” A Study Abroad Retrospective, Visual Tales from Eire and England, by Laguna College of Art and Design students.”

It’s one of the biggest parties in Laguna Beach as the city celebrates their  renowned First Thursday ArtWalk.

It’s a self-guided tour of gallery openings and museum receptions that starts as soon as the galleries open their doors to the public with special artist demos, exhibitions, music, dance and much more.

Bring a jacket and wear comfortable walking shoes, as you wind your way down Pacific Coast Highway.  There will be wine to sip and goodies for grazing too.

The tour starts at the North end of Pacific Coast Highway, just after you enter Laguna, goes down to the central business area on Forest Avenue, and then continues on down South Coast Highway. It’s an exhilarating walk filled with art!

Before you start, make sure to take a look at the Artwalk Gallery listings on the site. You’which ll find gallery sites that start on North Coast  Highway which also includes the Laguna Art Museum.

Next, there is the Central Downtown group on Forest Avenue  and finally, there are more galleries to be reviewed on South Coast Highway.  Check the Shuttle Map too for the trolley that is on hand throughout the evening.

Every time I go to this ArtWalk, I come home and put it on my calendar for next month.  If you can’t make this Thursday, pencil in one of the following dates: March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2, Sept. 6, Oct. 4, Nov. 1 and December 6. You’ll be pleased that you did.

Just one example from the many exhibitions and galleries is  Joanne Artman’s Gallery with America Martin’s solo exhibition. Martin is a Columbian-American fine artist based in Los Angeles.  Her third solo exhibition is appropriately named “Exuberance,”  capturing her amazing works of pure joy. Her favorite landscape is that of the human form which she celebrates with vigor in line and color.

Footnote:  The Laguna Art  Museum Annual  Auction 2012  is on this Saturday night, Feb. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m.

They’ll be hosting a fast paced live auction offering over 100 premier California artists’ works in an exciting silent auction.

Also, there will be sampling of cuisine from such well known local restaurants such as French 75 and Pelican Hill, select wines,  a live DJ with live art performances and an after party with dessert and cocktails which will complete this major museum fundraiser.

Street parking is available along Pacific Coast Highway in front of the galleries and the downtown parking structure is located at Glenneyre Street.

Southern California Holidays come in many flavors. I was reminded of this on Sunday as I headed down Pacific Coast Highway to catch some of the festivities.

On my right, the surfers were in the water. On my left, a couple just as vintage as their rare old red MG, sped along, top down, Santa hats bobbing, scarves flying. Then out of nowhere a biker in full Santa costume zipped past! Obviously late for an appearance!

For me, that’s what makes a Southern California Christmas so much fun – you never know what you will encounter. The snowflakes may be miles away in the mountains, but nine times out of ten, the spirit will be here!

Sample that spirit with Orange County’s many festivities:

Roger’s Garden is a good place to start. Known to be a spectacular holiday wonderland, the gardens were filled this past Sunday. And right in the midst of all the lush décor two miniature trains were speeding around tracks threaded through a flaming red poinsettia garden. Every little boy there stood glued to the spot, along with lots of dads, reliving days gone by. I’m sure they all wished they could recreate this scene at home.

Roger’s Gardens also has the most prime collection of holiday flowers, Christmas trees and wreaths, collector ornaments, and gourmet foods. It’s a perfect staging ground for holiday parties. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., now through December 23^rd. Santa shows up from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends. In Corona Del Mar, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Drive.

Next, you might visit The Original Fish Company in Los Alamitos. Famed for attracting celebrities and great reviews, this is a natural for dinner with friends. As you leave be sure to pick up some party fare from their fish market counter. Check all of their recipes at their site. The Crab Quesadilla and Salsa is the best. Open Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 10 pm. At 11061 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos. Take the Katella exit from the 605 Freeway North.

For holiday entertainment, It’s A Wonderful Life becomes This Wonderful Life, at the Laguna Playhouse. Frank Capra’s classic film is superbly interpreted with James Leaming portraying Old Man Potter, George Bailey, Clarence the Angel and Mary, now through December 24. (No evening performance on Christmas Eve.)

Next stop, a visit to Christmas past at the Heritage House in Santa Ana. Take the family and enjoy an afternoon exploring California history. The Kellogg House is one of several buildings from the 1890’s sitting in the midst of 12 acres of gardens and citrus trees. Filled with rare antiques, it’s beautifully decorated for the season. Open Fridays, 1 to 5 p.m., Sundays, 11 am to 3 pm at 3101 West Harvard, Santa Ana.

Last minute stocking stuffers can be rare gifts at reasonable prices in Laguna Canyon’s. Crystal Image, 2171 Laguna Canyon Rd., offers an unmatched collection of fossils, crystal and minerals with prices starting around $15. John Barber Glass Designs, 21062 Laguna Canyon Rd., will be offering refreshments, entertainment, and a studio clearance sale on December 17-18, 10 am, 6 pm. Blown glass balls make special gifts, or festive decorating accents.

The ultimate Christmas tree is lit every night at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, in the plaza near Bloomingdales. Since the eighties it has been recognized as one of the largest decorated trees in the country.

Its located in Newport Beach at 401 Newport Center Drive.

Whatever you choose, we wish you a Merry Holiday!

A local artist, Jorg Dubin, melds reflection alongside respect with his sculpture that has two steel beams salvaged from the debris of 2011. Appropriately, the 8 foot tall beams are in their 9/11 corroded state, and great chunks of concrete are bonded onto their surfaces.

Dubin positioned the beams in perhaps the the exact way they were found, upright after the day that shall live in infamy; at an angle and supporting each other. They are installed on a five sided base representing the Pentagon. A polished stainless steel ball symbolizes the world, while a planter box reminds the observer of the Pennsylvania field where Flight 93 crashed in the 2001 tragedy.

The beams were donated to the City of Laguna Beach from the New York and New Jersey Port Authorities respectively. Their transportation and installation was funded by a donation from Laguna Beach resident, Mark Porterfield.

The City Council of Laguna Beach, unanimously commissioned Dubin to create his sculpture. In his application for the commission, Dubin described his viewpoint:

This is not a Jorg Dubin sculpture: rather it pays homage to the memory of an event. A place for individual reflection, quietly understated, yet powerful in its symbolism and juxtaposition of materials.

Reflecting on his mission, Dubin quotes T.S. Eliot:

And so each venture is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate, with shabby equipment always deteriorating in the general mess of imprecision of feeling, undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer by strength and submission has already been discovered once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope to emulate- but there is no competition- there is only the fight to recover what has been lost and found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions that seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss.

For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business………..

Monument Point in Heisler Park is an easy walk down from Cliff Street. Metered parking is available on the street.

Each campsite has an ocean view and half of the sites have hookups for water and electricity. I was there on a mid-day, during midweek recently, and definitely envied the comfortable and ensconced world of all of the happy campers. They had all the perfect spots at the perfect park.

Several months ago we brought you a visit to Crystal Cove, first sharing with you the breathtaking views that range from its rugged wilderness to its pristine beach. The park is tucked between Newport and Laguna Beach–and straddles Pacific Coast Highway–so close to the urban world, and yet so beautifully removed.

Three miles of lovely white sand, and 2400 acres of wilderness attracts scuba and skin divers, tide pool explorers, hikers, joggers, bikers and campers.

But now the park has outdone itself with the addition of this fifteen million dollar project upgrade.

As one pleased young mom who was camping with her family said, ”Now we can have this wonderful ocean view from our campsite, and walk to the beach morning and evenings for $50 a night.”

So, if this sounds like your venue, you might want to check the reservation information and start dialing the reservation number, 1-800-444-parks now. Park officials suggest you make your camping reservations early, and they say the area will draw a thousand visitors a day. Although I must say when I was there it did not feel crowded, it has the same Crystal Cove hushed silence in a tranquil space that I can ever recall.

The famed Crystal Cove Beach Cottages are also available for reservations. Numerous films, including the popular Beaches, were shot here. Now you can choose between individual or dorm style rentals, in the restored 100 year old cottages here. It’s a gorgeous piece of California history preserved and available to be experienced and enjoyed.

The Shake Shack, on the edge of the park has also been redone with a redwood deck.

This longtime Coast Highway tradition still has the same great date shakes everybody remembers, plus a new burger menu. Now owned by Ruby’s Diner, it’s an easy right swing off Pacific Coast Highway if you are headed South, or close by the trails if you are in the park. Just look for the bright yellow umbrellas.

Background on the New Moro Campground

The state has owned this land for 30 years. For years this site was known as the El Morro Village Trailer park. Five years ago, plans for the campground were activated and some 300 families had to move out of the mobile home park, after vigorously fighting the eviction.

In 2009, the budget crisis put the campground on hold; but last year the work started again. With the completion came, along with it came some 18,000 new native California plants, replacing many non-native plants, and clear water streams. It’s a new chapter, one worth your time.

The scene when you first enter the park is pictured above.

As you see the grandeur and beauty of the ocean now so could Joe Brown, the park’s namesake, back in the day. Joe Brown was a third generation Laguna Beach resident. In his own words:

It all began when my grandfather, Charles Bergfeldt, a businessman from Kansas City, but an artist and painter at heart, discovered Laguna Beach in the 1930’s. After his wife died, he remarried a businesswoman who had a millinery shop in Anaheim, California, called The Mary Millerick Shop. During World War II, they would drive to Laguna Beach for weekends. Problems with gas and tire rationing, and a very narrow, winding canyon road prompted them to think about buying a place in Laguna. So it came to be that “551 South Coast Blvd.,” as it was called then, became a part of our family. My father would sit for hours watching the ocean view; it was a dream come true, and I believe that it added at least ten years to his life. My wife and I spent our honeymoon over 40 years ago at “551,” and the last trip we made, shortly before her death, was to see Laguna and “551” one more time and just look out over the ocean.  Source: My Hero

In 2002, an El Niño destroyed the beloved “551.” So what did Joe Brown do? He conceived and developed a park where the house had once stood. So, instead of selling the property, worth an estimated $2 million dollars, Mr. Brown donated the land to the City of Laguna Beach. Today, everyone can enjoy the view that the Brown family enjoyed for 50+ years.

When you first enter Brown’s Park, you’re immediately drawn toward the carved metal fence at the end of the walkway.

After reading the inscription, the ocean calls:

Upon heading back to the sidewalk, you notice the chairs and table you failed to notice when you first passed:

Just before you pick up the book to browse its contents, you quickly realize that these are bronze statues, entitled “A Tranquil Moment” by Jason Kopydlowsld. Many a weary and tired visitor surely has rest their tired bones on these two chairs.

Here’s a poem written by Joe Brown’s father wrote 40 years ago which is relevant, topical and true to the present day:

Browns’ Park – A Legacy

Let me live in a house

by the side of the sea,

Where men and women wander by

Where there’s beauty and grace and excitement that’s free.

On the beach, in the sun let me lie.

Let me listen to the ocean’s melodious roar,

and its rhythm, so soothing to hear,

As the foam-covered waves

seem to reach for the shore

Under skies that are sunny and clear.

To Joe Brown, his father’s words meant a lot more:

Probably these words, more than anything else, painted for me a legacy that this small strip of land on the oceanfront should be made available to everyone as a public park in perpetuity. This donation will mark the end of a long and wonderful stewardship that my family and I have experienced. It will mark a new beginning: one where everyone will be able to enjoy the wonders of nature in one of the most beautiful spots in the world.

So, if you’re ever on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, look for Brown’s Park just south of Ocean Avenue. While Travelin’ Local, there’s no place like home or a place that’s meant for you to be at home.

Laguna Beach has the distinction of being the second oldest town in Southern Orange County.  In 1900, Laguna Beach had approximately 5 families struggling to make a living via farming.

Because its lack of water and land was ill-suited for farming, the founding Laguna Beach families decided to rent its property to surrounding inland communities to escape the summer heat. Thus began Laguna Beach’s dedication to tourism, which remains the mainstay of its current economy. By the 1920s, Laguna Beach was discovered by a group of landscape artists who laid the foundation for its art community, which still thrives to this day. Over the years, other groups have celebrated and discovered the magnificent beauty and artistic culture of Laguna Beach including hippies, yuppies, rock stars, movie industry professionals, business executives, beach lover’s and everyday people.

View Laguna Beach Walk in a larger map

In Travelin’ Local’s inimitable tradition, I took a walking tour of the Main Beach area for today’s Walk My World Virtual Tour. Known the world over for its splendorous beauty and artistic community, I highly recommend a visit to Laguna Beach’s beaches, parks, galleries, unique boutiques, and great restaurants. Feel free to click each of the yellow markers to enjoy the local flare. For my next Walk My World Tour of Laguna Beach, I’ll be walking its other outstanding areas and neighborhoods.