California Dreaming

Can it be only 5 days since I arrived in Los Angeles? Feels like I've been here for years. Familiar landmarks made me feel at home: the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, The Hollywood sign, Palm trees galore and traffic-choked freeways, Inn-n-Out - the best burgers and fries anywhere. Time to visit the Knutson side of the family including my Mom, two sisters, niece and nephews. The pink UGG boots went over big with Michelle, and we all spent an evening at Miceli's restaurant on Cahuenga and Vine, where the waitstaff break into Italian arias and Broadway standards at the drop of a fork or by request. The wall of 8x10 glossies in the waiting area attest to the influence of "the biz" here. Young and talented dreamers still flock to this town in hopes of being discovered.

The next day took my Mom and me to Porterville, a small rural town nestled in the cetnral part of the state, south of Fresno and a short drive from Sequoia National Forest. We visited with my mom's friend and future traveling companion and talked about what to see and do in Australia. They did more visiting than planning, but at least they've got their passports. We can do the rest later. Then it was back to the San Fernando Valley, known as simply "The Valley" to Californians. I spent the next two days clothes shopping with my sister Dianne and hanging out with her family. A pleasant surprise was the affection shown by their cat Clover. I enticed her with a plastic ring from the top of a milk jug and she let me pet her. Maybe I'm on the rebound from Oscar and Finney's rejection, but I loved my moments of chin-scratching and playing with pieces of string. Clover is a few cards short of a deck, but she let me pet her and she thinks I'm okay, which was a big help to me. Guess I'll always need a cat in my life, even if it's 2,500 miles away.

The showcase of this visit was the 40th Anniversary gala celebration of the Director of the USC Trojan Marching Band, Dr. Arthur C. Bartner. They put on quite a show, with guest appearances from former coach John Robinson and notable USC alumni including football great Rodney Peete, Olympic gold medalist John Naber, singer Monica Mancini and musician Arturo Sandoval and many others. One of my favorite moments was the mini-concert given by the rock band War, who invited us all to sing along with them to the songs "Why Can't We Be Friends" and "Low Rider." It was wonderful to reconnect with so many fellow band members from the seventies and share what we've all been doing for the past 30+years!

This visit has been fun and rewarding, but it has also confirmed that Perth is now my home. I've enjoyed my time with family and friends but I miss Vince terribly. And I'm ready to drive on the left again, resume my morning walks along the Swan River, and play Mahjong with my favorite ladies.