, you might find  The Panic of 1819 by Murray Rothbard of interest, for more info, please click here

Please click here

You may have been the “Kotex Lady” before you started making those super delicious Elegant Cheese Cakes in Princeton-by-the-Sea and getting on all those TV shows—but I’m going to be on Eye on the Bay, TOO, in mid-October, for at least a few seconds…and adorable Jennifer, the producer/director, told me that I was “OVER THE TOP!”

What do you think of that?????

So there!!!

So, uh,  Susan, uh, can you put an Eye on the Bay logo on one of your super delicious cheese cakes, and all of that on top of an image of my Princeton-by-the-Sea book?

[This is a certified June-joke. Blame it on the Larry Kaplan influence. Too many lkaplanyacht.com emails. Plus I knew him in high school. OMG]

I picked up the Fall 2009 edition of Lapham’s “Medicine” Quarterly at New Leaf in Half Moon Bay, and was immediately delighted by the Oliver Sacks story called “New York City: Cupid Dormant.” A funny, warm, great read.

There are pieces that range in time from Moliere to Freud to Proust to Doris Lessing to La Honda’s Ken Kesey. Each one unique and suitable for framing!

Welcome and thanks for taking a look at our very first Kelly Street Gallery newsletter!  Here you will find information on our latest exhibits, a calendar of upcoming gallery related events and interviews with featured artists. The gallery is a small neighborhood cooperative venture among some of the coastside’s most talented artists embarking on its first full year this December. Open every Sunday from noon to five—we look forward to seeing you here!

Deborah Brown-Penrose
Susan Friedman
Jan Tiura
Jennifer Clark

Can you tell which one is Half Moon Bay’s Pumpkin Moon? (That reminds me: I’ve got to pick up a big, orange one today. Maybe two; that way, they can keep each other company!)

Do I need a serious photography lesson from superb image-catchers Deb & Michael Wong?