The Manor in exclusive part of Los Angeles

The Manor, also known as Spelling Manor, is a mansion located in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, across the street from Holmby Park. Constructed in 1988 for television producer Aaron Spelling, it is the largest home in Los Angeles County.  It contains 56,000 square feet.  The French chateau has 14 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms and is said to have an additional 17,000 square feet of attic space.  One of the home’s most iconic features is the double staircase inspired by one featured in the film Gone with the Wind.

It is now for sale at a mere $160 Million.  That is a reduction from $200 Million.  This could be a bargain for the wealthy.

Home of the Week: Warhol 90210

A 1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow once owned by Andy Warhol sits in the frosted-glass garage of the polished contemporary, which features walls of glass, a wellness center and a saltwater swimming pool. The vehicle and several of the pop artist’s rare pieces can be negotiated into the home’s multimillion-dollar asking price.

This is a showplace in luxury overdrive.

The details

Location: 1049 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, 90210

Asking price: $15.625 million

Year built: 2019

Living area: 7,595 square feet, five bedrooms, eight bathrooms

Lot size: 0.55 acres

 

That is a zero-edge saltwater swimming pool, ample decking and a built-in barbecue.

“The quaint notion that the job of the judge is to follow the law”

It should come as no surprise that political party viewpoint is paramount to both Democrats and Republicans.  Thus it should come as no surprise that Mitch McConnell, the head of the Republican controlled Senate now says he would fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy in 2020.  

Furthermore he said, “What can’t be undone is a life time appointment to a young man or woman who believes in the quaint notion that the job of the judge is to follow the law. That’s the most important thing we’ve done in the country, which cannot be undone.”

I’m speechless.  We should all be horrified.  The sad reality is that two of the current Supreme Court justices who are “liberals” and their likelihood of dying in the next two to six years is significant.  Mitch McConnell will have the opportunity to change the Supreme Court for a generation and there is not a damn thing we can do to stop that change.

A trip to Europe

After 50 years of marriage I decided to reward my wife for putting up with me all those years.  We agreed on a Mediterranean cruise on a luxurious cruise line.  We chose the too expensive Oceania Riviera.  From beginning to end, the trip took two weeks from the time we left for the airport until we arrived at home.

 

Perhaps I should have titled this posting “Ship of the Drunk” because many of the people had a martini glass or a glass of wine in their hands from morning to night.  Many who I spoke to were clearly inebriated.

The trip started with our flight to Barcelona Spain.  When we arrived at the hotel some of the first words from the desk clerk were “pick pockets are a problem here but it is mostly safe.”  We would be alert for the entire trip when we walked on the streets of every port on the cruise.

We had been concerned with summer heat and crowds and had specifically chose a spring trip.  It turned out we were rewarded with cold, wind, and some rain.  Even in the spring the crowds were everywhere as if it was the summer season.

Oceania Riviera’s staff was outstanding.  We were treated like a king and queen.  The veranda suite B3 category was one the most common suites on the 7th deck.  it had a a balcony that included two chairs, two chaise lounges and a table. The bathroom included a full sixed bathtub, a shower and a sink.  The storage space was more than adequate.  The food was excellent and the service in the dining areas was outstanding,  They even insisted on taking our filled plates to our table in the buffet dining room.

The downside on the ship was the excursions.  They were expensive and most started at 8, 8:30, and 9 AM.  Thanks to the shuttles the ship provided we went into the nearby towns.  We missed a lot of sightseeing destinations but my wife was happy.  The whole trip was for her after all.  I would have gotten up for some early morning excursions.

Here is a list of the ports

Barcelona, Spain

Most interesting there is La Sagrada Familia.  That is a church that has been under construction for over 100 years.  How did they build it before 20th century construction cranes?

 

 Palma de Mallorca, Spain

This is an island in the Mediterranean Sea that is part of Spain.  Not too much to see here.  Cathedral of Santa Maria seems to be the highlight.

 

Marseille, France

A ride on a Le Petit Train Touristique to Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica gave us a ride up and down the hills of the city and a view of the port.  Some of the streets are as steep as many in San Francisco.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Narrow streets and a view of the barricades permanently in place for the famed Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 race were highlights of our tour of the city.  Of course there is the famous casino identified to us by its green roof.  The port as all ports we visited were parking places for hundreds of yachts.


 

 

Antibes, France

Not famous for anything. Just a pretty town on the Mediterranean coast.  This photo was taken from our veranda on the ship using the panorama setting on my camera.

 

Ajaccio (Corsica), France

An island where the people are more connected to Italy than France said the driver on our excursion.  Corsica has no significant economic purpose and it appears that cruise line visits are now an important part of their income stream.

It was partly cloudy  at the port with a chilly wind.  The excursion took us to Corisca at Hotel Restaurant Monte D’Oro in the mountains where there was a persistent slow rain.  Inside were treated to a plate of cheeses, meats and a glass of wine.  My camera under my jacket to keep it dry.

 

Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno), Italy

The port was Livorno.  We never made it to Florence or Pisa.  Barbara was not feel well so I took the Oceania Riviera shuttle into the town.  the most interesting thing I saw was the farmer’s market.  The selections were not the mundane variety seen in Los Angeles farmer’s markets.  The food really looked like it had been picked that very day.

 


 

Rome, Italy

After disembarking the ship a car took us to our hotel in Rome.  We were there for three nights.  It was cold a nd rainy the entire time we were there.  That did not deter those who were willing to stand in line for hours to enter the Vatican or the coliseum.  We decided it was not worth the wait.  Still the hop on hop off gave us a view of the many sites.

 

 

The trip home was long and we arrived home on Tuesday May 7 at 1:30 AM.

It was great fun and a trip I will never forget.

The Right to an abortion

The gap in abortion rights is growing across the country.

Why should legislatures make laws restricting abortion?  Because they can. It is elected representatives imposing their religious beliefs on the rest of us.  Thank God I live in California.

The map below depicts where abortion is currently most protected and restricted as measured by the Guttmacher Institute, a group working for abortion rights.

In this map More protections to the left (purple) and More restrictions to the right (orange tan).  Alabama is about to join the most restrictions group.

Donald Trump is likely to win a Second Term

There is no doubt that Donald Trump is the chaos president.  His executive privilege refusal to cooperate with congress, his white supremacist views, and his treatment of our most valued allies are just three of his actions and words that most people find unacceptable.

There are currently 22 people running for the Democratic Party nomination for president of the United States. That is a staggering number.  The Chicago Tribune listed all of them and tried in vain to tell readers why each was running.  Instead the paper provided links to the candidate’s web sites.

It is difficult to deny a president a second term in office.  In my life time the list of one term president’s is very short.

Jimmy Carter

There were three causes that denied him a second term. Carter served during a struggling U.S. economy that was suffering through high interest rates and inflation.  The most important thing was his an unsuccessful freeing of hostages from Iran that began in November 1979 and lasted for the remaining days of his term in office.

Gerald Ford

Like Carter, he served during a period of difficult domestic economic circumstances that included stagflation, or minimal economic growth during a period of high inflation. The country also encountered energy shortages during his tenure. In 1974, Ford granted a pardon to Nixon and this is a reason cited for his failure to win re-election.

George Bush Sr.

A struggling U.S. economy was attributed to Bush’s unseating.  James Carville’s “it’s the economy stupid” was the winning campaign slogan that enabled Bill Clinton to win.

 

Each of these one term presidents faced the same issue.  The economy!  If unemployment continues to be at a historic low rate (currently 3.6 % not seen since 1969) and the economy is flourishing in November 2020 Donald Trump will be a “shoe-in” to win a second term even if his behavior and words are appalling to many people.