California Gold: Dark Harbor Halloween on the Queen Mary, Long Beach

The RMS Queen Mary at Halloween.

The ship is old. It survived World War II. It once accidentally sank one of her own escort ships, slicing through the light cruiser HMS Curacoa off the chilly Irish coast with a loss of 239 lives. Those spirits still linger, I'm sure. It must be haunted, right? A creepy halloween maze attended by screaming Angelinos is just the cherry on top.

My wife and I met with our friends Richard and Maritza in Long Beach where the Queen Mary is anchored. The lot leading up to the ship has been taken over with carnival rides, churro hockers, hot dog stands, and roaming zombies. A female corpse with white eyes and peeling flesh rubs against me, snarling like an angry dog. I try not laugh. My wife and Maritza are freaked out, squirming and rubbing their hands in gleeful disgust.

Long Beach across the bay.

The Dark Harbor Halloween event is held every year and takes full advantage of the gothic and sinister feeling this large ship possesses. There are several different mazes that explore various parts of the ship, some in the lower decks and close quarters of the engine room. These are fascinating
parts of the ship that folks don't always get a chance to see up close. Moving through the dark, ever-tightening hallways, the jittery noises and squealing cries of mental patients fill the cold air. Body parts hang from meat hooks. Characters from the Saw films and the American Horror Story TV series make their appearance, scaring the folks a few feet ahead of me. How can terror create such joy? How is the release of nervous energy converted into such a release of joy?

The wife is having fun.

Another haunted maze outside the ship is set up like a haunted plantation on a Louisiana bayou. Voodoo zombies peer in from every cob-web covered window. The cries of tortured victims rise up from the basement. The Serpent and the Rainbow is one of my favorite horror movies. Walking through this haunted house makes me feel like I was living out a scene from that flick. That's one of the beauties of these walk-along haunted mazes. Unlike a ride, walking through a live-action haunted set is like living out a real experience. You move at your own pace. You can look wherever you want. But beware. There's someone waiting right around the next corner to jump out and scare the living crawdads out of you. But it's safe, right? These folks won't actually hurt me, right? They're just actors. Aren't they?

Decorative splendor.

A witch nuzzles up close to us.

Walking on board.

So happy. So evil. Image from the Queen Mary website.

That looks painful. Image from the Queen Mary website.

The Welcoming Committee. Image from the Queen Mary website.

The mad carnies have taken over! Image from the Queen Mary website.

California Gold: Oxnard Strawberry Festival

Max and Ali. Looks like nap time
is approaching

They have strawberry pie eating contests, strawberry souffle, strawberry costume contests, strawberry wine, strawberry beer, strawberry dancing, strawberry raffles, strawberry lemonade, strawberry candy, strawberry jerky, strawberry kebabs, strawberry funnel cake, strawberry art, and on and on.

Oxnard is known for strawberries. If you don't know that before arriving at the Strawberry Festival, you will. There are fields of the red fruit running north and south of the 101 and it's juicy bounty is celebrated every summer for a long weekend in Ventura County.

Enjoying a strawberry wine

My family attended the festival, invited by our friends Max and Margaret. We pushed around our baby daughter Frankie in a stroller, doing our best to shield her from the scorching sun. Max brought his little girl, Ali, who had been to the festival the previous year so she was a pro on knowing where to go, what to see, and what sweets to eat.

The four adults enjoyed strawberry wine while the kids shared fried rice and noodles from a Thai food truck. Needing a break from the sun, we found a shaded park bench beside a tranquil duck pond, giving us a moment to talk about our kids, people-watch, and regret the number of chocolate-covered strawberries we ate before having dinner.

Ali tries to calm an irate Frankie

Like San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, Oxnard is one of those small California towns that I love. It's an agricultural community that's also near a stretch of coastline which has some of the most magical sunsets I've ever seen. The annual Strawberry Festival is a perfect reminder for anyone nearby to make their way to Ventura County and be reminded again that California has a lot more to offer than LA and the Bay Area.

Max and Frankie enjoying the shade

Image from the Festival website

Image from the Festival website of a chef presentation

California Gold: Japan Expo Los Angeles

Noodle vendors prepare their wares

Text and photos by Jason McKenney.

Ever since I was a boy I've preferred the fantasy world of manga and anime over that of DC and Marvel. I preferred the stories of regular humans learning to overcome struggles any twelve-year-old can appreciate over super aliens prancing around with their underwear outside their pants.

I attended the Japan Expo in LA in hopes of seeing some sweet anime cosplay, books, and merchandise. I also hoped to gain a few insights into the rich cultural world of Japan. The Expo travels around the world promoting Japanese culture and hoping to strengthen ties between Japan and other countries. The Expo hits LA nearly every year and boasts some wonderful live music, food, and beautiful art. During my visit I grabbed a few photos of some of the more interesting characters. These pictures give just a hint of the broad range of creativity and artistic expression that Japan has generated, much of which is now being consumed in large quantities in the West.

Bunraku puppetry performed by a master who had been perfecting this form of storytelling for decades.

Performance of the Shakuhachi flute and geta dance. The music is ethereal and soothing while the dancing is passionate and boisterous.

A comical performer roams the expo playing her drum and giving lighthearted quips (in Japanese) to attendees.

Two warriors give a demonstration of a samurai showdown. 

A tea ceremony demonstrated in slow, meticulous detail.

Ceremony complete. Patiently awaiting the next expo.

California Gold: South Bay Greek Festival, Redondo Beach

Attended the annual South Bay Greek Festival today with the kids. Wore ourselves out on dancing, beer, lamb chops, and sweets. It's a small but enjoyable event held at St. Katherine's Community Center in Redondo Beach. 

"Open a bottle of Hillas Lager Beer and share the kinship with past Gods, kings, queens and other ordinary people."  -- Hillas Website

The Hillas lager is dry and malty, unique in flavor. It cuts well with oiled vegetables and rich red meats.