Week #5

Week #5 Sorry my pictures did not come through!!!

Group #2
#1 - Ode to Cal Trans
by Hector Tobar:
City of Los Angeles Neighborhood map
http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Aerial_Photographs_Los_Angeles.htm
The freeways of Los Angeles are one of the major trademarks of this region. Freeways criss-cross the several different areas of this growing urban region connecting urban centers with their suburbs and exurbs

#2– montalvo, myths and dreams of home
by Thomas Steinbeck

Big Sur, California
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS:Traveler's Choice 2008 Award Winner for Top 25 Destinations in the United States. Big Sur was voted #3 destination in the US. Travelers' Choice Top Destinations in the World Big Sur was honored with the ranking of 28th Top Destinations in the World.

In 1770 the Spanish were the first Europeans to set foot in Big Sur. Portola and Father Junipero Serra who was instrumental in the missions in California. He established the town of Monterey which became the capital of the Spanish colony called Alta California. During this time, the Spanish decided to call this land el pais grande del sur which means the Big Country of the South. It's name became shortened and everyone just called it Big Sur.

#3-the last little beach town
by Edward Humes

Named for the seals that once swam the waters of this quaint seaside community on the northern most border of Orange County. Seal Beach wasn't always so "quaint" as it is today and with its penchant for growth and more revenue, who knows what the future will bring for cute, little Seal Beach. During the 1920's, Seal Beach was known as the pleasure place. You went there for fun in the sun," it had a huge roller coaster, gaming rooms, gambling ships, rum runners and wicker boardwalk carts. Scintillating lights illuminated the water and night bathers from the second longest pier in the state.

#4- surfacing
by Matt Warshaw

Photos of the biggest wave of the season in 2006

Mavericks is a world-famous, notorious and deadly, surfing location in Northern California. It is located one-half mile from shore in Pillar Point Harbor just north of Half Moon Bay The waves crest between 25-50 feet Mavericks is a winter destination for some of the world's best big wave surfers. Very few riders become big wave surfers with only a select few who are willing to risk the hazardous conditions at Maverick's.

10 Classmates Views:

1. Aloma-Touching story. I love gardening! At least it gave you a happy memory of your grandpa...The reading reminded me of my own grandpa, who lived on the Big Island of Hawaii. Though my grandpa never taught me about gardening, he loved it! My grandpa would have gardenia plants all along the perimeter of his home, as well as a small though abundant garden filled with carrots, lettuce, bananas, mangoes, eggplant, taro, lychee, papaya, guava, squash, chili pepper and ginger plants. What is sad though is that my grandpa returned home to heaven in December 1993 and his yard has never looked the same.

2. Brian-Is this crazy or what!-"Iraqis often take a one-hundred-kilometer-per-hour southbound detour on the northbound lanes to avoid the craters cut into the roadway by American ordinance, plunging into the oncoming traffic as if that were a perfectly normal thing to do." - I know that the California roadways get a little crazy, but at least you don't have people playing chicken in the road with you.

3. Marissa-Very Observant-I didn't realize all the authors were men.-The similarities I saw were all of these stories take place on Coastal California and seem to address some of the common stereotypes. For example all Southern California towns are like Laguna Beach and are trendy upscale places. Also all beach towns are in to surfing. I also noticed that these places were all more Southern California than Northern. The furthest north town mentioned was half Moon Bay which is south of San Francisco. There were also a lot of changes in locations over times that were mentioned. All of the authors were men and they all spoke of landscape very descriptively.

4. Marylou-I did not know this either!“The Dark Watchers” live in the hills near Big Sir, a diminutive species who are said to be smaller than most humans. They are extremely shy and are never seen in the broad day light.

5. Nicholas-This is an interesting fact..I would like to see some of these pictures! .Maverick's is named after a white-haired German Shepherd that loved to surf.

6. Nikki-I am from Cloverdale too! My thoughts exactly..This story of Seal Beach losing its’ small town magic made me think of Cloverdale. Cloverdale is tiny, but recently we’ve been growing. About ten years ago, we got a McDonalds, and our first (and only) main-stream gas stations: Shell and Chevron. We have 3 traffic lights, 1 grocery store, a small movie theatre, and about 5 restaurants that people actually go to. Cloverdale has gone through a lot of growth recently, building a ton of houses during the last expansionary period. We even have a Starbucks now, and a Subway. The city officials are trying to bring in tourists, and even brought in an image consultant to help make Cloverdale a touristy town. I don’t think that’s going to happen and I wish they would just let Cloverdale be Cloverdale.

7.Preston-I did not know this either-I honestly did not know that figs originated in Fresno.

8. Rachel-This was my favorite too! My Favorite sentence of the reading was a quote that Warshaw used written by Buzzy Trent in 1965. You can find this quote on pages 85-86. "You hear that crack and thunder, you feel the wet spray...you just power through, hoping you won't get the ax. And then if you do make it, you get a wonderful feeling inside."

9. Tarissa- I also find this a peculiar passion story. But to each's own! This reading was Tobar's peculiar appreciation for the highways of California. To me it was quite strange how he was so enamoured with every detail of the highways. He mentioned everything - the traffic, the road signs, the exits, transformation of the cars and drivers over the years. Tobar related the roads to his memories and stories of his life from the day he was born to the way he missed them now that he no longer lived in California.

10. Teresa-An interesting fact! Can you imagine how much this sport has grown and improved by now..They are probably much more daring! Three Hawaiian teenagers attending military school were the first surfers in America, the year was 1885.