A Busy Saturday

It has been some time since I experienced a Saturday packed to the gills. Last Saturday, August 22, was definitely one of them.

At 8:45 am sharp, Paul woke me up to be ready for the 11:00 am rendezvous at Gail's. We were going to carpool to Dody's house, so as to be driven to Carmel to have lunch at Woody's, Carmel. It was one of our monthly lunches in Santa Cruz or Carmel since this past June. Our host Arline who resides at the Pacific Meadows next door, has not been doing too well these days.

Purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis) at Woody's, Carmel

On our way to and back from having lunch with Arline, we three, Ann, Gail and I, were treated with Dody's encyclopedic knowledge of Carmel. It turns out that she lived and worked there for five or six years in the early 70s. She knew almost every street, shop, and school in Carmel which had preserved itself so well that everything stayed pretty much the same today. She drove us to a shopping center where Barnyard still stood tall and proud. It is Dody, instead off Meg Waite Clayton, that should write Typewriter Beach. By comparison with Dody's tour guide, Clayton's description of Carmel is at once anemic and weak. 

After Paul picked me up at Gail's drive way around 3:00 pm, we both breathed a sign of relief, once home, thinking we could now relax and go on with our weekend routines. Little did we know that it was the true beginning of a busy Saturday. 

Awaiting me in WeChat was another message from my sister. In addition to the recent passing of my late uncle's wife Aunt Yao, and hereafter funeral, my mother's youngest sister was ill and in treatment. It seems to answer the saying that misfortune never comes alone. We were all mourning for Aunt Yao who was so beautiful, gentle and kind to our family throughout her life. Meanwhile, we are especially close to our little aunt. She used to babysit me by reading me many bed stories, while my grandmother and sister were out of town to visit my uncle in Shanxi. 

I gathered myself together by starting to clean our our house, and laying dinner components. As soon as I completed my last touch, my brother Ying called from Hong Kong. I motioned to Paul to have his dinner without me, and spent next 45 minutes on the phone. We did quite an unusual amount of reminiscences, including my newly awakened understanding of the big niece relocating to Seattle, and subsequent move of her parents. It seems that history does repeat itself. I could see my reflection nearly four decades ago in her coast to coast relocation. Sometimes we just have to follow our hearts, despite unknown consequences or successes. 

Now that the cat was let out of the bag, Ying imparted some inside story of my little aunt's condition. He had been aware, under oath, of her illness in as early as last April. Fortunately it was in caught in the early stage. Both of us more or less sighed another relief. 

As usual, Ying is reliable, supportive, and understanding. I shared with him Paul's new venture with Good Day Mockingbird. 

The moment I finished the last bite of my late dinner, phone rang again. It was Nick with his two kids. We facedtimed another hour or two, and had rare sighting of Lee Anne who is a birthday girl today. Happy Birthday!

What a busy Saturday with fully packed news and events, sad and happy all at once! This is life, I guess.

See You Next June, Paulie!

Eight-year-old Paulie went home with Baba Nick last Monday evening, August 3. A summer with the Boys and Girls of Santa Cruz County officially came to an end.

As usual, having Paulie is a refreshing learning process for Papou Paul and me. He is a bright boy, open and friendly. But he has his own unique foibles. Visiting the Mystery Spot was his first field trip this year. Instead of experiencing strange natural phenomena, he insisted on shopping in the gift shop, a family tradition. But he did not have a single cent with him, for this trip was approved unexpectedly without our prior knowledge. As a result, he cried all the way, thus ruining the pleasure of fellow companions as well as his own. He was penalized to stay indoors for the next week. Typical of Paulie, he behaved stoically and obediently to wait out his punishment. Perhaps, such a punishment is worthwhile, for the rest of summer, he received nothing but highest praise from director Alice and staff members. Even the inability to go to the Boardwalk due to the limit of age 9+ did not dampen his spirits, although he suffered from a mysterious stomach bug that very day, according to a call from his nutritionist. I picked him up at 3:00 pm, in order to allow him to avoid the return of excited Boardwalk customers.

Writing Words Field and Cloud in Chinese

At home, Paulie showed a first-time interest in language learning. Owing to the influence of his classmate/friend Jonathan, he wanted to study Chinese, so he could visit China soon. Together we all but completed Book 1 in My First Chinese Word series. Frustrated in the complex strokes of characters, he would moan and complain, but finished his writing assignments nonetheless. Now that Paulie is home, Baba Nick will take over the baton of teaching.

Paulie is well-versed in animals, a special trait since age three when he came to stay with us for over two months. This summer, he covered 24 books on mammals, marsupials, and rodents. He was fascinated with National Geographic Kids' Go Wild. As our local library did not have complete or enough stock in the series, we resorted to Link+ to obtain the needed titles. Paulie was willing to participate in reading aloud with me. His division of labor was him reading the right side of the book. In addition, he showed his partiality to Dr. Seuss by reading his The cat in the hat, How the Grinch stole a Christmas!, and What pet should I get?

Swimming Class at Simpkin

Courtesy of Titangos Photography

Paulie was active in physical exertion as well as in mind. His Papou signed him up for a two-week Simpkin's swimming class. After the class was over, they made several trips to the pool themselves for further training and coaching. Before dinner, there would always be a scooter practice on Chanticleer Lane, rain or shine.

Evening Scooter Practice

What a great summer, what a good beginning in a boy's life! See you June 2027, Paulie.

Happy Birthday, America!

Cowered by the valiant Memorial Day travel effort by Don Miller, editor of Santa Cruz Sentinel, Paul, Paulie and I learned our lesson by staying put this July 4th which happened to be a big 250th birthday. After a brunch of hot dogs, the three of us ventured out to as far as Pleasure Point. It was a calculated risk. The Point might be a ground zero for fireworks after dark, but could be quiet in the daytime. 

Two Paulies at the Point

As usual, the Point never disappoints us with its beauty, hospitality and vitality. Crowds of people were seen gathering there, chatting excitedly, while a couple of sheriff's deputies were busy dissembling a mobile signage unit. A first-time Pleasure Point mini parade just completed, we were told. A slight regret washed over us, but did not stick. 

Pleasure Point Bouncing House

Turning around, we saw a colorful bouncy house standing right there. We could not be more pleased, for Paulie had been bugging us to buy one every time we went to Costco. Losing no time, Paulie dashed over and jumped at in for at least three sessions, surviving both an accidental shutdown (powered turned off by a parking truck across the street), and rowdy teenagers. 

Paulie Bouncing Solo

After the bouncy house, we did our usual Point to Hook, and back to Rockview walk, fully soaked with sunshine, ocean breeze and contagious joys about America's 250th birthday. Before evening fell, we left the Point reluctantly. To continue our festive spirit, Paul charged our bubble machine for Paulie to enjoy in our backyard. For dinner we treated ourselves to the traditional corn on the cob meal, ready for the fireworks! 

Backyard Bubbles & Frontyard Fireworks Watching

Happy Birthday, America!

Goats Are Back to Neary Lagoon

As soon as we were back from Madison, WI, in June, I walked to Neary Lagoon to see if there was any goat action. As luck would have it, I saw a City Parks and Recreation colleague setting up chicken wire fences along the wooden ramp. 

"Are goats are coming?" asked I.

"Yes, they are coming this Friday. But they are not goats this time, but sheep," the colleague informed me. 

I was overjoyed nonetheless. Since 2016, our family has been following those diligent goats that tackle and clean wild grass and bushes in Neary Lagoon. As long as they can graze, I really did not mind if they were goats or sheep. "How long are they going to stay," I asked again. "Until next Friday," he replied. I thanked him profusely, and left fully content. It turned out that we had goats after all this year. Moreover, two Pauls and I returned to the Lagoon more than once. 

This Year's Goats

We loved to see our browsing friends for multiple reasons. Annual grazing goats have been the Lagoon's maintenance guardians for many years. They do a much more thorough cleaning job than humans. After goats who have stripped and uprooted weeds and shrubs, the land has a better chance to recover and be nourished with goats' rich droppings. Their work not only benefits the land, but also provided a golden opportunity for winged creatures, particularly countless swifts who were darting from one direction to another, delighted at catching disturbed insects that had nowhere to hide, but to be devoured. 

Leni in July 2023, Neary Lagoon

Visiting Goats is an integral part of our family tradition. Since 2023, Paul and I  have been taking Leni, and now Paulie to the Lagoon, in order to let them learn firsthand about their four-legged friends, in addition to their pet hamsters and rats. Two siblings have indeed developed a tender love for those lovely animals, their habitats, family bonds, and love.

Paulie Feeds His Favorite Doe 2026

It is always exciting to see our annual grazing goats return, but sad to see them leaving when the two sides of the wooden ramp become poignantly quiet and empty. Only their dark droppings, and stripped twigs remind us of their quick visit and thorough cleaning work. 

See you later, our friends

NASIG 2026: A Year in the Making

On the night of June 5, Paul and I landed in San Francisco Airport. We both heaved a sign of relief and triumph, while waiting for our shuttle to the Burlingame Airport Parking. A year of patient planning and efforts finally came to an end. 

For some reason, the NASIG 41st Annual Conference (June 1-5, 2026) holds special significance to us. Unlike worthy undertakings such as the magnificent Yellowstone as Dr. Sawhney had kindly suggested, the trip to Madison, Wisconsin embodied several milestones for both of us. It is another great test for Paul's endurance after our March visit to Dallas. It is also a dream coming true for me, after writing about American political scientist and the first legislative reference librarian, Dr. Charles McCarthy (1873-1921). His profound influence over the California State Library is detailed in A bright star over the California State Library: the life and work of Laura Steffens Suggett  Since our conference took place at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Union, we saw first hand Dr. McCarthy's alma mater where he received his Ph.D. in 1901, with the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in the not so far distance. 

Wisconsin Capitol Building 

I picked out and attended a series of interesting workshops such as 

• Cataloging Comics and Zines
• When the Past No Longer Serves You: Updating ER Workflows and Procedures
• Teaching Old Data New Tricks: Using AI to Solve Legacy Metadata Problems in Serials and Government Documents
• AI-Suggested LCSH Creation for Print Library Materials Cataloging Workflows
• Impact of Transitioning from IP-based to Federated Access: a Case Study on Reducing Support Requests
• Understanding Wikipedia's Epistemology, etc.

A Team Working on AI-Suggested LCSH Creation

NASIG is not all about attending sessions, and meetings. It is truly fun to mingle with other attendees at its reception evening, ice cream socials, and vendor interactions. If you can form an intimate circle of like-minded folks, it will be incredibly inspiring. We are fortunate to have formed such a group that consists of David F. from University of San Francisco, Paul and me. Three of us sampled many an eatery along State Avenue, and beyond like Ahan Restaurant at 744 Williamson Street, where David treated us both. 

Paul and David Studying Ahan Menu

We were finally picked up by the parking lot shuttle, and then FSD-ed to our house. Mountains of work was awaiting us. At the Work-front: I was embracing meeting preparation for the June cataloging meeting, weeding, and spending against multiple deadlines of fiscal year. At the Homefront, Paulie was coming to live with us the day after. He is to join his Boys and Girls of Santa Cruz County. There would be more challenges and joys, as usual.

End of the Old Guard: Rene's Retirement

On 16 April 2026, we had a retirement party for Rene Belling after her 37 years' working at Santa Cruz Public Libraries (SCPL). It is truly a giant milestone to any new comers. 

Courtesy of Mike Zulim

Rene's retirement marks the end of the old guard at our former Processing Team which consisted of four full time employees, two for print and two for media at Technical Services (TS), now Collection Management Services (CMS). Since December 1999 when I started working at TS, the team had been reduced to two people who later morphed into copy catalogers. Rene was the last standing old guard after the retirement of her book counterpart Jeff in 2023. Now the team is succeeded by two young catalogers who are assisted by a team of ad hoc processors. 

Rene, in floral blouse, with three CMS managers, Shelley, Sarah and Margaret

 Courtesy of Mike Zulim

In honor of the end of an era as well as her long service, Rene invited all SCPL's old guards, local and mobile. The guest list included three directors, three CMS managers, and her coworkers within and outside CMS. A retirement party turned into an unintended SCPL reunion. Everyone in the department was asked beforehand to contribute, either cash, food or labor. For my contributions, I donated some cash, two army-sized trays of chow mein (chicken & vegetarian) and a big bowl of home fried rice. Looking around so many hungry mouths, I was a little relieved to see my noodles and rice having some mileage, before they totally disappeared. 

Victor with his ubiquitous trivia game

 Courtesy of Mike Zulim

As usual, there was a farewell choir and Victor's trivia quiz. My saving grace was the presence of ex-Head of Cataloger Dody and Collection Development Manager Gail. We three chatted at our table and decided to depart before the quiz winner was announced. The glory belonged to the winner and party honoree. 

Our table doing trivia (Dody, Michael and Gail)

Happy Retirement, Rene! Farewell to the old guard!!

Overusing Localities in Recent Titles

There has been a trend to overuse local references when writing about a story or incident in a particular place. Examples of such phenomenon are too abundant to list them all.

Courtesy of https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Cannabis-author/dp/1954118627

Recently I have read two books in a row that demonstrate this tendency, i.e., Meg Waite Clayton's Typewriter Beach (2025), and Scott Eden's A Killing in Cannabis (2026). The former has literally exhausted place names like Carmel, while the latter, has exploited to the last drop place names like 38th Avenue (Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, California). The writer's reference to 212 Fern Street, the late Tushar Atre's cannabis business site, is truly unprecedented. A palm-sized building renovated from an automotive shop has suddenly been elevated to an enormous business empire building. The author mentions the street number countless times in a 370-page book. I would totally surrender myself to the description, if Paul did not have his studio right across the street for more than 20 years, or if we did not shop at Santa Cruz Costco and pass it by it weekly. 

Courtesy of https://www.amazon.com/Typewriter-Beach-Meg-Waite-Clayton/dp/006342214X

Meg's Typewriter Beach followed suit by referring constantly to Carmel-by-the-sea and Carmel Point. The word Carmel alone has been used 90 times, whereas Point, 62 times, in a 305-page book. It was, however, surpassed by Nina Simon's Mother-daughter Murder Night (2023). Elkhorn Slough, or simply Slough, is used 99 times in a book of 357 pages. Such a fondness for overusing local references might be characteristic of any out-of stater or transplanted authors, perhaps in order to endear themselves to both local readers and publishers. 

Courtesy of https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65646968-mother-daughter-murder-night

There is a commonality to all those titles with distinctive real places: powerful Silicon Valley tycoons, LA high-powered real estate moguls, or reclusive Oscar-winners descending upon, residing at, or immortalizing humble places like Fern Street. While in awe of recent titles for local authenticity and colors, we are wondering if there is an underlying insecurity or lack of deeper knowledge of local history. Heavy makeup is always a tell-tale sign of the desire to hide. More often than not, overreliance on limited named places shrink the universe of a character or story. No wonder, most activities conducted by Gemma and Sam take place no further than the Point in Typewriter Beach.

Visiting Dallas in March

Paul and I visited Dallas from March 5th to the 11th. It was an overdue visit, as we did not go last year, when it coincided with our busy preparations for the 50th reunion in Shanghai in April 2025.

Unlike the scorching August heat that we often experienced in the past 30 odd years, the weather in Dallas this time was actually quite pleasant. We were even drenched by a couple of heavy downpours. As the main freeway I-635 has more or less been restored to its normal state, the travel time was significantly reduced from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to our hotel adjacent to the LBJ Freeway.

The main purpose of our visit was seeing and spending time with Paul's sister Crissie who resorts mainly to a scooter to move around her apartment. To go out for a dinner or other entertainment, she needs to get help into a wheelchair, for her battery operated scooter is simply too heavy to be transported with a vehicle. With the combined effort of her daughter Nikki, Paul and me, we managed to have dinner at Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, a Greek Restaurant. Two days later, her plan to visit a dinner-theater was aborted, due to her miscommunication with a receptionist. Hence, we settled on dining with at her Sunrise facility.

We saw Rob and Nikki, two of Crissie's five children residing in Dallas. Despite torrents of change in their respective lives, they both seemed to cope well with their new situations. The relationship between the two appeared to be thawing as well. It is so good to see them taking extra care of their mother by visiting her more often, and reinforcing their bonding. This is particularly true of Rob who shares the same intense interest in tennis as his mother. He is like a walking encyclopedia powered by AI on tennis, in the know of many nuances that would escape most of us laymen. It turns out that tennis, like golf, goes on all year round. Crissie, on the other hand, watches major tennis matches with gusto and a good memory. She is watching less news this time than before, which is beneficial to her health.

Rob watches one of tennis matches at Indian Wells 2026

A week in Dallas came and went before our eyes. The week back home was quickened too with a week long heat wave, work and family calls. There has not been a dull moment.

Gary Kurutz, a True California Librarian, Historian and Writer

I am deeply saddened at the passing of Gary Francis Kurutz (1948-2025), after learning it first on Facebook and confirmed by BrittneyDawn Cook, Editor of the California State Library Foundation (CSLF) Bulletin. 

My association with Gary is relatively short, compared with his other longtime associates and colleagues. The catalyst is Harriet G. Eddy (1876-1966), the first organizer of the California County Library System, and one of the two assistants to the 9th State Librarian James L. Gillis (1857-1917). Guided by Dr. Michael K. Buckland at Berkeley, I was researching and writing about her since 2018. Upon the completion of two years' writing, I was contemplating about its prospective publishers. Dr. Buckland advised me that the Bulletin would likely accept a paper on Eddy, if it had some new material in it. Also it was an open access journal.

At the kind recommendation of Cynthia Mediavilla, emeritus professor at University of California, Los Angeles, I contacted Gary Kurutz, Editor of Bulletin in August 2020. Gary read the manuscript and was interested. He would like to include it in Bulletin #129. Owing to the imminent COVID-19 and overlength of the manuscript, he revised his publishing plan by turning it into a special edition, with his ingenious and tireless efforts in securing the needed funding. Edited professionally by Pat Morris and Gary himself, the 2021 Special Edition is a beautiful and classic tribute to Eddy, an unsung heroine in the history of California libraries. Looking at the official publication, the quiet Gary could not help cheering loudly to Dr. Buckland, "We are very pleased for you, Michael! Harriet lives on!" (Re: Beautiful! On Sat, Jul 17, 2021 at 10:51 AM) 

Gary's 2021 Special Edition published!

During the process of revising, rewriting and proofreading, Gary and I maintained in constant contact, mainly by email. On August  22, 2020, he shared with me his lifelong dream plan, "It has been a goal of mine to create a pictorial history of early library service in California. Those photographs of makeshift library buildings and libraries sharing space in general stores are an amazing story. The dedication of the traveling librarians like Eddy makes me admire their valor. It must have been very frightening on some of those roads long before AAA and service stations every few miles."

Gary was a staunching supporter of creating and preserving early library service in California. Two years later I completed an article on Laura Steffens Suggett (1874-1946) under the close guidance of Dr. Buckland. In January 18, 2023, I emailed both Gary and BrittneyDawn, the new editor of Bulletin about the manuscript. As one of the two assistants to Gillis, Laura was a California library pioneer, and contemporary of Eddy. Gary replied three days later to unequivocally endorse the Laura project as our biblical-heroine, even though he had retired from the position of Editor of Bulletin. Little did I know that Gary and Laura both served as the Head Librarian of Sutro Library, from 1979 to 1980, and 1917 to 1923 respectively.

Thanks to two editors of Bulletin, Laura's story is out for the public

As a true California librarian, historian and writer, Gary guided me generously to the rich resources California State Library (CSL) housed, such as the California History Section at the CSL, his pictorial article entitled, It's a Long Trip from Headquarters (Bulletin #92), and his exhibits celebrating Early County Library Service in California. 

Gary was a loving husband, caring father and proud grandfather. In March 17, 2021, he was all excited that his son, daughter-in-law, and baby granddaughter would drive from San Diego to Sacramento. Since their arrival time was at 2:00 AM, Gary and his wife were understandably concerned about their safety. He was happy again that that in July that year, the son's family would join them to spend time in South Lake Tahoe.

Gary was a true admirer of natural beauty in California. He wrote more than once to show his love for Santa Cruz where I live and work, its surfing culture, and tourists from all over the world. "Santa Cruz must be bursting with visitors. Several people in my neighborhood have told me their trips to your beautiful community. How fortunate you are," wrote Gary in August 20, 2020.

We miss you, Gary. So does California, its mountains, forests and beaches.

Revisit Magical Capitola

Last Thursday, Paul suggested that we revisit Capitola. Even though the City of Capitola is only two miles away from our home, we had not been there since the devastating storm of 2023 that broke its Wharf midsection, and destroyed the structures of both Capitola Boat and Bait, and the Wharf House Restaurant. The monster storms also damaged many businesses along the Esplanade. 

Being a stranger in our own neighborhood, we found ourselves lost the moment we parked our car at one of the three-hour metered spots in front of Margaritaville. There were no other parking spaces, but a tall sign a short distance away, indicating the area we were in, forthe ParkMoble app. To get a better cell phone signal, Paul went to the sign and entered from scratch his credit card number, and other essential data to update our seldom-used app.

View from Stockton Bridge

Our first destination was, of course, the restored Capitola Wharf. The moment we approached the wharf, a tranquility transcended on us, along with a revelation of its refreshing modernity. The grimy portable toilets were replaced by three ultra modern bathrooms at the entrance. Going forward, we found the wharf seemed much wider than before with the bouncy and strong new boards. 

The End of New Capitola Wharf 

The Bait Shop was open for business in a semi-tent and under-construction building, while the end restaurant was gone forever. Everywhere you could feel the pride of locals who had kept their new wharf spanking clean and well-funded. They made substantial contributions by immortalizing their families or loved ones' names in bronze plates drilled into the lookouts, benches, railings and front metal banners. The pristine telescopes installed on both sides were new, and in perfect working condition. What a magical transformation of the Wharf!

We ventured along the Esplanade. All the businesses seemed to be there, displaying a collective resilience after damage from several storms in recent years. Further down Monterey Avenue, we reacquainted ourselves with Britannia Arms, the old British red phone booth, Geisha Sushi, and Thai Basil Restaurnt.

Britannia Arms, British Phonebooth, and Geisha Sushi in the back

Capitola is the Carmel of Santa Cruz County, known for its neat and quint boutique shops and houses. as one could glean from its one-room historical museum on Capitola Road, or residential homes and rentals along Riverview Drive. A feel of magic and pride was again deeply felt and permeated the magical village.

Capitola Historical Museum

 

Old Riverview Court & Historic Capitola Cottage