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One-Step Authenticity The word of the week is “authentic,” the flip side of hypocritical. Two weeks ago, I wrote that Mark Twain’s writing reflected his search for truth and authenticity. Twain, though wary of religion, had a spiritual perspective and enjoyed long friendships...

Historic Holdup 2.0 Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s historic. Using age as a prime criterion to include a property on the inventory of historic resources casts too broad a net, and often impacts the rights of property owners for no public benefit. Almost all the...

Tempest in a Teapot  I held my breath while reading the Indy’s “Coastal Commission Hits Laguna Beach Couple with $1M Fine for Illegal Home Construction.” I let out my breath when I realized it wasn’t my wife and me. “See honey, those macramé hanging baskets almost did us in. They...

Read the Personals MY BIG FAT OVAL TRAMPOLINE for sale.  My kids nagged me to buy it for years.  Nobody uses it anymore.  $300 OBO. Above ground pool is also for sale – only $600.  Let’s make a deal for both – good price/bargain.  #IWantMyYardBack LOST: MY HEART to a pretty gal...

Mindful Flushing This November will decide the next few years for Laguna Beach as we vote on three of the five City Council seats. My vote will go to the candidate speaking the most about one particular word. This one word defines Laguna and the health of our greenbelt and...

Historic Holdup The best way to see Laguna Beach is on a walk. My wife Nancy walks me daily. Doctor’s orders. No bag or leash required. Pierre is so jealous. The first thing you see is the variety of neighborhoods in Laguna. It isn’t as demographically varied as it once was....

There’s a new acronym—SBNR.  As in ‘spiritual but not religious.’  A lot of people frequent this category.  Pollsters say 20-25 percent describe themselves as SBNR.  They’re on a spiritual quest.  Aren’t we all?  Folks may take a break as life demands, but all seem to have a...

Are Men Allowed in the Woman’s Club? Back in 1922, a group of community-minded women gathered together to form the Laguna Beach Woman’s Club to enhance the lives of others through volunteer services. Originally, the club met at a site where the City Hall resides today. In...

A Hiking We Will Go “OK my possums, listen up!” So says our hiking leader Charlotte Masarik in her disarming British-accented English when she wishes to give us trail directions, or explain the flora and fauna we are about to encounter. Her love of the Laguna Greenbelt, Laguna...

Go Around I felt dizzy after reading the Indy’s “Catalina Roundabout to Get Improvements.” The city council agreed to spend $300,000 to beautify the central roundabout. Wow. That’s a lot of spiffing up. For that much moolah, there has to be a secret addendum spelling out more...

Thoughts from Croatia We’re on the Island of Vis, named for the town of Vis, founded in 397 B.C. It was the first town founded in all of Croatia, mainly because of its natural deep-water harbor.  It made its money from fishing and eventually trade. I’ve rented a house for two...

“If human beings really were able to take the long view – to consider seriously the fate of civilization decades or centuries after our deaths – we would be forced to grapple with the transience of all we know and love in the great sweep of time. So we have trained ourselves,...

The Gubbins This column was assembled from gubbins collected from the floor of the composition room at Wet Suit World Head Quarters. Last month a red bark eucalyptus brutally attacked two innocent cars parked adjacent to the offices of this newspaper. It did so in apparent...

Spiritual but Not Religious I’ve said it before—attending Laguna’s churches is as enjoyable as a sunset walk on the beach.  Last Sunday offered two compelling choices: United Methodist featured the Urban Voices, a choir drawn from the homeless of Los Angeles’ skid row. The Urban...

The White House 2 Being retired is a difficult transition to make. Before retirement, there was never enough time to do everything. Now there is too much time to do nothing. My wife has had the most trouble with the transition. She said to me, “Do you know why there’s nothing for...