Archive for June 2023
Here It Is . . .
. . . the first, already,
so stop for a second
to make sure you don’t come in third
celebrating the fourth
with a fifth.
It’s Super Supper Shuttle Friday . . .
. . . for those of you
who’d like to try or return to
Chili’s, Red Lobster, Texas Roadhouse or Wendy’s.
First departure is 3 p.m.
and last return is 5:45.
Think The Food’s Bad?
Find out what’s good for you
at the “Taking Care of Yourself Nutritionally”
presentation in the theater at 2 o’clock.
Then enjoy yourself an hour later during Thirsty Thursday in the bistro.
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Evergreen Triangle Links U.S.-Canada
By Sandy Katz, Mature Life Features
You can sample two national cultures with plenty of time for sightseeing, dining, entertainment and outdoor recreation while traveling the “Evergreen Triangle,” formed by the three cities in the Northwest — Seattle in the state of Washington and Victoria and Vancouver in Canada’s province pf British Columbia.
I launched my trip aboard the Victoria Clipper, a high-speed ferry that connects Seattle to Victoria’s Inner Harbor. From there, I took a leisurely stroll along the winding pathways of the city’s celebrated Butchart Gardens — the century-old 50-acre plot of formal plantings that are always in bloom in this provincial capital.
By late afternoon, I was enjoying high tea in tje majestic Empress while planning my trip to Vancouver the next day.
On the BC Ferries craft that morning, I noticed a brochure describing a helicopter ride from atop Grouse Mountain, the peak I got to by bus and tram rides before stepping over a blanket of snow to board an open sleigh for a high-speed ride on the mountain to catch a helicopter at the peak for birds-eye swing over the countryside.
The day’s excitement still was not over. On the bus ride back to the city, I got off at Capilano Park to walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the 450-foot-long plank-and-hemp-rope span said to be the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge that swings and sways with pedestrians 25 stories above the Capilano River.
The third leg of the Evergreen Triangle took me back to Seattle. My first objective was the Space Needle, the city’s enduring symbol from the 1962 World’s Fair. The 518-foot elevator ride takes you to the observation deck for a panoramic view of the city, Puget Sound and the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. At the base of the needle is the 74-acre Seattle Center housing civic and cultural attractions in a garden setting with plazas and fountains.
The Monorail is the best mode of transportation between the Space Center and downtown, where you can watch fish fly. Just head the Pike Place Fish Market, fishmongers pluck seafood orders and hurls them down the counter to another worker, who catches it with a flourish, wraps it for the customer, and collects the money.
Line Dancing . . .
. . . is on tap for 1 p.m.
in the 2nd floor multiple-purpose room
just before Lyn switches to chair fitness at 1:30,
but get to know your foot problems
during the 10:30 a.m. Billet Health session
in the 2nd floor theater.
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Coffee Keeps You Going
Sit down to a relaxing cup of coffee and you’ll feel better. Drink too much and you’re liable to get anxious and irritable. A regular intake of the brew can help you live a little longer while lowering your risk of stroke, diabetes and several other ailments. Overdo it and it can become addictive and wreck your digestive system. At the moment, it appears that the coffee-can-be-good-for-you school outweighs the naysayers so you can relax with a cup – decaf or regular – while reading this.
Legend has it that a goat-herder in Ethiopia discovered the benefits of the coffee when he noticed his goats’ excitable and energetic behavior after eating the beans. The earliest substantiated evidence of coffee drinking is from the early 15th century in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. About the same time, a Venetian botanist imported some to Italy and it spread throughout Europe.
Coffee houses became popular gathering places fomenting revolutionary thoughts and movements. Police tracked down Prussians who preferred the black brew over beer. England’s rulers sought to ban coffee house because their riotous gatherings were disturbing the peace of the realm. It was introduced to the New World by the mid-17th century but it wasn’t until the British tea was dumped into Boston harbor in the revolt against King George III that the colonists switched firmly from tea to coffee.
Through all this, coffee has emerged as a disease fighter because it’s loaded with antioxidants. Drinking a couple or three cups a day has become part of most folks’ day as medical researchers report the liquid lowers the risk of chronic heart disease and age-related cognitive decline.
A cautionary note: coffee intake tends to boost blood pressure so it’s wise to space coffee consumption. At the same time, a recent medical study indicated that seniors 65 and older who drink as many as four and more servings of caffeine a day, whether in coffee or soft drinks, have less than half the risk of dying of heart disease then those who consume less than that.
The benefits of coffee reportedly are its ability to relieve pain, fight mouth cancer, battle depression, aid digestion, protect the liver, and reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancer. And meeting old friends to socialize over a cup of coffee also is good for your health.
The Pet-Care People . . .
. . . are making a house call
so get your charge’s nails trimmed
or “anal gland expression”
in the lobby at noon today.
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Breakfast With A Film Legend
By Tom Morrow, Mature Life Features
Most everyone at one time or another has visions or dreams of noshing with someone considered great or a genius. Someone like Churchill, Eisenhower, or even Einstein.
My chance came with an invitation to have breakfast with one of the world’s great film makers – Billy Wilder.
His five-decade Hollywood career began when he escaped the Nazis in 1933 and began earning acclaim and Academy Awards as a writer-director for, among others, “Sunset Boulevard,” “Stalag 17,” “The Lost Weekend,” “Double Indemnity,” “The Apartment,” “The Seven Year Itch,” “Witness for the Prosecution,” “The Spirit of St. Louis,” “Sabrina,” “The Front Page,” and “Some Like it Hot.”
As an executive at the famed Hotel del Coronado across the bay from downtown San Diego where portions of “Some Like It Hot” was shot, I put together a 25th anniversary celebration of the movie that starred Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and the late Marilyn Monroe. Everyone connected with film was invited for a weekend of fun. Lemmon, Curtis, Wilder and several of the supporting cast showed up.
On the Sunday morning after our Saturday night ballroom festivities, I received word that Mr. Wilder wanted to have breakfast with me. I called Lemmon to ask if the invitation was real or simply a polite gesture. “My boy, never pass up a chance to sit at the feet of greatness,” was Lemmon’s response.
I headed out to the Promenade Deck where Wilder was sitting at a table sipping a cup of coffee and smoking one of the cigars from the box I had sent to his suite. I arrived at the same time as Lemmon, who Wilder also had invited.
We had breakfast and listened to Wilder talking on a number of subjects, including being back at the hotel after 25 years. He recalled how difficult Marilyn had been to work with — how she held up the filming while her two co-stars patiently stood by in high-heels and drag waiting for their next scene with her.
The money we raised that Saturday night in the hotel’s ballroom went to the San Diego State University’s new film-editing facility. Years later I received a call from a university official to ask if I would get in touch with Wilder and invite him to attend a function at the editing facility.
I still had his home phone number, so I dialed the number and a heavy German accent answered. When I identified myself, asking if he remembered me, the reply was: “Of course, Tom. Say, do you have any more of those great cigars?”
Billy Wilder died March 27, 2002, at the age of 95. Taking his sense of humor to the grave, the epitaph on his tombstone is the final line from “Some Like It Hot.” The stone is engraved: “Billy Wilder, I’m a writer, but then nobody’s perfect.
Just Six More Months . . .
. . . ’til Christmas.
Never to early
to get your shopping done.
Keeping A Journal . . .
. . . may be good for your health.
Find out how — and why —
at 2:30 this afternoon
in the 2nd floor theater.
It’s Game Day ! ! !
Bocce at 11 a.m.
Mahjong at 1 p.m.
Billiards and Bridge at 2 p.m. and
Bingo at 3 p.m.
Whew!
Working Your Way . . .
. . . thru Medicare
will be mapped out at
2 p.m. today
in the 2nd floor theater
by the Oak St. Health team,
and then they’ll host the
Thirsty Thursday happy hour and entertainment.
Mature Life Features 