jenjoy

Location is not Vacation

Trona Pinnacles

Four hours from Los Angeles, the barren landscape of tall prehistoric volcanoes, is punctured by the Trona Pinnacles.  Located between Ridgecrest, CA and Trona, the small brown National Park sign indicates a dirt road leading towards the rocks.  Formed underwater along a fault line that is connected to Searles Dry Lake Bed, these calcium carbonate juts of rock dominate the flat surface. 

The film crew perches atop one of the pinnacles to capture the actors and the amazing vista beyond them. 

Trona Salt Flats

The Mojave Desert is only fifty miles away but the heat has found the crew.  The sun bakes us, is soaked up by the salt infested ground and bounces up.  We are surrounded by it.  The crew moves slowly through the day and Production Assistants walk around offering water and shade.  Their job is to watch everybody to make sure no heat exhaustion or heat stroke hits us.

This parched landscape is perfect for the setting of "Outpost 10".  A small house set on war radiated land, the owners scratching a living and waiting for the soil to return to usefulness after years of war between humans and vampires.  This is the beginning and ending of our film. 

Every day it reaches 120 degrees.

Fishhead Rocks

Our final location in the Trona/Ridgecrest area. 

Also known as Poison Canyon for a stream that contains naturally occurring lethal amounts of arsenic and other chemicals.  The canyon was originally used as the route the mule teams used from the Borax Plant in Trona to San Pedro, California.

Tucked in a back corner, we wedged a reduced film crew in to film our actors walking along a narrow path, surrounded by wrinkled walls.  Filmed at dusk, in the fading light, it was easy to feel transformed to a different time and place here.

(That is me, 2nd from the left)

Ridgecrest

The closest major town to our location, Ridgecrest's (formerly known as Crumville) existence is purely to sustain the China Lake Navel Weapons Base.  The base dominates the surrounding terrain, rolling along for acres.  Driving along the highway towards our location, I catch glimpses of imagined steel bunker doors embedded in the distant mountainsides and wonder what arsenal is held there.

Our hotel, The Carriage Inn, is charming.  The majority of the crew stayed here and gather by the pool at night to cool off and share a beer or two.  The rooms are small but the air conditioners work and that
is the most important thing this close to the desert.  The rest of the crew stayed in the new Springhill by Marriott .  They didn't have ambiance we did but they did have big flat screen tvs!

Priest

Things have been quiet on the blog because my current film, PRIEST, is taking up all my time. 

Check out this article to discover what I have been up to.....

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/valley-14829-lucerne-filmed.html

I promise more soon.

Tom and Colleen's Wedding, July 18, 2009

My dear friend Tom got married last weekend.  You may remember Tom and Colleen from Carmen's birthday celebration in France a couple of years ago. 

The wedding was beautiful and the black tie reception was by far the best one I have ever been to....and I have been to many a celebration.

Tom and Colleen are off to Fiji now for a two week honeymoon.  I wish them all the love and happiness that the world can offer.  They deserve it.

AT&T Park, San Fransisco

What happens when two best friends go to San Fransisco to celebrate one of them completing her Master's degree in Sports Management?  That's right, a trip to the Giant's AT&T Ballpark. 

I have never been on a behind the scenes tour of a baseball stadium before, even though I call myself a die hard Dodger's fan.   It was a blast.    We explored the tunnels beneath the stadium, sat in the visiting team's dugout, saw the warm up batting cages behind the dugouts, examined box seats, wandered through the silent vendor area and finally got a amazing view of the park and the harbor from the upper deck seats.

(Valerie Hight, MBA, Sports Management at AT&T Park, June 2009)

An empty stadium is a strange animal.  It is quiet and still, yet it quivers with energy.  As if the intensity from game days is instilled in the seats and the greens, in the very air that surrounds the ballpark.

AT&T Park is a beautiful park, located in the heart of San Fransicso.   We had no problem taking a bus from our hotel to the park, and catching the light rail afterwards to head down to Fisherman's Wharf.
Elegantly designed, it still feels new and clean.   

Our tour was in the morning and as you can see from the photos, a beautiful clear morning.  Later that night we returned for a ball game, Giants Vs. Rangers (Giants won) and Valerie got to see one of her favorite pitchers play, Randy Johnson.   We ate garlic fries, made famous here and drank beer.
And of course we shopped at the Giants Store.

I would highly recommend this tour.  In addition, there is a tour specifically for the art work at the ball park.  That is something I look forward to on another trip.  As for me, I will be adding ball park tours to my list of things to do when I am traveling.   I wish I had seen Shae Stadium before it was destroyed.

Public Tours

Available EVERY DAY at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm rain or shine, except when day games are scheduled at AT&T Park.

• All tour stops are subject to change depending upon team schedule and area availability.
• Due to possible post-season activity, there may be changes to the October schedule.
• Tours depart from the Giants Dugout Store at AT&T Park and last approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
• For up to date tour information please call 415.972.2400

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/ballpark/tours.jsp

TICKET PRICES:
Adults: $12.50
Seniors: (55 and over): $10.50
Children: (12 and under): $7.50
Children under 2: Free

Horror Writers Association, Bram Stoker Weekend

The Horror Writers Association held their annual Stoker Award Weekend in lovely Burbank California from June 12-14, 2009.   Since they were having it in my own backyard, I decided to take advantage of the situation and see what goes on at these conferences.

I volunteered my time so I could have access to various workshops and would have a chance to mingle and meet people.  The word horror brings up connotations of mythical creatures from the dark recesses of one's mind and I thought perhaps this group of writers would embody the very things they created but nothing could be further from the truth.  I found them to be generous, kind and friendly.

Along with making some new friends and learning about the publishing world, I was able to pitch my novel  to Don D'Auria, Executive Editor of Leisure Books.   I was pleased when he told me he was interested in the idea and wanted me to keep in touch with him during the writing process.  I guess I am on the right track with it.  Now I'd better get to writing it, huh?

One of the highlights of the weekend was getting up close and personal with John Farris.  Mr. Farris is probably most famous for his novel, THE FURY.  He is a diminutive man, soft spoken, well dressed in kakahis and a polo,  always with a gentle smile. 

Jen and John Farris.

It was a very successful weekend and I look forward to seeing my new friends at future writing conferences.  The next one is Killercon in Las Vegas, NV at the beginning of September. 

Fishing on the White River

At the beginning of June, I visited family in Memphis and in Mountain Home, Arkansas.  One of my favorite things to do (in the world) is go fishing on the White River with my dad and my Uncle Jimbo.  Uncle Jimbo use to work for Ranger Boats and also, before injuries retired him, he used to be a river guide. 

The morning began hot but the weather station reported a storm front moving in later in the afternoon.
My dad and I drove over to Flippin, AR to pick up my Uncle and my dad's boat (it is parked in front of Uncle's house).  We hitched the boat up, dug for worms, fed the goat, pulled up radishes,killed ants, got our fishing license at Wal-Mart (no trip to rural America is complete until you visit the Wal-Mart) and then finally got on our way.   

Living in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, I forget the splendors and "dangers" of the country.  When we first arrived at my Uncle's house, his front yard was full of tiny green grasshoppers, no bigger than my pinkie fingernail.  I squealed in delight as they bounced around my feet, immediately transported back to joys of my youth.  The smell of fresh mowed grass, tiny bugs jumping in the twilight, the fireflies flashing, the giggles of my cousins.  I backed away from the grasshoppers, stepping into a patch of weeds.  My father, ever a vigilant dad, immediately warned me away, worried I would pick up chiggers.  For those of you who are lucky enough to NOT know what chiggers are, they are tiny bugs that burrow into your skin, causing immense itching. 

We have a rule on the boat whenever I am fishing.  If the fish doesn't swallow the hook, we set them free.  I feel the same exhilaration letting the captured fish slid from my fingers back into the water as I do when I reel them in.   

The White River is a cold water river, which is the perfect antidote for a warm summer day.  When the intensity of the sun gets to be too much, you dip a toe or a hand into the water, splashing your face. 

Fishing for over four hours we caught Rainbow Trout and German Brown Trout.  The German Brown Trout is one of the most exquisite fish I have ever seen.   Yellow accents on its belly and fins contrast beautifully with its brown spots.  Its shimmers and shines in the sunlight.

Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, CA

This little jewel of a museum has laid hidden from me in plain sight for 15 years.  I sat across from it during the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade.   I drive past it every time I visit Pasadena, yet I had never taken the time to introduce myself.  What a shame.

The Norton Simon Museum is the perfect museum.  Perfect in size.  Perfect in crowd attendance.  Perfect in layout.  Perfect in collections.  Okay, maybe a bit too much Degas, but can that really be a complaint?


The exhibits are all taken from Norton Simon's personal collection.  His fascination with Indian and Asian culture can be viewed in the basement, the  numerous Degas scattered in the entry court and 19th Century Wing, exquisite Dutch paintings in yet another wing. 

 
 

Outside is a harmonious sculpture garden with winding pathways, lilly covered ponds and gently flowing water fountains.  An elegant but casual cafe hides in the corner and helps you imagine a tranquil afternoon of good food, imaginative art and wonderful friends.

If you live in Los Angeles, you owe yourself a visit to the Norton Simon Museum.  If you don't live here, make sure to include it on your things to do when you visit.

The details:

Norton Simon Museum of Art
411 W. Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91105-1825
626.449.6840

$8 for adults, $4 for seniors, children and students Free

Monday	12:00 noon - 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	12:00 noon - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday	12:00 noon - 6:00 p.m.
Friday	12:00 noon - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday	12:00 noon - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday	12:00 noon - 6:00 p.m.

Medieval Times

Knights. Jousting.  Beautiful Horses.  Princesses.  What is not to love?  Even though the cheese factor is over the top, if you just give in, have a couple of drinks, you'll have a blast.

Surprisingly, during a recent visit to the Medieval Times in Anaheim, California, the food was good.
Tomato basil soup, roasted chicken, BBQ rib (notice that is NOT plural.  Singular rib), potato and apple dumpling type desert.  Eaten with your fingers, slurped from your soup bowl the fare was tasty and hot.

Our Knight, the Blue Knight, was a tall dark handsome young fellow with locks of flowing curly black hair. He fared well in the games but eventually fell to the evil Green Knight. 

The visit to Medieval Times was a birthday celebration and our romantic Blue Knight gave the lovely birthday girl a red carnation. A fun time was had by all.

Medieval Times
7662 Beach Blvd
Buena Park, California 90620

ADULT - $53.95 (+tax)
CHILDREN 12 & UNDER - $36.95 (+tax)

check the website for show times and reservations

Focus on the Novel

I have started my next writing class and it is "Focus on the Novel". 

In next fourteen weeks I will learn the secrets to novel writing, complete an outline and write my first three chapters.

Many of you joined this blog when it was purely a travel writing blog.  It has slowly morphed into something more.  I hope to chronicle my journey with writing a novel, the hardships and the triumphs.

I hope that you will join me!

P.S.  I will still write about trips, travel and misc. life adventures!

First Ladies of Africa

Fifteen First Ladies of Africa came to visit out set last week.  

They have converged here in Los Angeles to discuss the health issues and child
welfare that effects all their nations.

Their visit to our set was quiet, respectful and cordial until Danny Glove and Chris Rock came to meet them.  The women were dignified in their excitement but couldn't help pulling out their cell phones to snap photos.

It was awe inspiring to be among this group of ladies who have bonded together to address the issues that threaten all of them.  We should look to them to inspire us with our own world views. 

We are all one.