A heads up from Pat Minelli

Minelli

Our appreciation today goes to head editorial consultant Pat Minelli, for his diligence in following up on a story that appeared here a couple of years ago. Regular readers may recall that your hosts were wintering in Los Angles in 2012 when a severed head was found in a rustic area near their rental home. Stan had been hiking with Birdie there just before the head was found, after a dog shook it out of a plastic bag. Nobody ever claimed responsibility for it so the widely-reported head case gave us the willies for a while.

Naturally, we repeated this sensational story to you, but nothing ever came of it. Until now.
Today Pat forwarded this AP story, giving us some closure to this sad case.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police said Monday they've solved the case of a severed human head and other body parts found two years ago near the Hollywood sign.

Police announced the arrest of Gabriel Campos Martinez, 38, for the 2012 murder of Hervey Coronado Medellin, 66, of Los Angeles. Martinez was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday with the help of local authorities and is being held without bail while he awaits extradition proceedings.

Two women discovered Medellin's head while walking dogs on a trail in Griffith Park. One of the dogs, which was off its leash, had started to play with a plastic bag. When the dog shook the bag, the head fell out.

More than 120 police officers, firefighters and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies searched 7 acres of the park during a two-day search.

Another cadaver dog helped find more body parts, including hands and feet, near the same area where the head was discovered.

Police have said they believe the victim was killed elsewhere and his remains dumped just inside the park, which attracts hundreds of hikers and dog walkers on most days.

Although rustic, it is just a short distance from film studios and other Hollywood attractions.

Laurie's new Super-Duper Martha Stewart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Dinner at Laurie's tonight was prepared in her beautiful new Martha Stewart Super Duper Cast Iron Dutch oven. Laurie's guests, Stan, Hai and Katie, enjoyed a gorgeous beef roast with baked onions and carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, tossed strawberry salad with honey rice-vinegar dressing, fresh buns, green beans and a chocolate cake.  (Laurie apologized that the frosted layer cake was actually left over from last night's card party.)
The heavy Caribbean blue pot was put to work browning on top of the stove, then slid into the oven to finish the action. This is a mighty fine addition to an inviting kitchen. Thanks for giving us the first shot, Laurie!
We heard stories about Laurie's recent getaway to Las Vegas, but, alas, the photos apparently have to stay in Vegas, though she's promised to eventually forward some examples for publication in this journal . . . after proper clearance.

Anticipating

We're finally getting some warming and Birdie knows it. Going to be a big day today, a walk in the park, or at least on dry streets with temperatures rising to 45 degrees or more. Whooopeee! Then later she'll take a drive to Laurie's house for dinner. . . always a favorite destination.

Landlord/actor appears. . . briefly

High-powered attorney played by Rob Steinberg was enlisted to foil the FDA lawsuit.

 For the first time in our young and restless lives we watched a full hour of America's No. 1 soap opera today, just hoping to get a glimpse of Rob Steinberg. "The Young and the Restless," introduced in 1973, seemed to us to be mostly commercials, and very little Rob Steinberg, but after selflessly investing an hour in it, we got what we wanted.

Vintage popular soap.
Lots of commercials.

The gist seemed to be that the show's shady main character has problems with the FDA and he's hired a high-powered attorney (enter Rob Steinberg) to resolve this. Rob delivered his lines with just the proper blend of competence and subservience that would be expected of a high-end attorney serving a powerful client. He was on camera for a half a minute or so before being dismissed by his client, but we're sure the appearance will put bread on his New Orleans table for a while. And the legal problem is unresolved, so will Attorney Rob be called upon in the future to report back to his oily client? Sadly, we'll never know, because our interest in the "Young and the Restless" probably spiked today.
We'll ask "Restless" regular Lillian, Mom's 94-year-old housemate, to monitor the situation for us.

Exit stage right.
Will he return? Stay tuned…
if you can.

So who is Rob Steinberg? Rob Steinberg hopes that one of these days you'll know the answer to that, and he's working on it one bit part at a time. He had a role in the Academy's and the Golden Globe's Best Picture, "12 Years a Slave" and now he hopes to parlay that career boost into more and bigger roles.
But he hasn't quit his day job. He manages his big house in Uptown, renting its two apartments to short-term funseekers or snowbirds like us. We stayed with him this winter, enjoying the New Orleans scene and all the comforts, including the very latest movies, that Rob provides his guests.
Rubbing elbows with a someday, maybe, movie star was just a bonus.

Meanwhile, in warm places. . .

Santiago is built in a bowl so it traps the haze.
Don't know if exhaust is regulated.

Solveig and Bill are in Santiago, Chile, today, starting a three-week South American exploration. Here's a snap of the tallest building in Chile, its pyramid shape and height are dictated by being built on volcanic earth in earthquake country.
The photo above, by tour member Tom, features artwork applied to the aluminum siding commonly used to protect against the salty air in Vina del Mar, a seaside resort with 43 steep hills, a gorgeous bay, and creative, artistic residents.
Temperature in Santiago now is 82.
International Falls icon Wayne Kasich has finally broken free of his ice-encrusted domain, flying with his wife, Mary Ann, to a place he refers to as "Playa."
They're enjoying a good start to their vacation. Let him tell it:
We are just back from a morning walk on the beach. Hectic check in at the airport. Customs line was over an hour. Got to our gate as most passengers were already boarded. They called our names and we went to the gate saying "Now what?" They said "your seating assignment was changed." Our new assigned seats were Row one seats C and D. Very front seats in First Class. 

Two mimosas later we were very relaxed.
We like our condo. Big and clean. Great location for everything.
Went to the Dirty Martini last night. Two for one on Tuesdays. Large martini with Absolute and three olives stuffed with blue cheese. ($4.50) met lots of Canadians. Great time.
Life is 82 degrees good.

Wayne

__________________

Let's see.
Warm, buzzed, and going First Class. What could be better?
You deserve it, Wayne and Mary Ann.
Temperature in Playa del Carmen right now is 85.

Housebound trophy

Before

We're not just reading books and binging on "The House of Cards" during this protracted housebound cold spell, ya know. There's a bit of activity going on in the basement workshop.
A vandalized leather chair that we acquired from the Stonebrooke Clubhouse for $25 (at right) just got a revitalizing dye job in a "Bordeaux" tint, which hopefully picks up our woodwork. First time we've tackled a transparent dye applied to sanded, cleaned aniline leather. What do you think? Final protective coat goes on tonight.
Then we'll sit down on it for a while . . . wearing old clothes first. :)

Small World Dept.

Photo by Stan Rolfsrud

Curt Lindberg has settled into Welcome Home, the group home on Kell Avenue where Stan's Mom lives. It wasn't long before Curt and Beverly had discovered an amazing coincidence in the small world department.
It seems that in 1941 Curt was a freshman at Concordia College in Moorhead, and had a part-time job in the college dining hall. It wasn't a cafeteria back then, they served meals family style, with the food brought to the tables by student waiters.

Concordia grads,
Erling and Beverly Rolfsrud

The moment Grace was finished and the prayer leader had said "Amen," Curt and the other waiters burst through the swinging kitchen doors with heaping bowls and platters and headed for their assigned tables. Seated daily at one of those tables was the first married woman to graduate Concordia, none other than Mrs. Erling Rolfsrud. Though they didn't know each other then (she was a married senior, after all, he but a lowly freshman), there can be no doubt that at one time or other, Curt served Mom mashed potatoes and gravy.
They chatted about it today over a fine noon meal, brought to the table this time by Marcia, with everyone thinking about the roads both have traveled those many years, only to meet again at Kell Avenue in Bloomington.
Curt spent a year at Concordia, then after Pearl Harbor, joined the Navy, where he received a commission and then an engineering degree at the University of Minnesota. He briefly taught school in North Dakota, then Minnesota, then spent four ink-stained years at the Karlstad printing and newspaper company.
He finally got a job as an honest-to-goodness engineer at Honeywell and became a legend with co-workers and others for his brilliant, inventive work there. This we know because, in another small world occurrence, Stan's brother Virg golfs regularly with some retired Honeywell folks, and they all know, admire and have stories to tell about this same talented gentleman -- who started his career as a waiter in the Concordia College dining hall.

Actor/Landlord Rob Steinberg in "12 Years a Slave"

A clowning Rob signed off on our final payment.

Congratulations to Rob Steinberg. He appeared in the Best Picture of the Year.
Who is Rob Steinberg? He was our landlord in New Orleans. . . and the actor who played the part of the Yankee storekeeper who eventually rescues Solomon Northrop from slavery in "12 Years a Slave." Much of the movie was shot in New Orleans, we had a look at one of the location plantations.
If you still don't recognize Rob, you could watch him on "The Young and the Restless" on March 6. He makes an appearance in that long-running soap as a divorce attorney.
Now he'll have an Oscar mentioned on his resume. We think he'll be getting a lot more work… probably need an assistant landlord.

Rob Steinberg with Kathleen in our New Orleans apartment.

Virg's Birthday Girls

Amber and Aaron

 We were having so much fun we forgot to take pictures of tonight's birthday dinner. It's Cherice and Kim's birthday week so Virg invited us over for a birthday party -- he's in town for a few days.  Oh yes. . . he did our taxes for us too.
Kim spread a beautiful dinner for eight, roast chicken and trimmings, broccoli/rice cheese delight, a tasty squash dish for color, and a pear and cranberry tossed salad to die for.
We sang Happy Birthday over a Strawberry Chantilly cake. Then we voted on new paint colors for the dining, living areas.
Wow! A Saturday night dinner party and our taxes e-filed too. And we didn't even leave a tip.

Aunt Kathleen, da niece and da nephew, Cherice and Alex.