B2
T he C oast News
APRIL 17, 2020
Traveling the world from the comfort of your home hit the road e’louise ondash
O
ur big trip this last week was to Charleston, S.C., via Zoom, for a bris, the Jewish circumcision and naming ceremony for my nephew’s twins. It was our first Zoom journey and we were grateful to be there virtually, as were the other 40 guests, but yes, we REALLY miss being REALLY there. For now, however, we’ll have to settle for seeing the
GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE and the National Park Service have teamed up to offer virtual visits to five national parks, including Bryce Canyon in Utah. Photo by Jerry Ondash
world via desktop, laptop, ternet for some virtual expetablet and phone. This has riences to share. When links prompted me to scour the in- are extraordinarily long, I only list the websites’ home pages. For direct links, go to my column at The Coast News website. There are few things as fascinating as jellyfish and you can check out these ephemeral creatures on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Jellyfish Cam. At our own San Diego Zoo and Zoofari Park, there are cameras trained on tigers, giraffes, butterflies, penguins, koalas and more
FRONTLINE
CONTINUED FROM B1
match offered by Del Mar residents Richard and Carol Hertzberg. As of Easter, they will be able to provide over 3,000 meals over the next three weeks. The Del Mar Village Association is a local nonprofit that promotes tourism and hosts community events in Del Mar, often creating venues for local restaurants to thrive. In a sense, the organization is adapting to continue doing what it has always done – support area
at www.sandiegozoo.org/ live-cams. For those seeking a really far-out experience, check out NASA’s online collection of more than 16,000 spectacular images taken from space through the years. Feeling the need for a fix of our splendid national parks? The amount of beauty and serenity offered by these millions of acres is immeasurable, and knowing their gates are closed is hard to fathom. In the meantime, from Google Arts & Culture and the National Park Service , there are immersive (and free) guided tours through five parks at “The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks.” Released in 2016 to honor the National Park System’s centennial celebration, the tours include Kenai Fjords in Alaska; Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns; Utah’s Bryce Canyon; and Florida’s Dry Tortugas. During this countrywide quarantine, we are learning to slow down and take notice of the small things – like the sounds of animals and birds. Check
out the National Park Service’s library of park sounds (www.nps.gov), which includes dozens of birds and wildlife. In a normal year, there would be thousands of San Diego County residents heading to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the second largest state park in the country. The coronavirus, however, has forced the town of Borrego Springs, located in the park, to discourage visitors from coming. According to one resident, this year’s crop of flowers is no Super Bloom, but there still are plenty of flowers and blooming cactus. See them, as well as award-worthy landscapes, on Anza-Borrego Foundation’s Facebook page. It’s easier for some of us than others to weather this pandemic and maintain social distancing, so if you’re one of the lucky ones, do help someone you know who is having a more difficult time. Want to share some past travels? Email eondash@ coastnewsgroup.com. For more photos and commentary, visit www.facebook. com/elouise.ondash.
businesses. Randy Gruber, a chef and restauranteur who owns both Americana and Elixir in the heart of Del Mar, said he is “very proud and honored” to be among the 11 businesses participating in the initiative. Since California restaurants were ordered to halt their sit-down dining services in March, Gruber has been working in the kitchen seven days a week with just one other employee, for pick-up service only. Gruber said he was “excited” to contribute to the
program, especially because his wife is an anesthesiologist accustomed to working in hospitals. “I feel like I’m contributing and helping,” he said, the day after the restaurant supplied its first delivery. “It’s a win-win for everybody, for the doctors, restaurants, for the people that are donating…I felt really good yesterday. I’d love to do it every day.” The initiative also delivers meals from Viewpoint Brewing, Co., Board & Brew, Beeside Balcony and En Fuego Cantina & Grill – to name a few. Restaurants interested in participating can sign up on the initiative’s website. Gruber said he is taking all precautions with safety, prepping and cleaning the food carefully and wearing gloves and a mask. There has been some concern locally with how food delivery could stand to put healthcare workers at risk, but Grove asserts that the process involves “no social interaction.” Protected restaurant workers put the well-packaged, multibagged food in the back of a delivery car, and hospital workers remove the food from the trunk of the car when it arrives. With the initiative having “gone viral,” what was initially a small idea is now taking hold – and the Groves are working to coordinate a larger effort with more volunteers, more restaurants, and more hospitals. “We thought this was going to be just a small effort and it’s really much larger,” she said, adding that restaurants have offered to help with food deliveries. In order to donate to Fuel the Frontline San Diego, visit their GoFundMe page; or for more information visit their website at: fuelthefrontlinesandiego.com.
KOCT.ORG - The Voice of North County is a non - profit, live stream PEG outlet funded by the City of Oceanside and powered by Cox Cable. Since 1984, KOCT.ORG has produced and programmed the issues that directly affect our daily life, keeping us locals well informed & engaged as a continual voice for the North County community. By becoming a Friend of KOCT, you help insure the future of quality KOCT productions, an access to The KOCT Community Calendar, a dedicated airtime for submitted programming, discounts on KOCT production services and many other great benefits. Show your support and become a Friend of KOCT! Tune into to watch KOCT, The Voice of North County on Community Channel 18 and Government Channel 19 on Cox Cable in Oceanside or AT&T Channel 99 Countywide. Visit KOCT.ORG! Like us on Facebook @KOCTTV Follow us on Instagram @KOCTTELEVISION Find us on Twitter @KOCTTV And call us at 760.722.4433 with comments or questions. We thank you for your support.
SMALL TALK CONTINUED FROM B1
(Yes, she has always been spoiled.) Suddenly having multiple 8-week-old puppies in the house made me even more impressed by parents of twins or triplets. There is never a moment when something isn’t happening with one or more of them. Add to this the pups are traumatized, fearful, only occasionally housetrained and have traveled across at least two time zones. It was a full-on fire drill of cuteness right from the start. Fortunately, my house is 98% wood floors. There is one carpet at the far end of the scarcely used living room. It took them about an hour to find it and christen it. My daughter kept them upstairs mostly, yet successfully away from her cats for two days, which I liken to juggling with knives. She took pains to introduce them slowly. Unfortunately, one pup was particularly nervous and protective and barked at his shadow … and the cats. The cats have coexisted with older dogs before, but not bouncing, barking balls of puppy. They were not thrilled and the highstrung pup earned some crate time. Meanwhile, our large backyard, which was to be their playground, is an inch deep in water, courtesy of the week-long rainstorm. The trio finally agreed to walk around in the damp. They would not, however, go outside if it was actually raining, which was most of the time. I swore to my daughter she was going to have to deal with any accidents, but of course, I was swiftly recruited, since there was triple the action. There was no way one person could clean up fast enough before another critter needed attention. As we moved into the fourth day, they seemed to be settling a little and getting their puppy courage up, but life remained pretty terrifying, what with all these new sounds, smells, people and schedules. My biggest challenge? I couldn’t give them any treats. All they are allowed to eat is their kibble, which intellectually I understand. But it killed me to see those big, brown eyes in that sweet puppy face, gazing longingly at my sandwich, and deny them so much as a morsel. Using great moral resolve, I behaved myself, but it was no fun. The pups are back at the shelter now, needing further medical attention, but it was a lovely, crazy bit of fuzz therapy. Jean Gillette is a freelance writer who was living in Wild Kingdom armed only with a roll of paper towels. Contact her at jean@coastnewsgroup. com.