THE AGED OF AQUARIUS

    Today's blog post will not be about the visual arts, but about social art. Aging in such a culturally cool place like California is a precarious proposition. How to age gracefully?

    We Boomers came of age when a lot of strict cultural constraints were happily being left behind. We thought that we were so smart and so creative, and that we had all the answers. I think every generation feels that way. There always needs to be that sense of hope.

    Fifty years have passed, and our icons are looking like old men and old women. How can that be? If they look like that, it must mean that we look like that too! Really? Yes, really.

    Well, do we just let the next generation grab the reins? Not so fast. As long as we are here on this Earth we still have every right to influence our culture. But as we see the next generation leaping forward in values and technology, we should ever so gently step to the side and admire their surge.

    Do we turn grumpy because we are no longer the stars of the show? No. We should have the satisfaction of all we've learned and done over the years. Although we no longer have our youth, we are happy for those who are currently in full bloom.

    Do we have to dress like old fogies? No. Is it ok to dress like those in their twenties? No! Unless you've visited the plastic surgeon - time, sun, gravity, and our lifestyles have all taken their toll. Although that's nothing to be ashamed of, you don't really want to show that off, do you? Have mercy! Women: no wrinkly cleavage! Men: no bizarre comb overs! Women: styling your hair to look like Jennifer Aniston's just doesn't fit. Men: we know what is under that hat you always wear, and it is bothering you a lot more than it bothers us. Both of you: are you sure that you want to wear those shorts?

     Can we still put ourselves out there? Yes, of course. But be careful not to make a spectacle of yourself.

     Can we still have physical goals? Yes, but be real about it.

    Rest assured, our generation has made its mark.

 

    We share what we have learned with those who are coming up, and we watch them take it in then go do their own thing with it. That is as it should be. 

    How lucky are we to have lived our lives in this fantastic part of the planet?

SEND ME A POSTCARD

    Today many people take a vacation photo using their smartphone and Instagram, immediately sharing their experiences with friends and family. I love though, the postcards of old. There should be an app to turn your vacation photo into an old style postcard (let me know if there already is).
    Here is a collection of old postcard art that depicts many of the great locales in California.

LET'S GO FOR A RIDE

    In 1957 my father bought a Volkswagen Beetle, but I think in his mind he had bought a Jeep. He packed our family of five into that Bug and we drove and drove. Sometimes indeed, we went to places where the only other cars were Jeeps. We drove from California to New England several times. On the first transcontinental trip, when we reached the Midwest and stopped at gas stations, people would stare at our car because they had never seen a Volkswagen. They were even more amazed when they saw five people climb out of it.

    These early family car trips gave me affection for "going for a ride". My all-time favorite cruise is the Pacific Coast Highway, or California Route 1. In the 1950's and 1960's we had the good fortune to live only about three blocks from Coast Highway in Newport Beach. But PCH runs all the way from Dana Point in southern Orange County, up the California coast to Mendocino County. It passes through elegant and crowded beach cities, tacky little beach towns, and rugged natural coastlines. It is simply wonderful.

    From the early days of the automobile, people have loved driving along the coast. This photo from the LA County Library collection shows how wildly popular it was, as seen along the Pacific Palisades.

    Such rich scenery as found along Pacific Coast Highway is of course inspiration to painters. Below, New Orleans born artist Warren Keating gives us his bright impression in "View from the Coast Starlight", and Southern California's John Comer peaks down at PCH in "Agave and Pacific Coast Highway".

    This graceful time lapse nighttime photo taken by photographer Luis Sinco and printed in the LA Times, documents where Sunset Blvd. meets Coast Highway.

    Two great atmospheric depictions of Route 1 were done by LA's Relja Penezic in his "California Road Chronicles #8", and by Marin County's John de Lormier in his nighttime depiction "From Bodega Head".

    Southern California's Michael Ward produces works that are more tightly focused upon the life along PCH. His "Lanai Apartments" reflects the scourge of Polynesian themed apartment complexes built in the 1960's, along with everybody's favorite surf wagon, the VW Bus. In "Nice Work If You Can Get It" he humorously depicts the challenge of parking at the beach on a beautiful day.

    From Laguna Beach, as seen in "Cycling on Forest in Laguna" by Frank Dalton, to Sonoma County's Linda Sorensen's "Road to Pt. Bonita Light", I love seeing depictions of this favorite roadway that we west coasters are so fortunate to have.