Month: February 2008

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Keeping Up With John Vonderlin….

John Vonderlin’s posts are fun to read; his curiosity is insatiable and he will soon know, intimately, every centimeter of sand on every beach south of Half Moon Bay.

Keep up with John, to read his stuff, click here

In 1968 John (at far right) made the cover of Life Magazine (a story about the contentious Democratic Convention in Chicago) –but he didn’t know he was in the photo until much later. I promise to post John’s story about this chapter in his life soon.

johnv.jpg

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…..House Hearings on Steroids are Embarassing….

I’m watching the House [Congressional] hearings on steroid use by athletes–and Roger Clemens, the best baseball pitcher ever, was flatly denying he used any performance enhancers, period. Brian McNamee, his former trainer at the New York Yankees, disagrees and swears he did the injecting…personally.

A reason for the hearings, according to one of the Congressman: Sports figures are heroes to children and if the kids learn that their heroes use steroids to play better and become famous, they will do the same.

The hearings are embarrassing and painful to listen to. Once close friends forced to testify against each other, can you imagine?

What about the movie stars who use botox, face lifts of all kinds, breast enlarging, gastric banding, you get the idea, to improve their box office (and more importantly, DVD) sales?

Just like sports figures, don’t a lot of kids look up to movie stars, too? And, don’t children want to look exactly like them, and aren’t they willing, at a very young age, to go through major face (not just nose jobs) and body changes…..because these kids don’t like what they look like and will do anything to resemble Angeline Jolie.

Will the beautiful people be dragged before a Congressional Committee on the use of beauty aids and surgery to improve looks?

Is there really an ethical difference between someone who goes to the vitamin and supplement store to improve their fitness so they can be their very best– and these athletes and movie stars who use steriods and surgery to accomplish career advantage?

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….In the Mail: Water Rationing and Water-less Flowers

I got my Coastside County Water notice of possible rationing….which must mean the water spigot’s going to be heavily monitored. Why would anyone waste so much money for postage and envelopes? The final water rationing decisions are made by San Francisco, by the way.

Aside from water needed for our usual daily needs, if you enjoy your garden, your green plants and lovely flowers will be victims.

This being, it seems to me, the century of phoniness, where little that is happening or told to us is “real”—pardon me, if I’m being too cynical–whoever comes up with a water-less flower will strike it rich. [And I’m not talking about plastic flowers, ok?]

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Pete’s Cafe, a HMB Novella by Erich Viktor von Neff

The author dedicates his work to Dan Durigan, now deceased, former longshoreman and owner of Durigano’s Nursery in Pescadero.

Pete’s Café

Somewhere Near the Great Khan

In Half Moon Bay

A Novella

By Erich Viktor von Neff

Pete’s Café

Chapter One

The Pierce Arrow

The motor of the Pierce Arrow purred. Walt, my grandfather, let it warm up, engaged it in first, and we headed down the old Coast Highway toward Half Moon Bay. It was a beautiful road overlooking the sea. Salty air blew through the open windows. We sucked it into our lungs. We drove by fields of artichokes and Brussels sprouts. Broad brimmed hats faced us…occupied by Mexicans, Filipinos, and other farm workers. The Pierce Arrow passed row upon row, field after field of ripe green vegetables.

Our lungs continued to drink in the fecund coastal air. Walt turned off at Half Moon Bay. He drove down Main Street and parked in front of Pete’s Café.

“Buon giorno,�? Pete said in a hearty Italian voice as we entered. “Buon giorno,�? my grandfather replied. They laughed and slapped each other on the back. We found an empty table, amongst the tables of men speaking Tagalog, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish. Their voices chiming into one another, clashing, then trailing off.

Pete brought us two bowls of minestrone soup, two Dos Equis beers, Larraburu French bread and butter.

Walt cut off a slice of butter, and dropped it into the soup. He also broke off a piece of French bread which he dipped into the soup from time to time as he ate. I did the same. Was there any better way to eat minestrone soup?

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