Thanks to skyrocketing oil prices, I finally decided on a hybrid. No, not the environmentally correct automobile: a hybrid commute involving biking to work on certain days of the week. Three good reasons made me stop driving and start bicycling. One: The prohibitive price of gas. Two: Squeezing exercise into my busy schedule. Three: Boy, do I hate getting stuck in rush-hour traffic on my drive home. As luck would have it, Thursday and Friday are the slowest days of my work week. Those also happen to be when the evening commute is at its most congested. Ergo: the perfect bike-to-work days. It all began Thursday, May 1, the day that ‘Iron Man’ opened in theaters. I remember thinking how ‘Iron Man’ this new biking experiment of mine was going to be. As in ‘Iron Man Triathalon,’ since my commute spans from South Beverly Drive to Via de la Paz. First, I had to chart a route. Every great traveler”from Marco Polo to Vasco de Balboa”had an itinerary. While not the Lewis and Clark Trail, biking from the Beverly Hills area to the Palisades, in car-dependent L.A., is practically uncharted territory. Finding the easiest path cross-town from Brentwood was daunting. That first Thursday, I took Allenford over to Sunset, which is scary enough. But try pedaling west along Sunset to Chautauqua with no sidewalks in sight and traffic racing toward you. It feels like you’ve come across the Daytona International Speedway mid-race. After some trial and error, I charted an excellent path that followed Olympic to Linnington, down to Tennessee, over to Barrington, north to San Vicente, west to Ocean, down to West Channel, then up Chautauqua to Sunset and into the village. The Secret Weapon: Tennessee, an aptly named lush, leafy, low-key avenue that”as I glide across it on a golden morning, the shafts of sunlight piercing through the foliage”reminds me of what Mark Twain felt like on the deck of his home along the banks of the Mississippi. You can almost hear the ‘Deliverance’ theme twanging. Quiet and residential, this sleepy little street offers few pedestrians (‘obstacles,’ as I call them), even fewer cars, and smooth sidewalks. Biker friendly. The Crown Jewel: San Vicente Boulevard. Surprisingly level in both directions (with a bike lane), San Vicente becomes pleasant as you leave the commercial area and ride towards the Pacific, echoing the Quai de la Rape’ along the Seine. Mornings across Brentwood are glorious, with minimal obstacles because shops are closed. If there’s a Battle of the Bulge, it’s Chautauqua. No matter how fit I get, I will not bike up this behemoth”vertical and winding with speeders. No thanks, these calves of steel will walk it. Sailing home down University High hill, I feel like George Bailey from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ when I see cars stuck on Barrington. I can’t help but think, ‘That could be me!’ as I whiz along on my bright blue Kona Aloha. I’ve recognized some regulars on my daily route. There’s the woman who always crosses Olympic near Century City as I come along (should I take this personally?), and the guy I call ‘The Godfather of Brentwood’ with his bad comb-over and blazer, talking up his ‘associate.’ Then there’s the dude on the restaurant patios who looks a lot like Red Hot Chili Peppers’ lead singer Anthony Kiedis. That’s because he is Anthony Kiedis. For a guy often photographed shirtless, the private Kiedis is quite preppy-looking. I first saw him dining, be-sweatered, at Pizzicato’s sidewalk tables. A week later, I spotted him at the Peet’s on Gorham with nary a beverage. And so, I accosted him”like some space alien with my helmet and shades”inviting the internationally known pop singer (a famous alumnus of Fairfax High, my alma mater) to talk to the Palisadian-Post next time his band played town. ‘OK, but that won’t be for some time,’ he said, accepting my card. Translation: ‘Not a chance, sucker!’ Nevertheless, it was still a cool encounter. Petty adventures aside, I consider my hybrid a success. At 12 miles each way, I’m biking 48 miles per week. When I started riding, gas was at $3.52 a gallon. Today, it averages $4.69. As my car gets 30 miles per gallon, I’m pocketing $72 a month, which I can put to better use on groceries, phone bills, the occasional haircut. More significantly, by the time I arrive at work, I feel refreshed. Recently, friends have remarked that I look thinner. But riding is not only good for the body, it’s great for the mind. That solitary down time is crucial”some of my best article ideas come together on my bike rides. Beyond pinching pennies and burning calories, riding a bike is splitting the difference between walking and driving. You really experience things when you walk around town. You don’t experience much driving through with stereo blasting and Sim card burning. A bike allows you to truly enjoy the commute, keep in shape, and jump off, if you like, to meet a Chili Pepper.

From Skydivers to Singing Kids, the Annual Americanism Celebration Entertains Thousands

By early morning on Independence Day, rows of chairs lined the Pacific Palisades parade route, but the afternoon’s festivities were kicked off with the noontime VIP luncheon at the Methodist church courtyard on Via de la Paz. At the garden party for parade participants, honorary mayor Gavin MacLeod was reunited with his ‘Love Boat’ wife, Marion Ross, this year’s grand marshal. Dressed in a white pantsuit, Ross, best known as Marion Cunningham on ‘Happy Days,’ arrived with real-life hubby Paul Michael. She is no stranger to the smile-and-wave. She has participated at the Hollywood Christmas Parade of years past, and grand marshaled parades in Encinitas and her hometown of Albert Lea, Minnesota. ‘I’m so busy being an icon, I haven’t got time to work,’ Ross joked with the Palisadian-Post before leading the parade in a red Thunderbird convertible. Just after 2 p.m., a team of skydivers, including one female paratrooper in pink, descended onto Sunset Boulevard at Swarthmore, as awestruck crowds packed the corners. Mere minutes after a precision landing, one of the divers, Rich Piccirilli, told the Post that he pin-pointed his plummet by opening ‘the small parachute first, the big parachute last.’ Let’s hope none of us will ever find ourselves in a pinch where we should have memorized this information’ Curbside, families and friends in their lawn chairs enjoyed beverages while watching the parade head up Via de la Paz and snake down Sunset Boulevard. Jim Buerge, the parade’s lead donor whose dealership, Buerge Ford Chrysler/Jeep, provided many of the featured vehicles, rode through in a (appropriately colored) burgundy 2008 Mustang hybrid. From his horse-drawn carriage, PAPA president Rob Weber said, ‘Perfect weather, perfect parade. It’s great to see everybody out here today.’ Dozens of children, from the Palisades-Malibu YMCA kids, singing an apt Village People hit, to a busload of pre-teens atop the Chabad of Palisades bus, entertained parade-gazers. A busload featured the slightly older Theatre Palisades dramatis personae smiling and waving. Newly minted Chamber of Commerce president Antonia Balfour, with family, floated by in a ’77 Excalibur convertible. An LAPD officer whizzed around on a Segway, while firemen from Station 69 drove through in a fleet of firefighting vehicles that included an early 20th-century fire truck. A different kind of fleet featured about a dozen little girls on pink bikes, and about 60 Patriotic Pups came padding along Sunset. Several people on horseback, including a couple dressed straight out of the Old West, marched down Sunset, as did the fantasy costumed Lindsay Cravy atop Zahara, her 16-year-old Arabian. Other notables: Palisadian and Olympian Carl Lewis, gliding by in an orange Mustang convertible; City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo rode with his two sons; County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky; and State Assemblymember Julia Brownley. Throw a parade, and all kinds of crazy characters show up. Ask the Westside Rentals warrior, who skulked around town like an extra from the movie ‘300.’ The original Bozo the Clown may have passed away last week, but parade clown Bill Prachar didn’t miss a beat, performing his circus antics to the delight of kids young and old. Prachar has honked his hip-side horn in the parade for many years, albeit with some help at past parades. ‘It’s a great community thing to do,’ Prachar said. ‘We used to have a whole clown corps and I’m the remaining clown.’ Watching from the sidewalks, some citizens gave back as much energy as they received from the procession. With a shirt boasting a large peace sign and holding her chihuahua pal Baby Shorty Girl Gordy, Valerie Robeson, a veteran attendee of 20 parades, enthusiastically cheered the passing cars while getting her brethren spectators pumped. ‘With me out here,’ she said, ‘I just get everybody going.’ Ron Schectman, who came down from Thousand Oaks with his wife, has attended the parade on and off for three decades. ‘I was gonna wear a hat from the 1976 parade,’ said Schectman, who brought his kids to the parade and now comes with his grandchildren, too. He remembered seeing then-honorary mayor Adam ‘Batman’ West riding on a float during the bicentennial year. A group of seniors and their caretakers, representing Sunrise Assisted Living of Pacific Palisades, watched the parade in style along Via de la Paz. Several feet away, Evita Rose, 1, struggled to stand up to see the Lancers, a 115-person marching band from Mankato, Minnesota, strut their stuff with a combustive combination of music and choreography. Many along the route shook and grooved as the New Orleans Jazz Band Traditional energized the crowd with its infectious Mardi Gras-style reverie that included beads flying into the hands of lucky parade-goers. Having the most fun on this festive occasion were the kids. Keith Gray, 5, has never missed a Palisades parade in his life, and there he was again this year, dressed in star-spangled overalls fashioned from vintage flag material, waving his American flag. Farther up Via, Cosima Auermann, 11, found her spot. On Sunset, Carolina Boltiansky, 11, watched with brother Brian, 8, and his pal Jackson Collar, 8-and-a-half, as local boys Tommy Lutz and Louie Friedman wailed on their saxophones as part of the local Oom PaPa Band. Decked out in an Angels uniform, Jaden Stauff, 1, waved her flag vigorously alongside sister Madeline, 3. Inevitably, the parade ended its run on Toyopa Drive, where a row of backyard barbecues”including the Buerges’ annual worst-kept secret”kept the hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and good will coming, and fostered a party atmosphere that continued straight up to the fireworks unleashed at day’s end.

As part of their normal duties, firefighters at Stations 23 and 69 on Sunset often facilitate airlifts for stranded hikers in the Santa Monica Mountains. Captain Dan Thompson (Station 23) and his fellow firefighters want to remind people that even if a hike up to the waterfall in Temescal Canyon seems simple and doesn’t require planning, common sense and a few preventive measures should still be used: 1. Know where you plan to hike and the difficulty of that trek. If you are unfamiliar with the trail, research the route and approximate the time that it will take. Several years ago, several hikers got lost on the trail that links Will Rogers State Park and Temescal Gateway Park, which necessitated a search party. The cost of the rescue efforts could have been avoided if these hikers had used a map or checked with a park ranger. 2. Be aware of the local wildlife, especially rattlesnakes, and learn how to avoid them. 3. Weather changes during this time of year can be dramatic, so dress accordingly. Before dusk, the sun on the mountains can be hot, which means that overdressing can lead to overheating. After dusk, the temperature drop can cause discomfort to people who are unprepared and become stranded. 4. Always bring water and, if you are hiking with children, make sure they are drinking it, too. During hot afternoons, dehydration is a dangerous possibility. 5. NEVER HIKE ALONE. There is a greater chance of becoming lost or sustaining injury hiking alone, so go with a buddy or a group. Additionally, always tell a friend or family member where you are going and when you plan to return. 6. Carry a small flashlight or a light stick. ‘It helps us find people at night,’ Thompson said. 7.’Firefighters have seen many people hiking through the local mountains carrying only their cell phones. ‘They’re relying on the phone to get them out of trouble,’ Thompson said, ‘but there’s no reception in many areas of the mountains.””””’ Following a few simple tips can help keep a hike fun and prevent it from turning into an unplanned airlift.

Pacific Palisades artist Cheryl Kline won a Certificate of Excellence Award at the Portrait Society of America’s 10th Annual International Portrait Competition. Her portrait, ‘Heather,’ was one of 32 finalists out of more than 1,200 entries from around the world. Winners were honored last month in Philadelphia at a black-tie dinner, which attracted more than 800 guests. The Portrait Society of America is a nonprofit organization that aims to foster and enhance an understanding of the practice, techniques, and applications of traditional fine-art portraiture and figurative works. The organization’s international presence facilitates an impressive roster of members, including presidential portrait artists Raymond Kinstler, Daniel Greene, Burton Silverman, Nelson Shanks and David Lefell. Kline’s signature ‘California Caravaggio’ style is reflected in ‘Heather,’ and developed as a result of many years of classical training. She studied with noted artist Jan Saether for two years and at the Florence Academy of Art for five summers. She is also known in the local community for her dramatic sky paintings, and has exhibited at galleries in Malibu and Beverly Hills. In 2007, the painter opened The Kline Academy of Fine Art, a hybrid space incorporating the classroom, studio and gallery. The Kline Academy fosters classical painting instruction in a setting where the attitude is noncompetitive, and each student receives individualized assistance. Students usually begin with ‘Foundations In Classical Painting,’ an ongoing class with initiation exercises to learn how to handle paint. Other classes for intermediate and advanced painters include Portrait Painting, Figure Painting with Hal Yaskulka, and Explorations in Contemporary Art with guest artists, Plein Air Painting with Gary Blackwell, and, this summer, a children’s art program. Kline’s Academy is located at 3264 Motor Ave. Contact: (310) 927-2436; visit www.klineacademy.com.

By Stephen Motika Palisadian-Post Contributor A book that could be read cover to cover in a couple of minutes? That’s what Edwin Newman did on the six o’clock NBC local news in New York City with Aram Saroyan’s first poetry collection some 40 years ago. Self-titled, the book, published by Random House, featured 30 short poems typed on letter-sized pages of the author’s own design. The longest poem was 14 words, the shortest just one. It was one of these single-word poems, ‘lighght,’ that caused a huge uproar when selected by George Plimpton for the second volume of ‘The American Literary Anthology,’ resulting in a cash award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Saroyan received a check for $750, which enraged members of Congress and fueled Jesse Helms and others to attack the NEA for paying hundreds of dollars to an artist for spelling a word incorrectly. Now, with the publication of ‘Complete Minimal Poems’ (Ugly Duckling), Saroyan’s poems are receiving acclaim in the pages of the New York Times Book Review, and he received an award from the Poetry Society of America. Saroyan reads from this and other works at Village Books on Swarthmore on Thursday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. Saroyan, 64, was raised bicoastally, spending a couple of years on Maroney Lane in the early 1950s when the ranch homes in upper Las Pulgas Canyon were first being built. In an interview with the Palisadian-Post, he remembers it as an ‘idyllic neighborhood for a young kid.’ When his mother moved him and his sister to live in New York, he likens the initial shock to ‘Hey, what the hell happened?’ As he grew older, Saroyan began to appreciate the city, and after a couple of attempts at college, found himself trying to find his way as a poet in Manhattan. Now he looks back with affection and wonder on the minimal poems he wrote in his early 20s. ‘It was a good beginning. I got into being in the world in a minimalist way,’ he laughs, noting that the poems represent ‘a young man in his room and at the door to his room. It’s curiously domestic work.’ He describes the poems as a result of a ‘cross-fertilization going on’ in the New York poetry community of the mid-1960s. Saroyan’s own interest in Black Mountain poets, such as Robert Creeley, was coming into contact with the ‘playfulness’ of the New York School poets, epitomized by his friend Ted Berrigan. Additionally, Saroyan became aware of and inspired by visual artists such as Andy Warhol and Donald Judd. He believes that the ’60s gave us permission to be more playful, that there was a reaction to the high-modernist poets, William Carlos Williams and e. e. cummings.’ His experimentation, with a typewriter and marijuana, resulted in a collection of minimalist poems, as much to be looked at as read, that now seem a forerunner of everything that followed in the 1970s, including experimental poetry and the visual artists’ play with language. The poems, such as ‘a leaf/left/by the/cat/I guess’ and ‘the radiator, the radio louder,’ exhibit Saroyan’s warm humor and generosity of spirit even while practicing great economy. Random House published his second book of poems in 1968, but by then, Saroyan had left it all behind. He says: ‘It was 1968, one of the darkest moments in history. There were the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. Five hundred American lives were being lost every week in Vietnam. Playful minimal poems weren’t striking the right note.’ Saroyan met his future wife, Gailyn, moved to Massachusetts, and tried to ‘get on with my life.’ He didn’t return to writing until 1972, when he and his family settled in Bolinas, in Marin County, where they lived for the next dozen years. He embarked on an ambitious writing career, producing novels and nonfiction, including a biography of his late father, the playwright and fiction writer William Saroyan, and a book about his mother, Carol Matthau, and her friendships with Oona Chaplin and Gloria Vanderbilt. After three years in Connecticut, Saroyan moved to Southern California in 1987and now lives with his wife in Village Green, at the foot of Baldwin Hills. He has recently been pursuing playwriting, which he finds to be very satisfying for the immediate audience reaction, as well as teaching at USC. Even though it has been decades since he wrote the minimal poems, Saroyan appreciates the renewed interest in the work. He took an active role on the design of ‘Complete Minimal Poems,’ insisting that the poems be typeset using today’s technology, the computer. This time the poems appear as though they were written using a word processing program, rather than on a typewriter, and the book includes headers, footers, and page numbers. Saroyan wished for the poems to appear in a new way, having already experienced publishing the work with the typewriter typeface and wanted to ensure that a contemporary reader felt comfortable picking the book up. One suspects that he wants to share his history with the next generation. He says, ‘I see those early years as a kind of cognitive self-notation in the moment in whatever environment I was in. I was waking up in the world.’