Monday, December 3, 2007

Graber Olives House

On their last trip to California as a family, we spent one of their days at the Graber Olive House in Ontario. We started out by eating lunch at the original Juan Pollo (who besides having some of the best chicken around also owns a Route 66 town and the unoffical McDonald's Museum). Then we headed over to take a tour of the plant. The Graber family has been selling their delicious olives since 1894 and the business continues to remain in the family. The Grabers don't use machinery past the 1950's and still hand pick their olives so that they are sure to only pick the best rippened olives with the most succulent nutty flavor.



Hangin out at Juan Pollo



The Sorting Machine to sort by size


The Canner


"Look but don't touch"




Conveyor Belt



Boxed by Size



Packaging

Some weird Indian tent



Sunday, December 2, 2007

The Griffith Observatory

Well, I realize that it has been some time since I have posted any relevant blogs and for some reason I have not put any of of our trips with the Deanes while they were vacationing, so I have finally decided to write my wrong. Almost a year ago, we went with Jonathan, Jonathan X, and Father-in law Dennis to the Griffith Observatory. It was a beautiful January day during the middle of the week and the place was packed...so if you plan on going be sure to get your tickets a week or two in advance.


James Dean


We parked at the base of the hill and planned on taking the tram up to the observatory (this is the typical route), however this did not sit well with Jonathan; not when there are trails to hike! So there we went covering switchbacks with with stroller in tow (luckily its a Jeep). Walking the trails and seeing the spectacular view did actually make for a better trip.





My favorite Picture with my daughter



As I already said, the place was jumping...well, not really It was more of a slow, traffic-filled pace. Thus making the sightseeing a little frustrating. They did have an amazing planetarium show! Or so Kellee and Faith told me. I fell asleep. I mean how can you put someone in a dark room in a sofa seat that is completely reclined and listen to a soothing voice as you look into the heavens. I lasted about 3 minutes and I was out like a baby. But, if you go, don't let my narcolepsy keep you from seeing a show that everyone else in our party raved about.








Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Desert Christ Park

If you have ever read the Bible then at some point you have probably thought, "I wonder what it was like to be...(Fill in the blank with any biblical story)." Well at Desert Christ Park you have that chance to relive the experience, except for the fact that everyone is made out of Concrete. Here you can walk amongst Jesus giving the semon on the mount, visit the empty tomb, or be one of the 12 hanging out during the last supper.

Good Job Jesus!


What do you mean I'm not part of the inner circle?

DCP was the creation of Frank Antoine Martin. He started the project with just one 12 foot Jesus that he intended on putting in the Grand Canyon, however that didn't quite work out. So like every great artist he reinvisioned his idea and started creating walking through scenes.

Keeping Watch in the Garden



Where'd HE Go


All of his statues we made out of concrete and reinforced steel, he refused to listen to other who told him that this was not a good idea. So, when a 7.4 earthquake hit landers in 1992 it destroyed most of his creations. Leaving the garden a bit eerie! Imagine a Terminator Jesus, a beautiful Jesus face with rebar for hands, calling out to you, "Come to Me". Or statue children with heads broken off sitting at Jesus feet.

To be honest, this was one of my favorite places to visit. It was quite and scerene, the place had a meditative solitutide about it, but also creeped you out just a little bit! I was heartbroken when I accidently deleted most of my pics from my photo album. The ones on this page do not really do justice to the beauty that is Desert Christ Park. Below are a couple of links, but really do yourself a favor and take a drive to the middle of nowhere Yucca Valley and see the place for yourself!




http://www.weirdus.com/stories/CA07.asp

http://www.jtrocksart.com/martin.html

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/CAYUCdesertchrist.html

http://www.desertchristpark.org/pages/1/index.htm

The Unoffical McDonald's Museum

Last year about this time, we started taking local trips to see some Roadside Attractions. One of the First places we went too was the Unoffical McDonald's Museum in San Bernardino, California. The orginal Museum (Or so says, psuedo-owner Ray Kroc and Money Machine) is located in Des Plaines, Illinois which is a recreation of the original first branched McDonald's after the Kroc talked the McD brothers into incorporating and then later buying them out.

The San Bernardino version is located at the orginal site of the very first McDonalds (Sort of, the first started in Arcadia, but the Airdome was moved to San Bernardino about 3 years later) and became a popular teen hangout that later sparked the Fastfood Craze. After the location went through a number of owners and became run down, the current owner decided to purchase the spot and make it a Museum. The Current owner is a restraunter himself, owning the local legend Juan Pollo. He also bought another Route 66 historic location...The town of Amboy!

Anyhow, I was perusing old photos and found that I had never got around to posting our pics. So Here you go! And if you get a chance take a trip out and check out the Museum.



I use to love this playground equipment

The Juan Pollo Cruzing Car

Memrabilia

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The Place You'll Go!




Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.


It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.


NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.


And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

---Dr. Seuss