THE WEEKENDER :) SURFS UP

A CALIFORNIA VIBE

There's a kind of acknowledgement around Cambria that

if you hire a painter or carpenter who surfs

you can expect them to arrive early (after the

morning ride) and leave by late afternoon

(to catch the afternoon waves).

Teachers, business people, counselors and

others do likewise.  

Unlike most states there is a real surfing legacy

here.  It is part of the lifestyle.

I worked with a fellow from upstate New York who

never surfed until he moved to California. In his

40's he became addicted to it.

When visiting SoCal we used to play around

on boogie boards.  That was a thrill which

only heightened my respect for those

who surf, long boards or short.

So THE WEEKENDER :) shares this

extraordinary video, sent along by my

friend Jim who has years of watching

the surf, surfers and who watched as his

own son became a talented surfer.

For those of you in winter locked regions of the

planet, take a California break.

See you down the trail.

WHEN IT FALLS

A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

"But methought it lessened my esteem of a King

that he should not be able to command the rain."

Samuel Pepys Diary entry 19 July 1662

 After an historically dry December and January, the 

rain has begun. Rain is a seasonal thing on the California

Central Coast and every inch is precious.  Last year's abnormally high rain fall broke a drought.  We started

this rain season well, then it dried up, so the storm systems

that are aloft are cause for celebration.

 Rain wasn't on our mind much in mid-west, unless

it was an unwelcome intruder on picnics, parties, ball games and weekends.

Here, I have seen grown adults dance in the rain, simply 

because it is.

 Sunshine and blue sky are so abundant here that

a little rain can make us giddy.

Yep-that's the way it is in California.

We love it.

Party on!!!

See you down the trail.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

THE FINEST HOUR

Several years ago a few of us then in the 

heartland, created a Churchill Society.

Impressed with his wit, love of adult

beverages and cigars, that alone was

enough to prompt our beginning.

But we were history nuts as well and

it is there we found the "serious" reason

for our gathering.  We've been 

trading communication in the last several

hours about the new Churchill Center coming

to Washington, even proposing field trips.

So, I've spent some time looking at Churchill clips, and 
thinking how my high school and college research
papers would have been different given the 
tools of youtube and search engines.

See you down the trail.

  

INFORMATION WARS

BATTLE LINES IN THE BRAVE NEW WORLD

A chasm sized absence has been launched as a defensive weapon in a profound and historic battle today.

Wikipedia has gone dark.

Link here for the Wikipedia rationale.

In summary a battle of giants is raging-

entertainment powerhouses of television, music and film versus Internet, tech and new media icons.

The focus is SOPA and PIPA-legislation designed 

to stop piracy and protect intellectual property rights.

Production companies, film makers, musicians and television networks want to stop uncompensated use of 

their material, primarily by foreign (outside the US)

web sites.  Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and other

cyber powers argue the legislation is poorly drafted

and will infringe upon free communication,

search, and the unfettered brave new world

of the Internet. Our parents would consider

this the stuff of science fiction, but information

wars are our reality. 

When I was ceo of a media and content production 

company I watched as some of our product was

pirated. It is theft, pure and simple.

Yet as we know the cure can sometimes be worse than

the disease and that is point of today's world wide

protest.

Many in the tech industry fear the legislation will

give too much power to the networks and film studios.

This is, as one account called it, a coming of age for

the world of tech, new media and the Internet.

A kind of wild west where anything that works, goes

is now faced with old fashioned power politics.

It is an historic battle and today's disappearance of

Wikipedia and other messages is an escalation.

DAY BOOK

MY OWN TECH EXPERIMENT

Today's study of the Cayucos pier is

from my smart phone, via e-mail.

Carry on cyber warriors.

See you down the trail.

A COMBUSTIBLE DEBATE

WHAT ABOUT THE FOREST?

Cambria and this area of the Central Coast
has been recently treated to a sometimes loud and
an animated debate about the clearing of a
a firebreak.  There are differing ideas about
how best to do that.  This post
raises the issue only as a point of context.
I wonder why some of our Monterey Pine forest
is allowed to become a kind of tinder box?

A recent hike across the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

and into a portion of the forest

revealed what, to this blogger, looked like a dangerous situation.

There are plenty more situations like those captured in these few frames.  A lot of downed branches, limbs and even trees-

simply left to age, dry and become potential kindling.

I know experts who argue that it is best

to leave the forests untouched and natural.  A strain of

naturalist or environmentalist will agree but others differ.

It seems common sense alone would lead to know that

less debris like this, kindling, makes for a reduced fire hazard.  Chumash and Salinan tribes practiced controlled

burns to preen the wilderness and eliminate the potential for greater danger.  It also allowed for healthy soil and native

plant growth.

As I hike the area, I need to suppress the urge to 
clean up the forest floor.
Maybe some of the local hobbits will carry away
the debris and use it in their fireplaces!
In the meantime I wonder why there is such a 
difference of opinion.
See you down the trail. 

THROUGH THE WHIRLWIND

CULTURAL REVERBERATIONS

Back in the land of blue sky.  It's warmer 

here too! The dash across the country and

back reminds me of how I made

a living for many years. 

 Then, as now, I suffer a

kind of cultural or location blurring.

Certain scenes become icons of a time, place

or feeling. This trip was a joy, but

also bitter sweet.

 Some of these images tell the story.

One of the first jobs of my dad was here. 

Just out of high school and before the Army and  WWII he worked as nightwatchman at Warner Gear on the edge of Muncie Indiana. 

 The job was a kind of favor to a lad who had

been a star basket ball player. It was only a place holder job for dad. Later he played semi pro ball and took other work before the war changed everyone's world. But Warner

Gear kept turning and over the years thousands of Indiana 

families built futures by the work done here.

Today its a windy echo of a Bruce Springsteen landscape

of broken dreams and shut down jobs.

So-- that was at one end of the sentimental journey.

 The other pole was the premiere of the documentary

about an historic radio showdown, that also symbolizes

 change. 

I was lucky to be on a team that put modern FM

radio into the American culture.

 To look at us now it is, maybe, hard to imagine

 these guys created a new genre of radio, promotion, public interaction and new formats that continue today.

Buster Bodine, Mike Griffin and Cris "Moto Groove" Conner

were new stars of a new kind of radio.

 As film editor Brad Schushard looks on,

Al Stone, in the cap, signs posters next to

the AM radio star Roger W. Morgan.

Just out of college, Stone assembled a group of young

broadcasters to try something new.  They ended 

up toppling the vaunted and legendary WIFE, the highest

rated AM station in the nation. WNAP became the

first commercially successful FM Rock station in America.

The rest is history.

On this evening the old adversaries were colleagues in the celebration of the historic battle.

 In the film, this gent, tells just a little about his own infamous reputation of being the king of the groupie magnets. He said he "never really needed a good opening line."  He said he had "a role to play and he lived up to his name- Fast Freddie Fever." The stories of his experiences 

are legion.  Most will probably remain untold.

Fans of that era paid a premium price to attend

a private VIP reception that featured a limo ride

to the red carpet premiere.  Here Mike Griffin

is again the center of attention, giving his fans

new memories.

 It was humbling to see and hear how the 

sold out theatre audiences (they had to add a second

showing) reacted to moments from the film.

Even more humbling were those who approached us at the gala or the opening recalling something we said or did

all those years ago, that meant so much to their lives and in some cases had a life long impact.  

We were doing a job, having fun being innovative but without a thought to the fact we were making history, let alone influencing lives in the manner

we heard about on these evenings of memories.

Bitter sweet in its own way.

The trip back gave me a private moment to pay

respects to my family members.

I'm sure that doing so on a frigid, windy, gray day

turned up the emotional vibe a mark or two.

I had to wonder what my parents or my grand parents

would make of what has become of modern media

and cultural tastes.  Could they believe that some of

what we did left the mark it has?

It's also bittersweet to know those 

once young guys and gals, like their fans, are becoming

nostalgia, though still comfortable and

even talented, in the spot light.

Buster Bodine's antics in the follow up

Q&A after the film being a case in point.

I told people who asked what I was doing now

that I had become a "villager," acclimated to quiet

and serenity far away from hubba hubba and hoopla.

It was fun to be back on the television stations, 

even keeping a tight schedule, and being in the spot, because I  knew it was a bit like Cinderella.  The ball would soon be over.  It is wonderful to be back in the village.

There is blue sky and sooo much warmer!!!

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) A SIDE TRIP

ROCK RADIO WARS

My long time pal, former colleague and blog mentor

Bruce Taylor, a.k.a. The Catalyst has been

dumbfounded about why I would leave the climes

of the California Central Coast for the bone chilling

temperatures of Indianapolis, especially since the 

Super Bowl is a couple of weeks away.

The reason is a red carpet premiere of a

a documentary in which I am interviewed.

Film maker David Fulton has flown a few of us who now live

on the west coast back to Indianapolis for a round of 

radio and TV interviews, VIP events and the screening

itself. Here's the trailer.

In the last couple of days I've been able to catch up with

former colleagues, see old friends and catch a whiff of the

Super Bowl mania in Indianapolis.

I've been on the 3 major television stations 

including where I anchored for many years.

 David was surprised by how cordial all of the 

television people have been.  I told him that is 

partially a result of having been colleagues

with people who now staff the stations.

The journey also provided a chance for a sentimental

visit to Muncie, home of my Alma Mater Ball State, 

my kid hood home and where my family members are

interred. It is also home to the Pizza King which is the 

home of the ground beef, barbecue pizza.

So, Bruce, even though it has not risen above

20 degrees, there has been some benefit indeed!

The VIP Party, Red Carpet, Limo ride and all of that

is tonight.

See you down the trail.