The Grunion Are Here!

The grunion have come flopping up on our South Bay beaches and that means that generations of folks will be out celebrating their unusual spawning ritual as well as participating in the sport of hand fishing. Grunion leave the water at night to spawn on beaches during the spring and summer months. For roughly two hours on four consecutive nights, beginning on the evenings of the full and new moons, spawning occurs. As waves break on the beach, grunion swim as far up the slope as possible.  After spawning, the males immediately retreat toward the water while the female twists free and returns with the next wave.

One of the best landing spots for the grunion in all of Southern California is near 33rd Street in Hermosa Beach. While spawning may only take 30 seconds, some fish remain stranded on the beach for several minutes. They always spawn late at night and on evenings when the moon is either new or full and the ritual is fascinating to watch. Cabrillo Beach is also an excellent spot to observe spawning and the Cabrillo Aquarium has special evenings scheduled throughout the season where you learn about the sardine-size fish (from the silversides family) from an aquarium fish expert during an auditorium program, followed by guided observation at the beach. You can find schedules and information here.

Hand fishing is also popular during grunion runs but there are some strict rules. During the open season, a fishing license is required for persons 16 years and older to capture grunion. Grunion may be taken by sport fishermen using hands only and no holes may be dug in the beach to entrap them. There is no bag limit, but fishermen may take only what they can use because it is unlawful (and unethical) to waste fish. While the season runs from March through August, you may not fish in April and May. The 2nd and 3rd days of the 4-day run have the most action, with the second hour usually being the best, and obeying the rules has led to the fish maintaining a fairly constant level year after year. Click on this link for the 2014 Hermosa Beach grunion run schedule.

Some Interesting 2014 Academy Awards Fun Facts

Since it is Oscar weekend and, except for the Super Bowl, more Americans watch the Academy Awards each year than any other television program, I thought it would be fun to post some facts I found online that you may not know about regarding this year's ceremony.

• The composer John Williams, who is nominated for his The Book Thief score, has been nominated 49 times (more than any other living person). He already has 5 Oscars to compliment his 21 Grammys. The only other person to ever get more nominations was Walt Disney, which is pretty amazing.

• There are 6,028 voters in the Academy who will decide Oscar winners, a little more than 3,300 people get to attend the event and the red carpet is more than 600 feet long.

• Of the nine Best Picture nominees, six are based on real life: The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, and Captain Phillips. After 160 years, the book Twelve Years a Slave is back on the bestseller lists and has sold more than 150,000 copies since the film came out.

• Viewers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Fresno and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. will get to watch the Oscar show online or on their portable devices because, for the first time ever, ABC will be streaming the ceremony live in those markets.

• Producer Megan Ellison of Her and American Hustle is the first woman and only the third person ever to snag two Best Picture nominations in the same year. Previous achievers include Francis Ford Coppola for The Conversation and The Godfather Part II (the night’s big winner) in 1974, and Scott Rudin for The Social Network and True Grit in 2010. Girl Power!

• Ellen DeGeneres is back for her second time hosting (who doesn't love Ellen?) and many of the show's hosts have emceed the program multiple times over the years, including Johnny Carson, Whoopi Goldberg and, of course, Billy Crystal. The record holder is Bob Hope, however, who hosted the show 19 times between 1939 and 1977.

As I posted in yesterday's blog, the reason there seems to be extra hype involving this year's awards is that, unlike in recent years, there are far fewer front-runners or sure things than usual. The variety of this year's nominees is all over the map, and that makes for more interesting viewing when the winners are announced. Also, years in which there are multiple hits up for nominations tend to be years with increased viewership. This year, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, The Wolf of Wall Street and Gravity all scored big numbers.

I would love to hear your thoughts and predictions regarding any of this year's nominees, and please let me know if you have any fun facts or interesting Academy Awards stories.

Escape The Rain With Plenty Of Indoor Fun This Weekend!

It looks like we are going to have rain and thunder showers well into Sunday, so be safe out there. If you are searching for ideas for some indoor things to do, I have a few suggestions for the weekend. Looking for your evenings to involve good beer, great chili and lots of fun? Texas Loosey's and Barney's Beanery have got your number. Tonight, Texas Loosey's in Torrance has the 3B Blues Band and their creole-flavored musical gumbo. The bass player toured with James Brown so expect the night to get funky and soulful. Tomorrow at Barney's Beanery on the Redondo Beach Pier, March Madness begins on the famous eatery's 60 giant HD screens. You don't even have to like college basketball when there are hundreds of different craft beers and Barney's world famous chili to enjoy.

Beach Cities Friends of Habitat for Humanity is having a fundraiser called Trivia Night III tomorrow evening at the Vistamar School Performance Arts Space in El Segundo that looks like a fun time (and a great way to help this wonderful organization raise funds). Tables of 8 will compete for the Grand Trivia Trophy and there will be music and other games. Beer and pizza will be provided and you can bring in whatever appetizers, side dishes or desserts you might want to share. Beach Cities Friends has raised well over $800,000 to help build or renovate homes in the South Bay in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles so I hope this latest fundraiser is a huge success.

Sunday, as film lovers know, is the biggest night in movies with the Academy Awards and all of the before shows that start early in the afternoon. Because of the lack of clear front-runners, they are billing this year's ceremony as promising the most surprises in years. After the Super Bowl, the Oscars are the most watched television program so many of you were probably staying in, rain or no rain. But if it is nice enough out early Sunday afternoon, the Sandy Paws Stroll in Downtown Manhattan Beach happens from 1:00 - 2:30. The Pet Professional Guild, an organization comprised of dog training and pet care professionals committed to holistic, force-free training methods, is having their first-ever fun walk to celebrate the joyful bond and deep respect dog owners share with their furry friends. The trainers will be bringing 10 of their dogs to start the walk and everyone is invited to bring your own dogs to join in the mini-parade. There will be free training materials provided and plenty of advice on how to train your dog using gentle, positive means.

Spotlight On The South Bay Coalition For The Homeless

One of the things that is important those of us fortunate enough to live in our amazing South Bay community to do is to pay attention to the plight of the homeless in our area as much as possible. With two big storms over the next few days predicted to drop more rainfall than we have seen in two years, it is extra important to recognize how local organizations need your help in these situations where having food and shelter is most critical..

One of the groups dedicated towards helping those in need is the South Bay Coalition for the Homeless, whose stated mission is "safeguarding human dignity and compassion through advocacy, service and referrals". This is a comprehensive organization that catalogs and coordinates many of the services available to the homeless and provides detailed information on where to find meals and shelter. They also provide extensive resources on how to obtain healthcare such as :

• Medical/Dental
• HIV/STD Testing
• Pregnancy/Birth Control
• Counseling / Mental Health
• Psychiatric
• Older and/or Disabled Adult Care

The SBCH also works with the Beach Cities Health District to bring community resources together to respond to and prevent homelessness in the South Bay. Coalition members are active in raising awareness of the large number of homeless who live here by helping to raise funds, solicit donations and recruit volunteers in a community-based, grassroots effort. They also partner with the United Way and their Home For Good initiative, which will be presenting a webinar tomorrow on funding proposals for 2014. If you are interesting in attending the online meeting, it starts at 10:00 a.m. Here is the link to join.

Southern California Prepared For Drought, But Conservation Is Critical

I have read a few articles over the past week or so that should should lift the spirits (a little bit, at least) for those of us who are concerned what this historic drought in California means for the future of our local communities. One good piece of news is that we are supposed to have a "signification rain event" in a few days as a couple of big storms head our way towards the middle of the week. Another is that President Obama recently announced aid would be send to help with the crisis after Governor Jerry Brown declared a "drought state of emergency" last month.

What I thought was most heartening, however, was that water agencies across the local region have already prepared for the worst by investing billions of dollars over the last 20 years in water storage, so we are not in dire conditions in our area (according to the LA Times). That said, it is still of utmost importance for all of us to consistently be aware of the need to conserve water and to help raise the awareness of this need in others. In that vein, here are a few simple and effective ways to cut down on water usage every day:

• Installing aerators on bathroom faucets can save 1.2 gallons of water a day, according to Save Our Water.
• You can save up to 10 gallons a day by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth.
• Reducing your shower time in from 10 minutes to 5 minutes can also save 12.5 gallons of water a day.
• Replacing your toilet and installing a high-efficiency toilet is a more permanent solution that can save 19 gallons of water a day.

It’s also important to be efficient when doing things such as the laundry and the dishes:

• Residents are encouraged to wait until the laundry load is full, to maximize the usage of water.
• Waiting until a dishwater load is full could save up to 15 gallons of water.
• Use the next smallest water level setting than what you think, most people don't need to have it on "extra-large" for a medium load.

Homeowners can also save water by cutting back on outdoor water usage. Using your sprinklers for 3 to 5 minutes less time could save between 2 and 5 gallons. Update to water-saving nozzles for when you must use an outdoor hose for rinsing or washing. And, of course, drought resistant plants offer a unique way to landscape while saving up to 90% of the water used for a grass turf yard. See one of my blogs about that here.

What A Year So Far For Mira Costa Athletics!

It has been just three months since the Mira Costa football team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Northern Division championship and a bunch of the players traded their football uniforms for rugby gear and had their first practice as the new Mustang rugby team. Last Saturday, with a 41-14 win over Dana Hills to capture the Southern California Youth Rugby Blue Division Championship in San Diego, the Mustangs finished their inaugural season with an 11-0 record. Congratulations on that outstanding achievement, Champs!

The Mustang wrestling team isn't doing too badly, either. They also had a great past weekend as Mira Costa wrestlers reached the finals in 13 of 14 weight divisions and will send all 14 wrestlers to the CIF Inland Division championships being held this weekend at Temecula Valley High School. While West Torrance definitely deserves credit for dominating the play by capturing eight individual league titles, the Mustangs have a chance to advance to the Masters Meet next Friday and Saturday at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. The top five qualifiers in each weight class from the divisional championships will make it to the Masters.

The year began on a good note when Jon Reichardt, the Mustang's head water polo coach, was named boys water polo Coach of the Year by the California Coaches' Association for leading Mira Costa to its fourth CIF boys water polo championship last Fall. The girls water polo team is having a stellar season and dominated the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs this past Wednesday. I will be cheering the girls on as they shoot for their first CIF title. 

This has been an exceptional start to the year for the Mustang athletes and they all deserve the rewards of their hard work.  I can't wait to see how the rest of the year goes!

Another Eclectic Weekend In The South Bay!

The wide variety of activities offered in the South Bay on any given weekend never fails to amaze me. For example, this weekend there is a celebration of stand up paddle boarding coupled with public art, a Black History Month event featuring wines from around the world made by African-Americans and a huge quilt festival. Yep, a quilt festival.

On Saturday, Redondo Beach is taken over by stand-up paddleboarding and public art. The Lanakila Classic starts at the Seaside Lagoon at 8:30 a.m. with a mini-course paddle race for kids, followed by an SUP, kayak and outrigger short course at 10:00 a.m. and then a long course at noon. This will be followed by live music, food and fun. At 1:30 p.m., King Harbor Marina will hold a commemoration ceremony for the finalized Mosaic Wall along the bike path on Harbor Drive. What was once a brown, dingy eyesore is now solid white, stuccoed and decorated with six mosaic scenes, each one capturing an iconic activity in the beach cities.

The quilting festival I mentioned is at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center on Saturday and Sunday and is held by the South Bay Quilters Guild. Over 200 quilts and garments will be on display in the Quilt Gallery and there will be a large Merchant Mall with many new quilting supplies, vendors, and vendor gift drawings, as well as an auction and raffle on Sunday. It is kind of nice to know that in 2014, there are still quaint, old-fashioned events like this going on!

Sunday afternoon finds the "Black History Month Sip n Shop" going on at Barsha Wines in Manhattan Beach. This event includes wine tasting, charcuterie, cheese, crackers, and special vendor discounts as it celebrates the history of African-Americans in the world of winemaking. One of the things that makes this such a special event is that Bobby Watson, the world-renowned jazz guru who has played sax with everyone from Wynton and Branford Marsalis to Carlos Santana and Chaka Khan, is providing the live entertainment.