Sunday, September 23, 2007

Edinger Parkway Update

E-mail readers, click "Edinger Parkway Update" title above to read full story.

I was curious about the status of the Edinger project. You may recall from a previous post that a funding component was going before the City Council last Monday. While the council meeting minutes are not yet on-line, I found that you can easily access the section of the meeting where it was discussed via video (where it says "Jump To", be sure to select "City Council (Submitted by Councilmember Green)" near the bottom of the list). I think it's worth the 10 minutes of so to watch the video - you learn a lot about this project and how well the people leading it are received by the council - but I'll also give you the spoiler: the city has pledged a match so that we increase our chances of getting an OCTA grant.

I think it's important for residents to see where our councilmembers stand on issue - and this is certainly an issue that affects all of us who live at Seabridge. I was also interested to learn that the groundbreaking will be next month.

One final word: the Sea Isle Garden Club has done an outstanding job in leading this effort. You can continue to help with your donations, and with the lobbying effort. Be sure to check out how their passion comes through during public comments (jump to "Public Comments" under the video.

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Saturday, September 22, 2007

Rain!

E-mail readers, click title above to read the full story.

What a glorious morning! It's really true that you never seem to fully appreciate something until you've had to do without it. While the storm wasn't quite the monster they predicted and barely made a dent into our rainfall totals, the cleansing effect of the rain is a welcome start to our weekend. Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope it's an enjoyable one.

A lazy Saturday morning gave me the opportunity to catch up on some writing and also play around with blog features. I hope that you'll enjoy the new slideshow to the left, and that you'll also find the new articles interesting and informative.

I've also made it easier to see the most recent comments (also on the right). If you enjoy this blog, your comments are the best "tips" you can leave. What features do you like? What suggestions do you have for stories? I enjoy having a two-way conversation on our community and why we live here.

"It never rains in Southern California" - Albert Hammond

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Thoughts on the 9/18 Board Meeting

E-mail readers, click title above for full story.

Registered homeowners may click here for story.

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Cut the Crap

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Registered homeowners may click here for story.

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Friday, September 21, 2007

A Cardinal Idea

E-mail readers, click title above for full story.

Registered homeowners may click here for story.

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657

E-mail readers, click on title above to read full story.

Well, it's official: we're getting a new area code, and it's going to be an overlay. So, none of us at Seabridge will be losing our 714 designation - BUT - if you get a new phone, it might have a 657 area code. And you will now need to dial all 10 digits of a telephone number, even if you and the person you're calling both have 714 numbers.

With my cell phone, I have been dialing 10 digit numbers for years, so I don't think it's going to affect me much at all. My biggest regret is that it doesn't spell anything cool.

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Thursday, September 20, 2007

Batten Down the Hatches!

E-mail readers, click on the title above for the full story.

We could possibly be in for the biggest September storm in 20 years.

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Neighbors in the News

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There's a nice feature in today's OC Wave about Seabridge resident, Marti Davis.

The Register did a stellar job of finding out things even neighbors don't know - wow, Engelbert Humperdinck's SoCal photographer! So be sure to commend Marti on the publication of her novel - maybe we can give her a little recognition around Seabridge!

In other news, the City Council has voted to pursue red light cameras, initially along Beach Boulevard. If you, like me, wondered what constitutes a red light violation, you can learn more here. Finally, no word on whether the Sea Isle Garden Club received city funds for the Edinger project. If you know, please post a comment here.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

What's In A Name?

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"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

-- Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Tonight's board meeting was an interesting one. I'll write up some commentary shortly - just a reminder that information from board meetings is in the password-protected section of the blog. If you are interested in accessing that, and if you're a Seabridge homeowner, shoot me an e-mail with a link to the right. That way, you'll have access when that write-up is added.

One comment I will make here: I appreciate Julian Solomons' and Debra Wychgel's recognition that this blog has nothing to do with the Seabridge board of directors, and that content of people's personal websites is not a concern of the board. Please scroll to the bottom of the page to read the disclaimer that's been there since Day One. There are a lot of issues facing our association, and those received minimal time this evening because other matters dominated.

And to the 16 people who have been asking board members about this blog, welcome - I'm happy for the new readers!

"O, what man within him hide
Though angel on the outward side!"

-- Measure for Measure (III, ii)

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Board Meeting Reminder

E-mail readers, click on the title above to read the full story.

Just a reminder that there is a board meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 7PM in the Clubhouse. I've witnessed several instances when people show up to express concern about a decision after it has been made. In fairness to the board, they are not mind readers and can't always know what the hot buttons of the community are unless you share your opinions before key decisions.

I received a preliminary agenda from management and here are some of the topics that may be discussed; please realize that the final agenda is subject to changes by the board and/or management.

  • Asphalt proposals
  • Dog feces violations
  • Architectural Committee candidates
  • Dock proposal progress

Hope to see you there.

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Sunday, September 16, 2007

Edinger Mud Flats - You Can Help

E-mail readers, click on the title above for the full story.

Seems like tomorrow's council meeting will be an interesting one. I've already noted the study on red light cameras, and now I see the council will be taking up an item to spend city money on the Edinger project. This effort stands to benefit us all, so if you support it, please consider taking a few minutes to share your opinions with the city council. A call or e-mail can go a long way, as can a 3-minute public comment, should you be able to attend tomorrow's meeting in person.

You can read more about the topic (Agenda item H.1a) in the agenda here.

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Saturday, September 15, 2007

Red light, Green light

E-mail readers, click title above for the full story.

I found this recent article from the OC Register interesting. This week, the HB City Council will be discussing the installation of red light cameras within the city.

I drive to work each day up Valley View, and a few years back started encountering two of these cameras in Garden Grove. I was initially against them, but as I read up more, I learned how they operate. And now I think they're a pretty good thing. It seems like barely a day goes by that I don't read about another accident at one of our city's major intersections. As with most things, the cameras can be used properly and they can be abused, but it will be interesting to see how the council votes.


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Upcoming Board Meeting - Tuesday, September 18th

E-mail readers, click article title above to read the full story.

Just a reminder that the next meeting of the board of directors is this coming Tuesday, September 18th at 7PM in the clubhouse. While I'm not sure of the specific agenda, these meetings are always a good way to stay informed and share input with the board before they make critical decisions.

It is also the opportunity to say goodbye to Brenda Cooney, and meet our new property manager from Cardinal Property Management, who will be observing this sesssion before Cardinal takes the reigns on October 1st.


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Sunday, September 9, 2007

About Town - News Round-up

E-mail readers, click on the title above to read the full story.

I was recently talking with my sister about Huntington Beach, and we agreed that for a city of almost 200,000, it's the biggest small town we've ever lived in! There's something about this area - maybe it's the harbour in particular - that has a great community feel to it.

In that spirit, I pass along some of the more enlightening community news items I've read recently, with the hope that you might find them interesting as well.

  • Edinger Project - looks like the first part of the work is getting underway soon. We'll all benefit from this project and I'm sure the Seal Isle Garden Club would welcome further help.

  • Bolsa Chica wetlands footbridge - Do you visit the wetlands? If so, you'll be happy to hear the news of a new footbridge so you don't have to walk across the Warner bridge.

  • Hmm, I sure don't feel it - you're living in the 51st richest place in the US, based on household income. Guess who's #1 - and it's NOT Newport Beach.

  • Like Father, Like Son - Cool NY Times piece on the son of Seabridge resident Julian Solomons

Let me know (via the comments feature) if you find this type of story helpful, and perhaps I'll implement it as an occasional feature.

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Saturday, September 8, 2007

Encore

E-mail readers, click on the article title just above this to read the full story

Last night, the automatic e-mail updates kicked in again, but the message below on latest changes wasn't included on that, so I think it's worth repeating:

Much of the blog is now open again to the public; you don't need a password to read most featured articles. You can also once again us the link on the right to subscribe to automatic e-mail updates (and if you received this by e-mail, you're already set).

Anything related specifically to community association affairs is still password-protected, because those topics really just concern homeowners. You can request access to those areas by clicking the link at the right. I apologize in advance, because if you had access before, you need to request it again.

Finally, just a plug for comments - this blog is really the most interesting when it's interactive. If you have something new to add to the discussion, click on the link under any post that says "Comments", and add your two cents. The only thing I ask is that you identify yourself by name.


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Friday, September 7, 2007

ABCs

E-mail readers, click here for full story.

Some of you may know that I have been involved as a literacy tutor over at the Oak View library, and for the past 2 years I've served on the Board of Directors for the program. In my role as director, one of my responsibilities is to assist with fundraising. So I thought I'd get the word out about an event we're having on October 25th at 7PM - a Trivia Challenge over at the Central Library. 10 local teams will be competing, and we'd love to have a full house there to watch them. Best of all, the event is FREE. We just want a good turnout for our contestants who are making a donation to play. There will also be great opportunity drawings. It promises to be fun.

This is also a great time for me to let people know that we always need volunteers for the program. The time commitment is a few hours per week, and you can work the specifics out with your student. So if you've been looking for a way to get involved in the community, please contact the program for more information. (Tutor training is provided periodically throughout the year, and there is a class coming up)

Finally, you can help our programs out without even leaving your computer. Do you buy books? appliances? car exhaust systems or a million other on-line items? If you buy anything from amazon.com and start your search through this link on the right, a percentage of your purchase will go to our programs. It costs you nothing extra and helps us out in a big way. If you do support Literacy Volunteers in this way, thank you very much!


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Thursday, September 6, 2007

Food, Glorious Food

E-mail readers, click here for full story.

I've made some fun food discoveries lately, and I think they are worth sharing.

The first is a really interesting concept call the CSA. CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture", and you can think of it as a step above a farmer's market. Rather than sell to a wholesaler or at a farmer's market, the farmer picks produce for a group of subscribers who support the farm. The one I just joined is run by Morning Song Farm, between Temecula and Escondido. They drop off the produce down in Costa Mesa, at a new restaurant called the Old Vine Cafe. For $42.50 a week, I get a large basket of produce that was picked that day, all organic, and all grown within 80 miles of our home (most of the food we get in the supermarket travels at least 1500 miles). I tell you, you really notice the difference in taste - it's the next best thing to growing it myself.

As it turns out, the cool thing about Morning Song Farm in particular is that they have a real variety of fruits and vegetables, and they change with the seasons throughout the year. The blackberries have been great recently, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming pomelos and macadamia nuts. Here's what I received in my basket this past week:

Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Heirloom Beans – 1 bag
Baby Carrots – 1 bunch
Baby Lettuce – 2 bags
Basil – 1 bunches
Zucchini – 3
Tatsoi – 3 bunches
Beets – 1 bunch
Tomatoes – 2 small containers
Blackberries – 2 small containers
Melons – 2
Lemons – 3
Limes – 8
Small asian pears – 12
Rosemary – 1 bunch
Mint – 1 bunch

And the second great discovery is the Old Vine Cafe itself. I just learned of it because it's the closest drop-off point for my basket, but I took the time to meet some friends and enjoy dinner there when I picked up the produce this past week. I didn't realize what a treat it would be - Chef Mark McDonald takes the freshest and most interesting ingredients, and turns them into culinary delights. We enjoyed 8 small plates among the 4 of us and left satisfied. Among our dishes were olive bruschetta, octopus carpaccio, quinoa jambalaya and a wonderful antipasto. Apparently I wasn't alone in my appreciation for the food - the OC Register just gave them a nice review, and we almost couldn't get a table without a reservation on a Wednesday night! Along with the food, they have a great wine list, and believe both food and wine should be accessible and affordable. I'm hoping to try out one of their wine and cheese Monday nights sometime soon.

What's your latest food discovery near Seabridge? Share the scoop in the comments section!


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Latest Changes

E-mail readers, click here for full story.

As I wrote about in this post, I implemented in July some changes to restrict Seabridge Journal to homeowners only. While I still believe this is appropriate for some articles posted here, blogger/google doesn't make the login process very easy. As a result, I lost regular readers, and it's no fun talking to myself. In addition, some people are under the impression that only certain homeowners can participate. That's not correct. Had I been asked about this, I would have cleared up any confusion.

Still, I realize that the password features weren't very friendly, and that didn't help matters either. It struck me that I could actually have two blogs - one for public consumption, and one for homeowners only. I've given them the same look and feel, and tied them together with common links. And that way, readers can also get better information about how it works and how they can access things.

You'll still need to sign up if you want access to the private section - see the info on the right.

Best of all, the open nature of the public section allows me to revive the "subscribe via e-mail" feature. Just enter your e-mail address on the right, and you'll be notified automatically of any new posts, within a day of posting.

I hope you'll agree that this should improve Seabridge Journal all around, and that helps me with my mission of communicating news and topics of interest to the community.


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