Thursday 3rd August
Another warm one today, any cloud cover is completely burnt off by early morning, leaving clear blue skies in the inland valleys.
We are really enjoying the relaxing atmosphere and being part of Amanda’s brother Jimmy, wife Susan and daughter Gabriella’s life, even if it is for a short while. Just relaxing and enjoying the family things together has given us a lot of joy. After a morning of chilling out on the patio we meet a friend of Susan’s who is about to travel to Australia for a two week holiday. We are able to pass on some tips to her to hopefully assist in utilising her time there to the best advantage. Later we re arrange the patio furniture to give the appearance of a larger space, we are all pleased with the results. All good fun.
Dinner is once again superb, pork loin, fruit salsa, fried plantains (a type of banana not experienced by us before, raw slightly bitter to taste, but when they are sliced and deep fried the sugars are drawn out sugars giving them a sweet caramelised coating) rice and slaw.
Friday 4th August
Warm sunshine again greets us this morning, we haven’t seen a drop of rain since arriving a week ago. On our travels we often see rising thunderheads over the mountains but there they seem to stay in-prisoned in their own zone. Today Jim and Susan have decided to buy a patio table and chairs. They tell us about consignment warehouses that are huge secondhand stores, they are hopeful of finding a suitable setting at one of these places. We take off to one such place, leaving the quiet residential Carmel Valley to join one of the many freeways that criss cross the county. The freeways are strips of concrete sometimes twelve lanes wide that carve their way in, out and around San Diego. Essentially this is a coastal strip of low hills, canyons and mesas, there are few trees around, just sage coloured plants known locally as chaparral, covering the chalky hills with an occasional gum tree, or pine. The city lies on approximately 200 of these deep canyons and hills separating its mesas, creating small pockets of natural open space scattered throughout the city and giving it a hilly geography. In parts home to the rare coastal Torrey Pine that gives its names to local areas and businesses. These canyons tend to give the area segmented feel as we travel in and out of them, glimpses of the ocean never far away.
San Diego is a major city in California situated on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the tip of Southern California, approximately 120 miles (190 km) south of Los Angeles and immediately adjacent to the border with Mexico.
With an estimated population of 1.4m San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest in California. It is best known for its mild year-round climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches, Navy base, and recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology development center.
Historically home to the Kumeyaay people, San Diego was the first site visited by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States. Upon landing in San Diego Bay in 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the area for Spain, forming the basis for the settlement of Alta California 200 years later. The Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded in 1769, formed the first European settlement in what is now California. In 1821, San Diego became part of the newly independent Mexico, which reformed as the First Mexican Republic two years later. In 1850, California became part of the United States following the Mexican–American War and the admission of California to the union.
Californians also love their cars,
the availability and range of vehicles here is staggering. European cars are very popular as well as the all electric Tesla. We continue on in Jim’s big 7 seat white Nissan infinity until we reach the first warehouse that is situated in a warehouse district close to a commuter train line. Inside the huge floor space is covered with all manner of furniture, from Armours to Wardrobes and every piece in between. It is a home decorators delight with many interesting pieces at unbelievably cheap prices. Off course there are some pretty gaudy and tasteless pieces, at least to our eyes but one mans trash is another’s treasure. Patio furniture choices are not that big here, there is just one setting that is a possibility but it doesn’t quite work for them.
Back in the car we head north towards Encinitas along the main highway to LA sometimes through what we would call heavy traffic, but it flows pretty well.
The next warehouse is in more of a shopping district, but equally as large, with rows and rows of chairs stacked high on either side of aisles in the centre. All manner of furniture is laid out around the outside, lamps hang from the ceiling rafters, glass cabinets display estate jewellery and other knickknacks. Again a mishmash of styles and quality that boggles the eye. Jim & Susan are in luck this time they find just what they are looking for, a circular glass table, on a faux stone Grecian urn, complete with lid, iron scroll work supports branch out from the urn to support a crystal clear, beveled edge tempered glass table top some 2 metres round.
The set of chairs of which there are six, are good quality, cream bentwood and wicker, gold stylised fish adornments in an 18th century French style complete the arm rests. All the faux leather seating pads are in good condition with no splits or cracks. A pretty good buy for around $700.00. After some deliberation the purchase is made. In the meantime Amanda and I wander around, it’s an interior decorators delight with many pieces, particularly chairs that would re upholstered be great statement pieces. Again their are some unusual pieces, one lounge setting that would suit an African prince or middle eastern sheik. Consisting as it does of a huge white plump leather sofa and two matching chairs with carved gold topless mermaids adorning the front corner uprights. To match this a large glass coffee table supported by two gold elephants. A leopard skin rug would complete the decor in my mind.
The deal done and delivery organised we make our way back to Carmel Valley after a brief stop in Encinitas for Gabby. It is going to be a busy evening, first the delivery of the patio furniture scheduled between 5-6pm then an early dinner (on the new table), of giant filet steaks with a Mexican squash, sweet and regular potato bake. This to be followed by a little bit of culture, a play put on by the local repertory theatre at 8.00pm entitled “At This Evenings Performance”
All goes to plan the table arrives on time, amazing service, the carriers right there at the store, quote and organise immediate delivery. We eat dinner on the newly cleaned table and chairs and then hurriedly dress for the show. We are soon on our way to the theatre, situated in a shopping mall, indistinguishable from the other stores other than the North Coast Repertory Theatre sign.
Surprisingly inside is a tiny well equipped 50 seat theatre, the ceiling bristles with spotlights and lighting equipment. The stage only a few feet from the front row seats. Our plush red upholstered seats are at the very back but they are only five rows from the stage. Behind us the control room, controls the sound, music and effects.
The theatre darkens, the lights come up and the play begins. There are seven players, five play the parts of actors in a small company that entertain the residents of an imaginary Eastern European state “Stavia” under occupation by a authoritarian government. One player plays the part of the stage manager, a somewhat creepy character with connections to the state police (think KGB). The last player plays the government minister for cultural events, a pompous official with a great opinion of his own worth and the power to back it up. The play starts in the actors dressing rooms, both the female and male rooms are visible to us the audience as seperate partitions. Their private conversations that take place behind the scenes between cast members not on stage and then at intermission, show a distaste for the current government. Their passion for their art keeps them acting their parts in the company’s productions that are designed to be apolitical and not dissenting in any way. The troupe is also entwined in their own interpersonal relationships, two of the troupe are married, both in the throws of affairs with the other female and one of the other male members. The other male member an older gentleman is just happy to be acting. The stage manager suspects that one of the cast members is a spy, and that they are sending coded messages through certain spoken lines during the play. He informs the lead actor of his suspicions and that the actor who speaks the coded lines in tonight’s production will be shot on stage. He doesn’t know which of the lines, or which actor will speak them. Panic sets in as the lead actor thinks that it is he who will speak the lines and protests his innocence. He determines to find out who the spy is, already suspecting his younger counterpart who is having an affair with his wife, but also secretly planning to elope with his mistress. Having it out with his fellow actor, bears no fruit as he also professes innocence. He confesses to his wife that he might be shot if he says the lines.
During intermission the Government Minister for Cultural Events arrives and pays the troupe a visit, wanting them to act in plays he has written, and act them out in a once famous theatre that now acts as his palace. The lead actor refuses as the plays are patently badly written and is threatened with imprisonment. The troupe members defy the minister knowing that one of them could be shot on stage. The minister denies any knowledge of the murder attempt but could help them if they bend to his wishes. Before the actors go onto stage for the second part of the play the older actor is injured and unable to take part. The stage manager also an understudy is called in, but doesn’t know the lines.
The stage is cleared and we now see the stage set on which the actors are performing (a Classical Greek or maybe Roman play).
The actors tentatively take up their positions to act out the second part of the play. Dodging behind props to avoid being shot at, the actors act out their roles, but no shots are fired, eventually they call on the understudy to enter and say his lines. As the bumbling understudy performs his lines he is immediately shot. There is an uproar as the curtain comes down, the signal for an uprising has occurred and there is fighting in the streets. The older actor returns to the scene, he was the spy all along and now has to secret the actors out of the city. The married couple are once again drawn together as the female actor is impressed by her husbands stand against the government, the other two are free to pursue their relationship in another country and the older actor the spy, job done can now move on with the troupe to seek acting careers in Paris. Of course this a very simplified version of events, the play a farce with many hilarious twists and turns is extremely funny but carries a deep social message. A Very entertaining night.
