It’s summer and things feel a bit slow in Brentwood. I suppose that’s as it should be. It’s summer. But if you look hard enough, there’s always something exciting going on.
There was a little excitement the other day when a water main broke on San Vicente at the corner of Montana, where Jamba Juice is. The water flowed profusely for a little while, then DWP workman arrived at the scene and quickly brought things under control.
DWP is now talking about upping its rates. A big chunk of the rate increase would go toward repairing our water infrastructure. I think we should all support this initiative; we can’t just let all our water mains crumble.
My wife and I recently started capturing a tiny bit of water that otherwise would go to waste. We got a portable rubber tub that’s used to hold ice and beverages during backyard parties. It has two handles for easy grabbing. I think it cost something like $3.99 at Party City on Pico, just west of Bundy.
Anyway, we put this rubber tub in the shower to capture water as we wait for the water to warm up. Our shower heats up quickly, so the amount of water we collect seems small on a daily basis.
Then we grab the rubber tub by the handles and walk it outside, where we empty it into a plastic watering can. The rubber tub bends nicely, allowing you to form a funnel, making it easy to pour the water.
We then take the rubber watering can and use that to water some tomato plants my wife is growing. I’m sure the water we are saving is tiny, but it really does feel good to do this. Try it, you’ll see. Saving water is exciting!
Then things got really exciting a few mornings ago when my wife and I woke up early to the loud squawking of what sounded like a duck. A duck? How could that be?
But indeed, upon opening the front door, there was a mother duck outside, with a little duckling close behind. The mother seemed in great distress and kept squawking and walking around, as if looking for something.
Then, out of nowhere, two more ducklings popped out of the bushes and joined the other two. Then the mother and three babies took their time, walked down the driveway, turned right – and out of view. For the minute or two this entire episode lasted, it was all pretty exciting.
And here’s some exciting news: Maria’s Pizza is back and open again in Brentwood Village. The place closed down for quite some time for renovations. I stopped in the other day, it seemed a little quiet, like the people of Brentwood didn’t know Maria’s is back. Well now it is.
There’s another new place called Alfred’s, a little coffee shop attached to the Fleurish floral shop at San Vicente and Montana, across from CVS. When I first saw Alfred’s, I wondered how a new coffee shop could possibly make it in Brentwood, there are so many already. But there is nice outdoor seating and the summer weather – plus the coffee, I’m sure – all seem to be drawing a nice crowd.
On Aug. 1, local veteran activists are hosting a gathering called The Fifth Annual Veterans Summer Celebration & Picnic in order to honor all veterans – but especially those who served in Vietnam. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the end of that conflict.
Many of those who served in Vietnam endured a lot of excitement they wish they hadn’t. One of the speakers on Aug. 1 will be 83-year-old retired Colonel Ken Hughey (Air Force) who was a POW.
It does seem like Vietnam veterans got a pretty raw deal upon their return. Post 9/11, those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have returned to something of a hero’s welcome. And certainly that was the case after WWII.
But Vietnam was a particularly divisive and unpopular war. It seemed like society practically blamed the soldiers themselves for participating. But that wasn’t fair – many of the soldiers who served were drafted against their will.
And many who fought thought they were doing the right thing by joining. If our leaders said we had to go fight, many heeded the call. Should they have been blamed for this?
Whether you agreed with that war or not, we can all agree most of the folks who served in Vietnam received the short end of the stick upon their return. Many got pretty messed up and many are still homeless after all these years.
In a small way we can recognize these folks by attending Aug. 1. In addition to Vietnam veterans, there will be veterans from WWII, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
I’d like to close on some really exciting news. One of our ace Brentwood News summer interns from a year or two ago, Kelsey Allen-Niesen, was recently accepted to Northwestern. She’ll start this fall. Kelsey just graduated from Brentwood School.
At Northwestern she’ll join Brentwood News intern alums Jessica Leader and Paulina Millafirozi. Good luck, Kelsey!
