Zumajim

For the past week, a huge, mysterious and kinda creepy looking mega-yacht has been moored off the Malibu pier, prompting hundreds of inquiries to the local news outlets. At first, I thought it might belong to the fleet of the evil Dr. Oracle (Larry Ellison), who often parks his giant sailboat where he can keep an eye on the beachfront property he’s redeveloping (site of the former Pierview Restaurant).

It’s a sinister looking thing and huge, at least 300 feet from bow to stern. I’ll bet if you tried to paddle out for a closer look, a team of Uzi-toting ninjas would launch from a secret hatchway on a zodiac boat to dissuade you. Either that or a school of sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads…

It turns out to be the property of a Russian billionaire, one Andrey Melnichenko, who likes to cruise the world with his supermodel wife. Evidently Mr. Melnichenko is a guy who likes his privacy, in as much as you can go unnoticed on a $300 million yacht. Read more about the yacht here, as long as the link stays alive. By the way, the boat’s name is “A.” (Not “B” mind you, just “A.”)

The non-profit group Portraits Of Hope assembled groups of volunteers to paint all of the LA County lifeguard towers from Malibu to Hermosa Beach for summer. A nice change of pace from that same old boring blue, dontcha think?

Memorial Day weekend was a record breaker for beach crowds at Zuma. Glad we skipped town for the slightly less crowded beaches of Laguna Niguel for a family gathering.

Passing through the intersection of Kanan Road and Mullholland Drive.

Today we caught a glimpse of the annual Amgen Tour of California as it wove through the mountains above Malibu. We drove up Kanan Road to the Mulholland intersection for a look. This was the final stage of the eight day race. While I’m not a big fan of cycling, I have to admit it has its moments: You see a lot of colorful guys in space helmets and mirror shades whiz by to the sound of cowbells and cheering. And then they’re gone.

Last year we had a closer look at the whole deal in Solvang where they held the time trial stage. The time trials are held over a closed loop route so the racers start and finish in the same area. This affords a much closer look at the riders and all of the support that the tour requires. Hopefully next year they’ll move it back there again.

You’re probably aware of all the steroid controversy surrounding professional cycling, if not other sports. Hardly anyone is surprised anymore when a rider is banned for juicing these days. It’s just a little weirder when the company that created the racer’s drug of choice (EPO or Epogen) also sponsors a major sporting event. Who knows? Maybe soon we’ll see British Petroleum sponsoring a surf contest.

Every now and then you spot something out of the corner of your eye that makes you do a double-take, and that maybe brings a smile to your face. Here’s a “prime” example. (And I promise to keep the puns to a minimum from here on.)

This PCH home near the infamous Moonshadows restaurant features a small corral on the roof, home to one life-size plastic Holstein.

Just one question: Is that pole-mounted camera for watching the waves or for keeping an eye on the “range”? Never know when them Malibu cattle rustlers will strike.

It’s been nearly two weeks now since little Emily Shane was struck and killed by a crazed motorist near the corner of PCH and Heathercliff Road on April 3rd. The roadside shrine in her memory is still there — a large bed of flowers, pictures and handwritten cards. I drive by it and have to look every time. Soon, the flowers will be gone and there will only be the ragged patch of iceplant where she died. But she’ll live on in our hearts. Earlier on the day she died, I had spotted her with a couple of pals walking near the very spot, on her way to a friend’s home to hang out. I was checking to see if my own son was with them.

Emily’s memorial gathering at the Malibu West beach club was heartbreaking. The small room, scene of so many happier memories, was packed to the walls with well wishers young and old, most of whom knew one another. I brought my young son. It was the first such event he’d ever attended. He took it pretty well although I don’t think the reality of losing a friend had set in yet.

Emily’s dad spoke eloquently at the memorial, challenging all in the room to do a good deed in his daughter’s name. I’ve made it my resolve to do more than one. The world needs and we all deserve a little more kindness. Rest well, dear Emily. Do a little tap dance for God when you get a chance.

With the school year finally ending last week, we now embark on our brief, wonderful summer vacation. The usual June gloom has been staying away for the most part — surprisingly, the weekends have been clear and warm thus far. The water is inching up to an almost-tolerable 65 degree average. That’s as good as we can expect for our area of the coast. The boogie boards are stacked in the driveway. The surf is spotty but we’ve had some decent swells in the past week.

Not much else going on in Malibu. (I’m starting to sound like Garrison Keillor!) We don’t particularly care for the new shopping plaza built on the site of the former Malibu Lumberyard, but that’s OK. Let the tourists come and buy their $200 cargo pants. Summer in Malibu is about the beach and taking it easy. So excuse me, I’ve got to get busy doing as little as possible.

OK, enough already with the 55-degree water temps! Can’t we get a 65° southerly current for just one weekend, please? Why do we have to go to San Diego to find water worthy of ditching your 3/2 full suit? Gah!

Came into the office at 6:00 AM (Pacific, of course) to watch the inauguration ceremony. I set up a streaming feed for the whole company to watch the ceremony via their desktop computers, so I have to babysit the system and hope 1000+ users don’t crash the entire network. That said, it’s a great day and I’m glad to be here nonetheless. The kids are staying home from school to watch with Mom.

It just dawned on me how truly historic this day is. Scanning the headlines, it’s obvious that most of the world thinks so, too. This is all quite a change from eight years ago. I’m really proud of our country once again.