L.A. to Phoenix

Last night, somewhere about an hour after we went to sleep, the sound of a racing car engine woke me first. The squealing tires demanded I jump out of bed, quickly followed by Caroline. Our room on the third floor of the Garden Suite Hotel facing Western Avenue offered us the perfect view of the intersection at 7th Street and Western. What was going on down there took some time to decipher. The smell of burning rubber, a ton of smoke, roaring engines, and the sound of the crowd spilling into our room, but tired brains took a moment to compute that we were witnessing our first-ever sideshow, also known as a takeover.

Then it all starts to come together: someone disabled the street lights, there was a coordinated effort to shut down the streets in such a way that law enforcement wouldn’t easily reach the intersection, enough people showed up to make a sizable audience, and then the mayhem ensues. Get your tires smoking, turn into the circle, and hammer the gas. Passengers were hanging out of windows, and kids were darting into the middle of the street where cars encircled them, pouring smoke over everything. On the edges, other kids were trying to touch the cars when they weren’t jumping out of the way. This lasted nearly 15 minutes before a police helicopter showed up, and maybe 5 minutes after that, we could hear sirens from the approaching police. With the explosion of a large firework right in the intersection, things broke up, the crowd scattered, and cars pulled away in all directions, leaving us astonished at what we’d just seen.

Seven hours later, as we crossed the intersection, the smell of burned rubber was still present, and the idea that we heard, saw, and experienced what we did in the wee hours of last night felt like a dream.

Here we are across the street at Sun Nong Dan Korean restaurant that we visited last night. This is what $30 bought for breakfast compared to yesterday. First up was hot barley tea, followed by the banchan: kimchi (spicy), pickled radish (yummy), pickled onion with jalapeno (okay), garlic chive in sesame oil (oh my god, my mind is blown in amazement), and a side of brown rice (dyed purple with black rice!). Caroline ordered the Tta Roh Guk Bap (beef brisket with dried cabbage Soup), and I went for the Yuk Gae Jang (spicy beef & leek soup). Both had a good amount of spiciness to them; this wasn’t just some mild gochugaru added for coloring.

We were promised a partly sunny day, but all we see is gray, occasionally dark gray hinting at a chance for rain, but that won’t ruin our day as our dispositions are sunny enough. Hmm, I read those last six words and think I need to mash the backspace key and delete that cheese, but there’s a hint of truth there. You see, we always know we might be hit with unfavorable weather when we travel, but what exactly is unfavorable? Is cold, wet, windy, or too hot a negative for successful travel? Maybe this is why so many people think they need to go to Cancun, Hawaii, Ibiza, Tenerife, Miami, or other places at only particular times of the year. Well, that would be a setup for disappointment. All of today’s photos were shot under gray skies, that is, until we reached the Palm Springs area of the Californian desert on our way home when the sun finally emerged.

So now that you know the weather and our attitude towards it, I can share that we are at the Huntington Library and Garden in San Marino, California. In yesterday’s post, I wrote how we got our dates backward for when we were supposed to be here and at LACMA; well, the staff here at the Huntington had no problem exchanging the tickets and letting us enter right away, which was a big relief. Our first stop is at the library and this statue of Commodus (son of Marcus Aurelius and movie villain in the film “Gladiator”) as Hercules holding his son Telephus; I guess it’s kind of like the image of Trump as Rambo but also holding a baby Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Close-up detail of one of the original Gutenberg bibles that still exists. This volume printed on vellum is incomplete just as the majority of the 48 remaining bibles are, but lucky Caroline and I have also seen a complete copy at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and the one at the Austrian National Library in Vienna. Next time we are in Germany, I want to make a point of seeing the Frankfurt University Library copy that is also complete, and since I’ve also seen the one in Mainz, Germany, it’ll take me to have been in the presence of 10% of these old bibles from 1455.

An example of cross-writing where back in the days of expensive writing paper, the author would write their letter in the traditional top to bottom fashion and then turn the page 90 degrees to continue writing. This page at the Huntington Library wouldn’t be here if it didn’t hold significant historical importance; it is from Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein and wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley, written to her friend Marianne Hunt in 1819.

The stacking of coincidence to make for synchronicities isn’t lost on us. First, we go to Mexico City, and Caroline learns that it used to be a city surrounded by a lake. Then, yesterday at LACMA, we visited the Mixpantli exhibit that has a floor map interpreting the phase between Tenochtitlán becoming Mexico City. Now, here at the Huntington, Caroline spotted this map printed in 1524 of Tenochtitlán created as conquistador Hernán Cortés was causing the fall of the Aztec empire.

The various gardens here are part of the attraction for visitors who get to explore 130 of the 207 acres that comprise the grounds.

Couldn’t help but think of Kehinde Wiley’s presidential portrait of Barack Obama with this shot.

Inside the 55,000 square-foot Beaux-Arts mansion that Henry Huntington and his wife Arabella called their winter home. At other times of the year, you might have found them somewhere between mansions in New York or their home in Paris, France. Huntington made his fortune as a railroad magnate.

This is such a big, beautiful room, and normally down there at the end is the famous Blue Boy, a full-length portrait by Thomas Gainsborough painted in 1770, but it’s over in England on display until May 15 at the National Gallery in London. This is the first time the Blue Boy has been back in England in 100 years, and is likely the last time. In its stead is a modern interpretation commissioned by the Huntington of the Blue Boy by artist Kehinde Wiley. Interested in seeing what it looks like? Visit the Huntington; it’s worth your effort.

While there are more than a few paintings from Edward Bird here, it doesn’t seem like the artist ever gained the kind of reputation that would make his work extremely valuable.

This is a small overview of the very crowded Japanese garden. I know it doesn’t look that crowded, but I waited to get this photo with so few people in it, and like I said, it’s a small corner of it.

Next we headed to the new Chinese garden that was still under construction when we visited last. This place is perfect.

I might now be wishing for blue skies and sun, but I’d like to think that we’ll return here again and maybe on that day I can get a shot of this view in full glorious sunlight or maybe we’ll really get lucky and come back for a summer twilight visit

Part of the transition zone between the Chinese and Japanese gardens, I believe.

For Caroline.

Back at the Japanese garden, though, we are just skirting it on the way to the Australian corner of the Huntington.

Last time we were here, the bonsais were chained down as something pricey had been stolen; looking around now there are enough surveillance cameras to dissuade potential thieves, I hope. This bonsai is an elm tree.

Almost missed this plant and flower as it’s kind of away from the trail. Caroline first noticed the peculiar gray metallic leaves, and then, on our approach, there were maybe half a dozen blooms distributed between two of these giant Australian plants.

The squirrels seen across the grounds are fluffy, fat, and cute, but they are not the only wildlife.

Initially, I wanted to avoid the desert plants as I feel we see enough of them where we live, but obviously, we don’t live in all desert areas and my memory didn’t remind me of the opulent beauty on display here.

Are these edible?

There are thousands of impressions, if not millions more, here at the Huntington, but I can’t share them all. It was a toss-up if we’d even visit this garden as there’s also the nearby Descanso Gardens just 10 miles away in La Cañada Flintridge that we would like to return to. We are scheduled to return to Los Angeles in July, but it’s awfully hot here, so maybe we’ll swap an October trip to Chinle, Arizona, with that one?

Okay, time to go; we are both getting hungry here shortly before 2:00 p.m.

Yes, we bought fresh strawberry donuts from the world-famous Donut Man in Glendora, but we didn’t tuck into those right way; we are way more reasonable than that. After collecting dessert, we headed over to El Gallo Giro in Fontana, where we thought of stopping on Friday night before visiting the Northwoods Inn. In this case, our memories were far greater than the food we found today at this popular Mexican fast-food restaurant. On the other hand, the donuts were everything we’d hoped for and more.

We pulled off the freeway at Desert Center to find a brass plaque that noted the role of the town in the founding of Kaiser Permanente, but couldn’t find it. Now, at home writing this, I found an article from 2014 that already spoke of the theft of that sign. While we couldn’t find what we were looking for, we had this opportunity to look back west at a terrific sunset before continuing our way east to Phoenix as we continued to nibble on donuts and finish our coffees.

The Race is on…Or is it?

Caroline Wise in the surf in Santa Monica, California

Back on the weekend of January 7th Caroline and I drove from Phoenix, Arizona to Los Angeles, California as we embarked on the monumental personal challenge of attempting to travel somewhere away from home no less than 25 times this year. This was our first trip that included museums, a botanical garden, the ocean, and dinner on the ocean in San Pedro among other things.

Caroline Wise at Teakettle Junction on the Road to Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, California

On January 21st we returned to California, except this time we were aiming for Death Valley well north of Los Angeles. Caroline is seen here posing at Tea Kettle Junction on our way to Racetrack Playa to see with our own eyes the rocks that sail across a dry lakebed. Now, while this second trip of the year qualified as just that, I’d like to point out that was actually our third consecutive trip following the idea of going somewhere every other week. Over Christmas, we were over in New Mexico at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for some birdwatching, 10’s of thousands of birds.

Caroline Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

February 4th seemed to come on fast but this time we were staying right here in our own state of Arizona. I’d booked us a couple of nights at Bright Angel Lodge and hoped that we wouldn’t encounter snowy roads on the way up. As you can see, we had great weather, great views, and consequently a great time here at the Grand Canyon.

Caroline Wise at Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge in Cochise Country, Arizona

Maintaining the theme of trying to avoid snow in the wintertime, our travel plans had us going south on the weekend of February 18. We came down this way to revisit a hiking trail we’d visited nearly 17 years prior. Well, we didn’t make it there because we were distracted by news of a mass of sandhill cranes nearby, and even on the way there we got sidetracked by a quick visit and hike to the Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge. So you can better understand just where we were on the map, Douglas, Arizona, is about 250 miles southeast of us right on the border of Mexico and about 20 miles west of New Mexico.

For the 5th trip away from home this year, which is coming up very soon, I’m now scrambling to finish a ton of details that I put off until the last minute. Because we are so familiar with traveling I need not worry too much about getting things perfect too far in advance. I believe Caroline and I have confidence that the flow of our travels, no matter how they unfold, always seem to have been well-planned and fortunate regardless of the situation once we’re there.

So maybe this shouldn’t be considered a race at all but more a marathon because with 21 trips still ahead of us we need to pace nearly everything we do so we don’t burn out by feeling like we’re always on the run. This is where my preparations which occur in the background while Caroline is at the office should allow her a seamless move from working to being transported someplace where a real adventure in exploration, beauty, and fun can be woven together, allowing the high frequency of so many trips to remain exciting and not slip into feeling like chores. Oh yeah, the last thing, where are we going next? Ha, check back soon.

Busy Day in Los Angeles

Santa Monica, California

Maybe it is a luxury of familiarity to guiltlessly use it as an excuse for sleeping in, or are we just lazy? I prefer blaming it on growing older, but then again, admitting that age might be playing a role could convince me that the passage of time is indeed occurring while I try to maintain the illusion that it’s waiting on me. In some sense, time is waiting on my arrival, ready to place me in its past after my run is over.

Fortunately, this morning was not yet my moment to find the exit, and so, without further ado, Caroline and I jumped in the car and drove toward the ocean. Too early for breakfast, which begins at 8:00, we parked in front of the café of our dreams and walked a mile to the sea looming in the distance. I snapped this photo of the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, a.k.a. Santa Monica, to note the start of our day in Southern California, and then we made our way back up Wilshire Boulevard.

Huckleberry Cafe in Santa Monica, California

Everything about this visit to the Los Angeles area is a luxury; no matter how low cost we try to keep things, there’s no being cheap here. Believe it or not, our motel is on the inexpensive side at $165 a night. Breakfast, on the other hand, doesn’t allow for skimping: although alternatives exist, we were not going to miss eating at Huckleberry Cafe even though we spent $81 for the first meal of the day.

Whoa, I hope that was for more than a pastry and cup of coffee, John? Well, as a matter of fact, we each had the Huckleberry signature breakfast of bacon and eggs with avocado, potatoes, and the most amazing homemade English muffin ever, in addition to a pastry each and a lemon scone that Caroline ordered to go. Mind you, the food charge was only $68 with a 20% tip of $13, bringing the grand total to the aforementioned sum.

Maybe I did this backward, talking about the price before explaining why we return to this café again and again. We love everything about this place, the incredible quality with extraordinary attention to detail that creates an experience worth indulging in as often as we can.

Caroline Wise in the surf in Santa Monica, California

While the idea of a nap was calling, beckoning, pleading, for us to return to whatever residual warmth might have remained in the bed we left 90 minutes earlier, we were not giving in because the vastness and gravity of the Pacific Ocean were tugging at our senses.

The only fixed appointment on the itinerary for this visit from Arizona was a 10:00 reservation at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, down the road from Malibu. With time to spare, we pulled up to the ocean for a walk on the beach. Not only was Caroline able to play in the surf barefoot, but we also saw a few cormorants holding out their wings to dry while at least one seal hung out on a distant rock.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Here we are at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades for our second visit ever. As of this writing, I can’t say when the last one was as I couldn’t find a record of that trip on my blog, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been here; it only implies that I can be sloppy in my vigilance of always sharing everything. Then again, this isn’t a blog of the erotic, so that’s not here either, though as you scroll down, there had been an ancient wine bowl featuring a copulating couple, but in my effort to reduce the number of images from 65 down to 35 out of the 376 photos I shot over the course of the entire day meant that one was one that fell to the ax.

J. Paul Getty, upon building his Spanish-style ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean, may have not yet known that his art collection would outgrow his home. His former residence today serves as a museum library, but the rest of the grounds were developed to house part of his collection. I say a “part of his collection” because even more of his stuff is over at The Getty, which is only about 8 miles away.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

After walking along the pool and fountains and admiring the lush gardens, the first piece that greeted us indoors was this sculpture from the Cycladic period, estimated to be about 5,000 years old. The artist is obviously unknown, but I can’t help but be impressed by the idea that I will likely never create something so enduring with such a fine hand and eye interpreting the essence of a moment out of my own contemporary history. Just as the well-worn marble of this sculpture conveys its own story, I’ll use my page to once again share my own well-worn story about the disdain for all those humans around me who are happy to do much of nothing aside from consuming the banal culture of television, video games, and celebrity.

Art by Peter Paul Rubens at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Around 1620, Peter Paul Rubens painted this work titled A Satyr Holding a Basket of Grapes and Quinces with a Nymph. If anyone cares, I believe this satyr is a proto-hipster who has been defining men’s appearance for the past ten years.

Art by Peter Paul Rubens at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

This enchanting work is also from Rubens. There’s so much going on, and in some ways, it is quite psychedelic. Titled The Discovery of the Infant Erichthonius, it features an infant with serpent legs, but it is the depiction of Diana of Ephesus in the top right that really captured my attention. Caroline informed me that Diana has often been depicted with dozens of breasts, so maybe Rubens, only including five of them, is denying us viewers the truth. Caroline couldn’t have cared less about the boobs; she wanted to know what that blond, mulleted man was doing with his left hand. [After revisiting the story of Erichthonius, I must concede that mullet-man is actually the third daughter of Cecrops; hips don’t lie after all. – Caroline]

Art by Peter Paul Rubens at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

This is the last piece from Rubens I’ll feature here; it is titled Death of Seneca. According to the placard that accompanies this painting, containing some things I should have been taught in school: Seneca was a tutor of Emperor Nero, and the idea behind this work is that Seneca has been sentenced to commit suicide and is being slowly bled out into the tub.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Hello Jupiter, tell me how yer doing. That’s right when I think of sculptures of gods named after planets, the summer of 1990 jumps into my conscious with the lyrics of Dr. Alban singing from Sweden about his motherland Nigeria and Africa. If you weren’t listening to Euro-pop back in the early 90s, you probably have no idea what I’m referencing by Jove. Would you know about the Roman King of the Gods, either?

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Fragment of a sarcophagus with a visualization of the story from the Myth of Endymion, the shepherd prince.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Bear with me for a second on this one. This bronze, nearly 2,000-year-old eagle statue might have been the iPhone or Tesla of its day. What I mean to say is that if you were a foreign visitor arriving in Rome a couple of thousand years ago and you’d never seen such bronze works, this would have been the height of technological and artistic creativity. We humans, in my opinion, appear to believe that the era we are living in is the most complex and advanced society that has yet existed, but why should we begin to think that every preceding culture wasn’t experiencing the exact same sentiment? I can only imagine the sense of awe that other Neanderthals must have felt more than 60,000 years ago when one of them, after carving four holes in a young cave bear’s thigh bone, blew air through this early flute and those present fell into astonishment that they had come so far.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Earlier, I wrote of J. Paul Getty’s home and of the grounds where his art is housed well; this museum is an inspired replica of the Villa dei Papiri (Villa of Papyruses) in Naples, Italy, that was buried by Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, preserving much of what lay hidden for centuries. This fresco is but one small section taken during excavation when treasures would simply be taken and sold with little regard to preserving artifacts in situ.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Meet the feet of the Mummy of Herakleides. Why would an Egyptian burial process be featured in a museum that seems to be focusing on all things Roman Empire? You can look at an old map of that empire and either refresh or memory or learn that a large part of Egypt fell under the Roman Empire. This burial happened just before Christianity put an end to the process of mummification, or so that’s the way I understand it.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

History sure opens doors in my mind as this statue that is possibly that of Tiberius of Star Trek fame…you know, James T. Kirk? Oh my, I think I just heard my wife groan as she proofreads this in the near future. Okay, Emperor Tiberius, prior to acquiring his title, suppressed rebels in Dalmatia (modern Croatia), where this statue was found not far from the ruins of Solana (near present-day Split).

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

I don’t own a silver drinking horn, but if I did, I tend to think I’d prefer one with a hybrid praying mantis crossed with a scorpion locked in an embrace with the eagle in the photo above. Considering this, I realize I don’t even own a single thing that’s 2,000 years old or even 200 years old, though I do own a copy of a book printed in 1959, which is not really a good foundation for building my own museum.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Balsamarium in the form of a boxer’s head, a balsamarium is a vessel containing oil. This bronze container is approximately 2,000 years old, triggering the idea that the golden age of Rome must have been about 400 years before its fall.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Various Roman bronze dishes from 1 – 79 AD.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Orpheus and the Sirens floating out of the underworld.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

We look upon this Volute Krater (vessel for mixing wine and water) featuring Apollo and Artemis from 2,500 years ago, and we immediately understand its historic and artistic value, but if I were to break out my terracotta-vase-making kit and paint a naked me on it along with Caroline working her sprang loom while our cat (now deceased) looked on with curiosity, I don’t believe anyone would find artistic merit to it; such is art. I should point out that my painting skills amount to poor outline drawings, maybe half a step beyond stick people, so I would obviously have to accept rejection.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Excuse me, ladies, might you be the Sirens? If so, please dash my brain upon the rocks at the shore as this thing in my head that chose to share so many images from this day is approaching a state of dysfunction and betrayal.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

These instructions for the underworld inscribed on a gold tablet from about 300 BC reads:

(Initiate) I am parched with thirst and perishing!

(Spring) Then come drink of me, the Ever-Flowing Spring, on the right–a white cypress is there. Who are you? Where are you from?

(Initiate) I am the son of Earth and Starry Heaven. But my race is heavenly.

Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

To put it simply, this is being shared as a reminder to my wife how much she liked the plump little fat rolls that added a sense of realism for her.

Ancient Assyrian reliefs at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

The Royal Lion Hunt is the name given to this Assyrian relief sculpture that is approaching its 3,000th birthday. This and the following pieces are on loan from the British Museum, London.

Ancient Assyrian reliefs at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Protective Spirits.

Ancient Assyrian reliefs at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Detail from the above panel stems from Nineveh and is believed to have been created during the reign of Ashurbanipal, the last great king of Assyria.

Ancient Assyrian reliefs at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Blending man, beast, and bird, the artists of what was then the largest empire on earth had no shortage of imagination or skills needed to create such beautiful, long-lasting works that only hint at their worldview. After taking in just about every square inch of the Getty Villa, it was time for a break to rest our now-aching feet. We found a table on the terrace of the Museum Café where I was able to write, and Caroline knitted while we shared a coffee and sparkling water in a fancy blue bottle. When we left, it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner, so we decided to squeeze in a new-to-us destination.

South Coast Botanical Garden at the Palos Verdes Estates, California

Welcome to the South Coast Botanical Garden on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. This is no ordinary garden, though; in many ways, that’s exactly what it looks like. We are standing atop a former mine that was sold in 1956 to Los Angeles County, which used it as a landfill until 1961. April of that year saw the first planting of trees that would become an integral part of this botanical garden which now plays host to more than 200,000 plants and has had Prince Charles visit to learn about the reclamation efforts invested here. Today, it’s John and Caroline who will walk these grounds hoping to discover some toy or soup can working its way through the earth for us to find.

South Coast Botanical Garden at the Palos Verdes Estates, California

This is a Paperbark Tree originally from Australia

South Coast Botanical Garden at the Palos Verdes Estates, California

The next tree to capture my attention is this White Floss Silk Tree native to Peru and Argentina. I can’t admit to understanding its name and feel it would make more sense if it were called Fat Elephant Limbs With Fuck-Off Spikes.

South Coast Botanical Garden at the Palos Verdes Estates, California

That Fat Elephant tree has some nice-looking flowers, though.

South Coast Botanical Garden at the Palos Verdes Estates, California

No, this tree is not called Tree With Poop Pods; it is the Lace Bark Tree.

South Coast Botanical Garden at the Palos Verdes Estates, California

This is Angel’s Trumpet and is from the Datura family, meaning it should never be consumed because if it doesn’t kill you, you might wish you were dead instead of suffering the disturbing hallucinations it’s said to have.

As an experiment in reclamation, the South Coast Botanical Garden is an amazing example, but as far as Southern California gardens go, we’ll stick with the Descanso and Huntington Gardens. Barely 10 miles away is our dinner destination, and after missing lunch, we’re plenty hungry as the garden is closing here at 5:00. [While John makes it sound as if the South Coast Botanical Garden is “less than,” one should keep in mind that not only is Winter not exactly the best time to visit a botanical garden in the Northern Hemisphere, we were also here in the hour before sunset which didn’t really help its appearance. In addition, several garden sections were closed off because of “Glow,” which features creative lighting arrangements between the trees and shrubs and other nighttime entertainment. Unfortunately, we hadn’t been aware of Glow, and while we were somewhat tempted to hide between the shrubs to avoid having to leave and get new tickets for the event, our hungry stomachs told us differently. – Caroline]

Caroline Wise at San Pedro Fish Market, California

San Pedro Fish Market is a hopping lively place, even in a pandemic. Not an inexpensive affair but worth every penny for the price of entry. You are looking at $96 of shrimp fajitas with peppers, onion, and potatoes, garlic bread, lemons, corn, shrimp cocktail, and a michelada. While we barely touched the garlic bread, nearly everything else disappeared because this restaurant on the harbor never disappoints. Another point worth noting, we ordered the “cheap plate” as it was just the two of us. Had we added a whole fish, a small lobster, and a few crab legs, we could have easily spent a few hundred dollars feasting here, and it is serious feasting at its best.

Elvis impersonator at San Pedro Fish Market, California

All of our previous visits had been early in the day, just as they opened, to avoid the worst of the crowds. Well, that turned out to be a flaw in our planning because, at least on Saturday nights, they feature karaoke, including this guy rocking a solid Elvis impersonation. A kid no older than about ten did a mean Montell Jordan as he stomped between the tables with a mic in hand, telling us This Is How We Do It.

From the San Pedro Fish Market, California at night

This view of the harbor is our departing shot as we look back at Terminal Island, enchanted that we have experienced a perfect day.

Los Angeles

Caroline Wise at Cafe Gunul 2 in Los Angeles, California

It’s time to renew Caroline’s German passport and the only place to do that nearby is over in Los Angeles at the German Consulate. With an appointment for early Monday morning and not a lot found to entertain us this weekend we were in no rush to make the drive to California. So on Saturday morning we woke without the assistance of the alarm, straightened up our place so we’d return to a relatively clean apartment, and headed out for breakfast and the nearly six-hour drive west.

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, trying to deal with the aggressive driving, we were hungry and in need of a break. We knew well beforehand that we’d be stopping in at Cafe Gunul 2 for some army stew. After our visit here almost exactly a year ago when we first indulged on this Korean fusion comfort food we said we’d return for the stew that takes upwards of 30 minutes to prepare. Turns out that at 2:00 in the afternoon it only takes minutes for your gallon pot of tofu, sausage, spam, pork belly, ramen noodles, squash, mushrooms, kimchi, and cheese to be brought to your table while it is still nearly boiling. It was well worth the visit and agree that we wouldn’t mind sharing it again.

John Wise in reflection

This being summer finding a hotel at the last minute last week wasn’t easy plus I wanted us to be near the Consulate so we’d not have to deal with trying to cross even a small corner of this city on a Monday morning. Our couple of nights would be taken near the corners of Western and Wilshire Boulevards which was only about 3.5 miles east of Monday’s appointment. With our inertia having come to a complete stop following our trough of army stew, the last thing we wanted to do was venture out, but it was still so early in the afternoon it was silly to consider collapsing and so off to coffee we went. The photo is a screenshot of some synth related stuff that has to do with “Grainz” that I received while hanging out at Starbucks.

Korean Shopping Center in Los Angeles, California

For years we’ve been using smartphones but still, I’m enchanted by talking to my phone asking it for the nearest something or other, and its ability to zero in on making suggestions that are close to my current location. Today I was inquiring about a theater and a small place only five minutes away was at the top of the list. Turns out that it was a Korean theater showing The Lion King, not exactly what I had in mind. The film we ended up watching wasn’t something I had in mind either but the total lack of awareness about it was intriguing. The movie was called, “The King’s Letters” and though it was in Korean it was subtitled, sort of. I say that because the translation was sketchy at points. The story followed a thread of how the written Korean language might have been created.

Korean fast food in Los Angeles, California

Army stew, coffee, a film we’d never be able to watch in Phoenix, and then some shopping and snacking (pictured: egg, shrimp, and cheese on toast) in an Asian-centric outdoor mall made for a perfect Saturday in Los Angeles. Then there was also that dessert of cream puffs at Beard Papa’s. I have to admit that we were uncertain about leaving Arizona as in the days before our departure we couldn’t find anything to do over in Southern California but spontaneity and our interest in most all things (not including professional sports) let us be fully entertained with our choices.

Rothem and Liam in Los Angeles, California

Come Sunday we needed to wake early as the decision to avoid L.A. traffic had been made so we’d keep our car in the garage and walk where we wanted to go. Before leaving Phoenix the one thing that had been fixed on was meeting the Bravermans for breakfast. They suggested a place called Republique on La Brea which worked out fine for us as it was only 2.5 miles from our hotel. Liam, their 4-month old new baby boy was the toast of breakfast. While we talked about the general tensions of living in Los Angeles we mostly focused on Itay and Rotem’s new roles as parents and how many people have offered bad or unwanted advice on how to be a parent.

To the consternation of the bussers in uber-trendy hipster Republique, who by 10:00 had a line of probably 50 people down the sidewalk, we were there to camp out and catch up with our friends. After nearly 3 hours at our table, we couldn’t take the subtle harassment anymore and finally relinquished our grip and left.

Los Angeles, California

That was supposed to be it for visiting these friends who became a family in the intervening months since we last met, but after Caroline and I continued our walk north up La Brea stopping for coffee on the corner with Santa Monica Blvd., Itay reached out inviting us over should we be in the area this afternoon. Well, we were just a mile around the corner at this point. By 2:00 p.m. we were once again meeting with the Braverman family.

Liam Braverman in Los Angeles, California

Mother’s milk, computers, mixed drinks, strong coffee, social issues surrounding politics, and family dynamics took us in conversation up to the early evening when hunger got us moving towards the exit. Not having eaten since breakfast I took Itay up on his offer to give us a ride back towards our hotel where a host of Korean BBQs with all-you-can-eat menus were found all over our neighborhood. Stuffed we waddled back to our hotel with hopes of getting to sleep early for our 8:00 a.m. appointment down the street.

Believe it or not, on Monday morning we had breakfast at McDonald’s and then in the blink of an eye, we were in and out of the consulate and just as quickly on our way back to Arizona.

Synthplex to the Exit

The eyes of Scott Jaeger - Industrial Music Electronics

Where were you when the first Synthplex happened? I was in myself doing my best to explore my bucket of impostor syndrome. There are those moments you just know that nobody is looking at you, as with one glance they know you can’t be a serious human being because they don’t recognize you; so you must be nobody. I’d heard that Martin Gore had visited on Friday and a gaggle of fans followed him around hoping for selfies with the Depeche Mode star. Others who were recognizable were also given the red carpet welcome. When someone like myself walks up there is the obligatory name tag check and as soon as it is clear that there is no name recognition the person at the booth can start acting fidgety with you in order to let you know your time is limited and that you are likely wasting theirs. Now step back and wait for someone that impresses them. The smiles grow, they move in closer and start putting on the charm. There are no time limits as the momentary celebrity can indulge their every curiosity with answers extending into detailed nuances I could never even pay for.

I am not endeared to these vendors. Matter of fact, I’d now like to sell the gear I bought from them over the previous years. This type of elitism is a punch at my enthusiasm and the fire that stokes my sense of owning the aforementioned impostor syndrome. Some vendors are extraordinary in their lack of bias and embrace anyone regardless of status who approaches them. This weekend I was able to experience and witness the gracious attitudes of a number of makers such as the authors of Patch and Tweak – Kim Bjørn and Chris Meyer. Bert Schiettecatte and Celine Van Damme of Percussa were incredibly welcoming and willing to share a ton of information that made me a fan of their Percussa SSP. Dave Rossum has the enthusiasm of 10 people, Danjel van Tijn founder of Intellijel didn’t hesitate to pay attention as we spoke. Scott Jaeger of Industrial Music Electronics will give anyone who asks him about his modules a brilliant hands-on demo and answer all questions, often in exquisite detail with a dose of history thrown in.

Percussa SSP at Synthplex in Burbank, California

Speaking of the Percussa SSP: Once I was finally able to catch Bert free of giving other demos he jumped right in sharing with me the salient points that I was most curious about. First up were the granular capabilities of this expensive power-hungry module. When I say expensive I’m talking $2,000 pricey, and regarding power, this thing needs nearly 1 amp of electricity from your rack. Beyond those requirements, this thing is a beast. Do you need to record up to 16 inputs of either audio or control voltage? This is your machine. Do you want to record and edit samples directly in your Eurorack and then drill into them with polyphonic multi-channel playback only to record those outs right back to the device for later use? The SSP can do that.

I’ll admit I was skeptical a couple of years ago when Percussa ran their Kickstarter about this ambitious project, but after seeing it first hand I’m intrigued. With software and firmware updates occurring approximately twice monthly and upon learning that their forum is a great place for feedback and making requests for improvements, I inch even closer to trying to figure out what to sell in order to bring this work of art into my repertoire.

Ed Kennedy and A.m Filipkowski at Synthplex in Burbank, California

How cool is this? Not only do I run into fellow Phoenician Chris Randall here in California, but here is Ed Kennedy who runs the Phoenix Synthesizers Group (organizing a DIY program in Phoenix soon) and the maniacal A.m. Filipkowski of Data Cult Audio who is also based in Arizona (FYI: he’s not really maniacal, he just looks that way – yes that’s him on the right).

Tetrapad and new CV Recorder for it from Intellijel at Synthplex in Burbank, California

Danjel van Tijn seriously impressed me, not with the sexy new case so much as with the device I failed to get a name for that is mounted left of the Tetrapad. That shiny white module is brand new and unreleased as of today. It is a CV recorder for the Tetrapad. I wish I’d thought to ask while I had his attention if the voltages could be morphed across the various channels.

Roger Linn and Daniel Billotte at Synthplex in Burbank, California

On the left is the affable and relatively famous Roger Linn who invented the first drum machine to use samples and the MPC that profoundly changed modern music. On his right is my old friend Daniel Billotte who was getting a demo of Roger’s newest creation; the Linnstrument. Most recently Roger played a crucial role in helping change the MIDI format to incorporate polyphonic elements that radically extended the play-ability of MIDI instruments.

Prototype Bionic Lester MK3 from Industrial Music Electronics at Synthplex in Burbank, California

This was one of the main draws for me showing up at Synthplex; the Bionic Lester MK3. Scott Jaeger of Industrial Music Electronics made two of these filters last week and one of them was for me. Sure he could have mailed it to me, but then I would have missed out on all of these terrific experiences and more than a few wonderful people I was able to meet and learn from.

Synthplex in Burbank

Ross Fish of MØFFENZEEF MØDULAR

Ran into Ross Fish of Møffenzeef Mødular here at Synthplex in Burbank, California, this morning which was a great way to step into the absurd and hopefully setting a tone for the rest of my encounters here. Turned out that this guy (also known as Czar Dean, Anne Chovie, and Matt Zerella) is a unique one-of-a-kind brand of his own peculiarity. Ross was well on his way to disturbing attendees in ways he wasn’t prepared to share, though he assured me they would feel the effects of his mayhem well into the future. Not that the people who visit a Eurorack conference could easily be described as your run-of-the-mill ordinary everyday kind of people, but Ross is certainly one of those cherry-on-top types of personality. I’d like to say it was a pleasure meeting him for the first time, but then again how can anyone ever know what side of the Fish they are getting?

Chris Randall and Bon Harris at Synthplex in Burbank, California

Chris Randall of Audio Damage (left) was on hand, demonstrating his line of software instruments and VSTs too. I met Chris who also lives in Phoenix a little more than a year ago and enjoyed being able to catch up with things before he and I went looking for Scott Jaeger of Industrial Music Electronics who was nowhere to be found. While getting some air and taking a break from the noise in the main halls I saw a guy approaching I’d not seen in nearly 30 years, Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb (right). Unfortunately, they won’t be playing in Phoenix so we’ll have to head into Los Angeles come October if we’d like to flirt with nostalgia and catch them.

The Lizard and various modules from Vinicius Electrik at Synthplex in Burbank, California

I had the good fortune of meeting Quincas Moreira from Mexico City as well. I’ve chatted with Quincas on social media many a time. Not only is he a composer but also a terrific DIY guy which was how I first learned of him. He’s up here in the Los Angeles area representing Vinicius Electrik who makes their own line of Eurorack modules. Quincas gave me a demo of their newest module, the Lizard, which is certainly a very unique module competing in the ever-growing and increasingly crowded market for synthesizers.

Blake Griffith of Noisebug and John L. Rice at Synthplex in Burbank, California

Outside contemplating something to eat I see a logo approaching. The man’s face doesn’t trigger any memories, but I’m wondering just how many people might be wearing a JLR logo on their shirt. I must ask if this is the man behind John L. Rice – it is indeed (he’s on the right). He’s walking along with Blake Griffith (left) from NoiseBug in Pomona that I first visited almost exactly two years ago on April 1st, 2017.

Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium Eurorack Mutating Spectral Resynthesizer

“Wow!” was my reaction to the Panharmonium from Rossum Electro. I feel like this is the granular synthesizer I’ve always been looking for. Technically this is considered a Mutating Spectral Resynthesizer that makes magic choral sounds out of Ronald Reagan speeches (that is what Dave Rossum used to demo the unit to my ears). Sadly the module won’t be out until approximately late spring or early summer but the good news is that it is only going to cost $499.

By now I’ve run into Scott a few times and during that first encounter, I was handed a brand new prototype Bionic Lester MK3 filter module that I’ll be testing over the next month or so. Hopefully, we can make quick work of the beta period as he and I have upcoming travels that will put a pause on that work.

I also had a great visit with Brandon Fessler of Mordax who made my DATA Multi-Function tool. Matter of fact he also repaired my unit when the Arizona dry air created a situation where an adhesive bond failed. The DATA is a godsend module that I use in two primary ways: as an oscilloscope and a tuner. Being able to see what a signal looks like or what key you are tuning to is essential when working with synthesizer voices. If we get lucky this will be the year the Eurorack industry sees a proliferation of granular synthesis devices. Not only is Rossum Electro entering the field, but Émilie Gillet over at Mutable Instruments has hinted at the replacement for Clouds and Mordax has shown a very early prototype of the GXN Granular Synthesis System last year at Superbooth in Berlin.

Oki Dog in Los Angeles, California

We had to take a pass on the many musical performances that were being held in a couple of locations as it was time to go meet our friends Rotem and Itay who were only a couple of days away from welcoming their first child. It was great to catch up and they were thrilled to be gifted a handwoven baby blanket by Caroline. Matter of fact, we were so involved in our conversation that I forgot to take a photo. We left with huge smiles on our faces and ended up getting a late dinner at the World Famous Oki Dog on the way back to the motel.

Los Angeles Bound

Caroline and John Wise

Got an early start driving to California today, allowing us to miss the crush to get out of Phoenix. With the major stress of leaving not happening it set the mood for a casual drive over. Also, strangely enough, we arrived in the city of angels with plenty of daylight left. While Caroline was prepared to indulge me with a visit to one of my nostalgic haunts for dinner, I opted to find a place known for its Sichuan style cooking and that’s just what I found.

Duck Tongue

It’s not every day you find a restaurant cooking up duck tongues, but Sichuan Impression on Valley Boulevard in Alhambra was serving up that and some spicy bullfrog and the amphibian dish came with a warning that it was seriously spicy. Our server wasn’t joking as we worked hard to eat our frog while our lips felt like they were swelling. We would have had some ginger rabbit too, but they were out.

Duck tongue has a bone, a rather large one at that considering how little meat you suck off the thing. What was there certainly tasted like a duck and now that we’ve had it we won’t likely be ordering it again. Not because it wasn’t good, it tasted fine (if you like duck) but it did require a quite bit of tedious work to tear the small portion of flesh off the bone.

Pool Sign

Once checked into our motel in Burbank we hit Magnolia Boulevard to get a few miles of walking in after the long drive. We make a mental note to visit this area again during the daytime to visit the shops as it’s a nice area around here. Tomorrow morning we have an event to attend right here in Burbank, more about that in my next blog entry.