“ C a l i f o r n i a ,
H e r e    I    C o m e ”

		If you read the previous page about “Parts Is Parts”, you have read the little ad that changed all of my thinking about what to do to be able to play Hauptwerk from a console or a facsimile thereof. The “advert” (as the British like to say) pretty much sums it up. I’m not sure how to tell if it’s a Klann console or not. It had been substantially modified. From the pictures exchanged with me, I could tell it was my very own “buy of a lifetime”. I really could not believe that the price was as printed. I feared a typo and that it was really $15,000! It had what I wanted to build my dream instrument. I wrote by email to the church in southern California to get any additional details that might not have been covered in the advertisement. About the only things I learned was that the “excellent condition” statement might be a bit of hyperbole, and a Musicom system was also in the console. I had asked about removal from a loft or chancel in the church. Luckily, a new digital was to be installed subsequent to the removal so the church would take care of it together with any expense involved. The time frame was also up for grabs. The removal and installation would take place according to the schedule of the manufacturer of the new digital organ. (Interestingly, the digital was to interface with the existing Casavant 23 rank organ already in the church. The console I was bidding on had controlled the Casavant, the Musicom, and an ancillary organ sound module. The organist was quite “forward thinking” in using cutting-edge organ technology.) I sent a formal offer for $1500. It was accepted with the understanding that I would write some appropriate legalese concerning me not taking the church to court for anything I might find lacking upon arrival to take possession of the console. I did quite a good job at that. The church organist, the agent with whom I had been corresponding, said that I seemed to “out lawyer the lawyers” with my letter. So now, I was ready to make plans for my trip. I checked airlines and found that a one-way ticket to Los Angeles was quite reasonable. Depending upon how far ahead one could plan, the price ranged from $114 to $159. I was able to settle in at $147 when the time came. Next I needed to check out car and truck rental prices. This is where I decided that I needed to get a loan. I mortgaged the house again, and borrowed the needed funds. The car for traveling from LA to where the console was north of San Diego was more than the flight, but not too much. The real shocker was the truck rental. The truck was priced right, but the miles (all 2200 of them) really cost! I was able to arrange rentals and hotel and motel accommodations and fuel for under $2400. I should have spent a little more on the hotel in LA. It was close by LAX, and I do believe that the hookers liked to use it to sell there wares. It was quite a noisy place, but I only stayed one night. Finally the time came in late November, 2003 to fly to sunny California. This would be my second time flying. I left early in the morning after Thanksgiving Day. The weather was cold and rainy. It was time for me to trust in the Lord. The trip took me first to Atlanta, and then on to Los Angeles. The first leg of the journey was bumpy. Rain the whole way. Of course, most of the time above the clouds was clear, but there was still turbulence. I was in Atlanta for about forty minutes and then on to Cali. More turbulence and bumps over the South. It finally smoothed out over Texas or Oklahoma. It was a great flight from then on. I listened to the Mp3 CDs I’d ripped of my complete Bach organ works while the rest of the people on the plane watched “Pirates of the Caribbean”. I watched occasionally, but I had been warned about the interesting performance of Johnny Depp. I did keep my eyes on the screen as the woman next to me decided to nurse her baby. I didn’t need to watch that. All in all, the trip was OK, but I would have liked to sit in a window seat to see the sights below. But what could I expect for $147? After deplaning, I went to where you pick up the car rental shuttle. I was really impressed with the tall palms moving in the warm breeze. I had left in dark, cold, and rainy conditions, and I was greeted with weather fit for heaven! It was glorious! I picked up my car and found my hotel. It was about 10:30 AM so I took a nap. I was quite tired.
		I had enough time so I decided to look for Marilyn Monroe’s grave. It’s in the Westwood Memorial Park. It was supposed to be just on a side street off of Wilshire Blvd. I found the side street and drove down it a couple times in both directions. That one, I couldn’t find. So I went back towards Hollywood and ate at a Wendy’s on Sunset Blvd! (I got a big charge out of it anyway.)
		I went back to my hotel and found that I was really tired. The night was really, really noisy. I won’t recommend that hotel to anyone. The next morning I studied my maps again, and set off to see more dead people. All of my friends thought I was a little off for wanting to visit cemeteries. I explained that I could get closer to these famous people in death than I could ever have while they lived. (Of course I don’t believe that I got close to any of these “people”. My view is that they cease to be “people” when they die.)
				I went to look for Marilyn’s last resting place again. I turned on the side street off of Wilshire. I followed the side street. Looked, and looked, and looked. No cemeteries that I could see. So, I tried again. I turned around and was about a half block from Wilshire. I said to myself that this is where it ought to be! I stopped the car, looked to the right, saw what looked like the entrance to a parking lot, and then saw the sign, “Westwood Memorial Park”. It wasn’t a big sign, but there it was. This was quite a meaningful visit. Not only did I see Marilyn’s crypt in the mausoleum, I also was able to visit many other graves. The grave next to the mausoleum (I guess it was just west of it) was Mel Tormé’s. I love “The Christmas Song,” (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. . .), so I stood there, with tears in my eyes and sang it softly.
		I stopped at Holy Cross cemetery, but couldn’t locate any of the graves I wanted to visit. The view looking west was quite a sight. It was worth stopping. I also wanted to pay respects to those who made me laugh so much: Uncle Milti, Jack Benny, Moe Howard. So I found Hillside Cemetery, but I was disappointed. Oy, goy! It was Shabbat! Of course the Jewish cemetery would be closed! Oh well, let’s have another goyishe meal, cheeseburger and fries at Wendy’s on Sunset Blvd. Again!
					Now I was off to Carlsbad via one more Forest Lawn. This time at Cypress. I’d see if I could negotiate that infamous LA traffic, and if I could follow my maps. This time I was rewarded easily. The freeways were fun, but complicated. It wasn’t too busy, though.
		I found Forest Lawn, Cypress on the first try. From the road, this place didn’t look like much. Compared to the Forest Lawn in Hollywood, this place was flat. But I went looking anyway. I was drawn to a large mosaic of the Ascension on the front of a garden mausoleum. The artwork here was truly stunning. I loved it. I found the rather ornate crypt I was looking for in an alcove just off the main entrance to the mausoleum. This was where Karen Carpenter was laid to rest. The mosaics and the crypt were the most beautiful I’d seen. Again, I sang a song softly to myself. This time it was from the movie, “Lovers and Other Strangers” (“Love, Look at the Two of Us” or “For All We Know”). I don’t think I ever saw the movie, but I loved the song. Of course, anything sung by Karen was good enough for me. This stop gave me a really warm spot in my heart. I decided that if I ever moved to California, this is the place where I’d like to make my last stop. It was late afternoon, so I started down the highway toward San Diego. By the time I got to San Juan de Capistrano, it was dark. I drove past a brightly lit shopping area. I was at first taken aback by the fence that followed the Interstate. It had what seemed to be a lot of birds stuck in the fence! I thought that it was a shame those poor little birds got entangled in the fence. Then I got it. Those were there because of the famous swallows that return to Capistrano on St. Joseph’s Day each year. Yeah, that’s the ticket! Continuing on, I kept trying to figure out what I was looking at in the dark to my right. I finally guessed that it was the Pacific Ocean! I got to Carlsbad and checked into my little motel room. The décor was “50s chic”. The price was right, though. The next day, I got up early to attend Mass. I got to hear the last music produced from the console I was going to take home. Since it was the First Sunday in Advent, we sang many of my favorite Advent hymns. The organist, with whom I had corresponded and talked on the phone, played quite a nice selection of what I like to call “Incidental Music”. His choir was quite good, too. After the dismissal, I made my way to the choir loft and introduced myself. He took me to a quick lunch, and we made plans for the next day when the consoles would be moved.
		I took an hour or so to go down to the shore. The church was only a block from the ocean. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the temperature was in the low 70s (Fahrenheit). I wanted to still have time to visit LEGOland and the afternoon was advancing. I got there about an hour and a half before closing. It had already started to cool off. I did enjoy all of the scenes designed from LEGOs.
				I thought the admission price was a little steep, but this would probably be my only chance to see this attraction. I bought all of my friends a little LEGO kit. It was a stylized American flag. I wanted one too, but there were only enough for my friends. I don’t think any of them appreciated what a bang I got out of those little kits. And none of them offered one back to me even though I let them know how much I wanted one. Some of my friends didn’t even put the kit together! Oh well, I was going to bring home the real prize the next day.
		I exchanged my rental car for a small truck (more like a small moving van). I chatted with the organist and a technician as they disconnected all of the wiring from the soon-to-be-mine console. The workers with a bobcat with a forklift arrived, and it was time to move the old out and put the new in. I had learned from my organist friend that the cost of this little switch was exactly $1500. They didn’t make much on this transaction, did they? The lifting of the old console was tricky. I suggested that they gently swing it so it would clear the railing in the choir loft. The ceiling didn’t allow for any more movement upwards. The organist kept saying that this was the way they got the console up there about eight years earlier! Finally, they took my advice and gingerly lower it to the floor of the nave. They had a dolly and we rolled it out to where my truck was waiting. The workers helped me lift it into the truck. I loaded the pedal board and the bench in myself and set about tying everything securely. The organist wanted to keep his old bench as it had a back on it and the new one didn’t. So, I ended up with a new bench that almost matches the console. He kept his old lighted, Plexiglas music desk, too. I was elated as I had what I wanted. Now, the taxing part of my adventure was to begin. I wanted to stay to see if they could get the new organ to sing. I lingered about for another hour, but there was much connecting to do, so I bid farewell to my new friend and sunny, southern California. I headed east. Only 2200 plus miles to go. That’s like going from Madrid to Moscow in Europe. Of course, I had nothing but the best Interstate highways ahead of me. From all the California reports I have received, my friend is quite satisfied with the two sets of electronic voices on the new digital organ. He says that the blend with the Casavant is great, if not swell! And he is elated with the functioning and build of his new console.