Perfection

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Sunset at Seacliff Drive south of Santa Barbara, California

The Pacific is calm, the breeze cool. Santa Barbara just may be the best place to be in all of America right now. Just a week prior to my visit, Santa Barbara was experiencing near 100-degree weather with humidity high enough to make anyone uncomfortable. Now, perfection has returned, and this city on the coast is a dream come true. Eucalyptus scent fills the air which is a warm 78 degrees during the day, while overnight, with windows wide open, the temperature hovers around 68 degrees. If it weren’t for the million-dollar price tags on homes and the lack of well-paying jobs outside of law and medicine, Caroline and I would easily opt for living right here.

Ted’s Hot Dogs

JWise Food, Photo of the Day

Ted's Hotdogs in Tempe, Arizona

Ted’s Hot Dogs is a Buffalo, New York, institution since 1927. Lucky for us here in Arizona, Spiro, whose father opened the original Ted’s in Buffalo, started the Tempe branch many years ago so he could get away from the freezing Buffalo winters. With my aunt and uncle’s 60th anniversary fast approaching, I picked up a 3-pound bag of original Ted’s hot dogs and their famous hot sauce to take with me to California. Our folks haven’t had a Ted’s hot dog in years and as they can miss their old hometown from time to time, this connection to Buffalo will help make celebrating their anniversary all the better.

Blue Comet Mandolin

JWise Photo of the Day

A 1930's Blue Comet Mandolin bought and played by my uncle Woody's father many years ago is in the shop for repairs.

This 1930’s era Blue Comet mandolin was originally owned by my uncle Woody’s father, Isaac. According to my uncle, his father was a musically inclined gentleman with a lot of talent. The mandolin has been sitting in my uncle’s den gathering dust before moving into the garage. The strings are long gone, the bridges have had their glue dry up but fortunately were not lost, a gear needs replacing and the mandolin itself could use a thorough cleaning. After having been in our possession the past few months we have finally taken it in for a workover and hope to return this fine old antique in perfect working order to my uncle next week.

The Burns in Buffalo

JWise Photo of the Day

A Google Earth map detail of Buffalo, New York

This Google Earth map detail from Buffalo, New York is of the area where my uncle Woody grew up. Next week I will travel to Santa Barbara to visit my aunt and uncle on their 60th anniversary. I’ll bring my computer to show them the view from space as we zoom down onto the locations where they were married, where my uncle was hit by a train as a little boy, where they lived. I’ll show them Omaha Beach where my uncle landed during World War II before marching off to fight in the Battle of the Bulge making his way to and across the Siegfried Line. As my uncle has never seen this technology at work; I think he will be mighty surprised at what we are doing these days with computers.