Oceanside: The California Surf Festival celebrates awareness and support for surf history preservation through the California Surf Museum. It is an international event destination bringing people from all over the world to Oceanside, California, to experience surf culture through films, music, art, photography and interaction with those who embody the culture as well as highlight the surf community of California. The California Surf Film Festival, produced as a benefit by the California Surf Museum (CSM) in Oceanside, will include exciting and groundbreaking new surf films with many of the filmmakers in attendance … More Informations HERE!

Pynchons vierter Roman erschien 1990 und gilt als sein zugänglichstes Werk, da es eher konventionell verfasst wurde. Sein Titel spielt auf den hoffnungsvollen Namen an, den die wikingischen Entdecker Amerika gaben – Vinland. Vineland ist somit eine Jeremiade, die das Versprechen eines paradiesischen Amerika der sozialen Realität der achtziger Jahre gegenüberstellt, denn Pynchon zeichnet darin das trostlose Bild einer von Reaganomics, dem Fernsehen und Shopping-Malls bestimmten Nation.

Vineland ist auch ein Familienroman, der drei Generationen und 40 Jahre kalifornischer Geschichte umspannt. Der Taugenichts Zoyd Wheeler lebt mit seiner vierzehnjährigen Tochter Prairie in der Gegend nördlich von San Francisco, umgeben von Althippies und anderen merkwürdigen Gestalten. Die Rückkehr der untergetauchten Mutter Prairies, der vom FBI gesuchten Frenesi Gates, macht die beiden selbst zu Gehetzten. Rückblenden berichten von Frenesis Verwicklungen mit der radikalen Studentenbewegung der 1960er-Jahre, und auch von der Unterdrückung der amerikanischen Arbeiterbewegung während der 1930er-Jahre, in der Frenesis Mutter aktiv war.

Back to the 50s: Für 2 Tage haben wir uns im Del Marcos Hotel in Palm Springs eingebucht – eine Empfehlung sondergleichen!

Ein kurzer Auszug aus der hoteleigenen Beschreibung, die so 100% korrekt ist:
“Designed in 1947 by the famed desert architect William F. Cody, the Del Marcos Hotel is ideally located in the legendary Palm Springs historic hotel and shopping district and only 1 block from downtown Palm Springs. The backdrop of this classic 16 room hotel is the stunning San Jacinto Mountains. Enjoy the scenic bike and hiking trails or simply relax around the hotel’s serene, saltwater pool. The hotel offers guest rooms with private patios or balconies, to deluxe suites. Complimentary wireless Internet provided.”

Der eigentliche Hit aber sind die liebevoll im Style der 50er Jahre eingerichteten Zimmer. Jedes Detail und Accesoir paßt!

Die Website gibt einen ersten guten Überblick. Preise je nach Saison (Sommer low, Winter high), Größe und Ausstattung zwischen 49,- und 300,- $. Del Marcos Hotel – 225 West Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 info@delmarcoshotel.com, www.delmarcoshotel.com.

The Golden State of America

In the middle of the state lies the California Central Valley, bounded by the coastal mountain ranges in the west, the Sierra Nevada to the east, the Cascade Range in the north and the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. The Central Valley is California’s agricultural heartland and grows approximately one-third of the nation’s food.[10] Divided in two by the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the northern portion, the Sacramento Valley serves as the watershed of the Sacramento River, while the southern portion, the San Joaquin Valley is the watershed for the San Joaquin River; both areas derive their names from the rivers that transit them. With dredging, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin Rivers have remained sufficiently deep that several inland cities are seaports.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta serves as a critical water supply hub for the state. Water is routed through an extensive network of canals and pumps out of the delta, that traverse nearly the length of the state, including the Central Valley Project, and the State Water Project. Water from the Delta provides drinking water for nearly 23 million people, almost two-thirds of the state’s population, and provides water to farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The Channel Islands are located off the southern coast.

Krustyland

For those keenly following the latest Universal Studios Hollywood happenings, the latest construction snapshots of the Simpsons ride and the Curious George-themed play area, two new features opening this spring at the Universal City theme park.

The new Simpsons ride will feature a high-speed tour of Springfield’s Krusty Land, Krusty the Clown’s interpretation of an amusement park. A Curious George Goes to Town playground will have water jets and cannons and a 500-gallon dump bucket that regularly empties its contents on visitors below.
Good times.