21st ANNUAL BALBOA ISLAND GARAGE SALE

I cannot believe it has been so long since I blogged!!! I have had a busy winter with moving and other things. Don't forget to follow me on the web at www.balboa-island.com between my writings here.

We are coming up on the 21st Annual Balboa Island Garage Sale. It is a fun event for buyers and sellers alike. The Garage Sale starts at 7:30 am with coffee and water available from Starbucks and Sue Podany Prudential California Realty. And maps of all the sellers and what they are selling as well.

What: 21st Annual Balboa Island Garage Sale

Where: In the Alleys on Balboa Island

When: Saturday May, 7, 2011

7:30 am - 3:00 pm

MAPS AVAILABLE at 207 Pearl Avenue - DAY OF SALE ONLY!!

Information: 949.422.8570

PARK AVENUE CAFE - DRIVE IN RESTAURANT???

At 8:30 in the morning on Monday October 25 I heard a "bing" on my cell phone - it was a message from my friend Tom Stanton who has a computer repair business on Agate. He had heard a large crash and this is what he saw and sent to me!!

Apparently a driver had "lost his brakes" and spun out - driving through the fence at the Park Avenue Cafe - right where one of the most popular tables is. Dean Koontz used to have dinner right there on Monday nights - little did he know it could be life threatening. Luckily yesterday was cool and raining slightly so no one was sitting there. The

re is something to be grateful for.

A few minutes later they found the driver and the next thing we all knew - he was in a police car and off to Jail!!!

SUMMER ON BALBOA ISLAND

Hi to everyone who loves Balboa Island as much as I do. This summer has been a bit of a trial for me - but the sunshine is coming out in my life just as it does on Balboa Island. I had back surgery a few days after our wonderful parade. You can see some of the parade pictures on www.balboa-island.com.

I have new respect for the art of photography. Gar Travis, who generously donates his time to take pictures for my website arrived at 6:30 am the day of the parade to find a spot on the bridge where he would be able to view the parade and shoot the pictures from just the right angle. He waited there until 10:45 when the parade began and didn't leave until 1:00. The sun was hot, the crowd was large, but he persevered and loved it.

In addition to the images on my website, you can see more at www.garphoto.com Gar's site has over 60,000 images of everything from flowers to airplanes to the Renaissance Faire. You can tell he really loves what he does - and this isn't his job. It is a work of love and charity. Gar actually donates the fees for his work to various charities. Most involving children. I feel very lucky to know this man and to have his help every year.

BALBOA ISLAND PARADE

Directly from

www.balboa-island.com

THE 17th ANNUAL BALBOA ISLAND PARADE
Sunday, June 6, 2010
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
The theme this year is “Family, Friends and FUN”.
An Island tradition filled with Children on Bikes, Island Dogs,
Decorated Golf Carts and Floats, Vintage Cars, Keystone Cops, Drill Teams,
Marching Bands, Local Dignitaries and much more!
It’s the Island Way of Welcoming Summer to ALL!
So come on down to Marine Avenue and join us for a special day with
Family, Friends, and Fun
Our bridge closes at 10:00 am, so get here early.

BALBOA ISLAND ART WALK

It is that time of year again - May is our busiest month here on Balboa Island. First the All-Island Garage Sale, then the day we honor our Moms and this Sunday is the Balboa Island Art Walk.

In its 15th year the Art Walk has evolved from a few blocks of artists to Over A Mile of Art and Music on South Bayfront!! Debra Huse has done another great job of gathering Artists and Musicians to entertain and enthrall us.

A few years ago I bought a lovely painting by my neighbor Barbara Baumgartner. And last year I got some greeting cards from local photographers and Terry Lewis and Ralph Velasco. I use the cards all year long to send to friends and relatives on birthdays and other occasions. They love the beautiful photographs and I love supporting my neighbors. As a small business person I love helping the "little guy".

Come out and enjoy our Beautiful Balboa Island weather, listen to some wonderful music and buy a reminder of this fabulous day.

Living in The Ferry Line is Always Fun

I looked out my window last week and saw furry animals. Human size! Another movie? A prank? Who were these people dressed as giant animals getting out of a bright yellow truck?

I headed for the street with my camera to put the pictures on www.balboa-island.com, but decided they would be more fun here instead.

The two young people - a man and a woman - were headed for the fun zone to just have fun with the tourists walking around. I expect this in Hollywood, not here. They said they just did this for fun. For the look of surprise on the faces of children when they saw them. To make people laugh.

What a great, fun thing to do. You just never know what you are going to see when you look out my window. This is the BEST street to live on. Balboa Island is a great place to live - but this street "rocks" as my grandchildren like to say!

Garage Sale Wrapup

The All Island Garage Sale was a smashing success. The weather co-operated. There were more people walking and less people blocking the alleys with cars. I only had rave reviews from the participants. One lady did get a parking ticket that I know of for being in the red zone "a few inches". That is why I warned everyone over and over on my Craig's List posting to stay out of the red zones - it was an expensive ticket - $69.00 actually. Kind of takes the "bargain" out of the Garage Sale. I also mentioned parking off the island and walking with a wagon or biking in - I saw much more of that as well.

One lesson learned. A woman lost her wallet getting out of the car on Agate. She was flying home on Sunday and her ID was in her wallet. She had no other form of ID. I called the Newport Beach police and they said no one had turned a wallet in at the desk. The officer on duty told me that if the wallet had been given to an officer it would be logged in at property. The property room is only open weekdays from 8 am until 5 pm. So she could not get her ID before Monday if it had been turned in.

The officer continued that if she went to the police department between 8 - 5 even on the weekends she could file a Lost Property Report. Usually the airlines will accept that as a form of identification. I also posted her wallet on the "Lost and Found" page of www.balboa-island.com just in case. We have had things found as a result of the postings. And people on Balboa Island are an honest, internet savvy lot.

This was a great lesson for me. If I am traveling and need to have ID I usually take my passport as well because it is easier to put it in the holder and hang it around my neck. Then I lock it in the safe in my hotel room. Now I know why. I lose things constantly. And even if I lose my wallet or forget my driver's license when I show it for ID - I still have my passport as a safe backup. I guess it was a happy coincidence until now :)