1973-75Pacific Palisades

Pacific Palisades 1973-1975

1973

Cornelius was scared of school when we arrived in the Palisades, he feared he had forgotten his English. But somehow he managed and had no real school problems. Susanne had to go to Junior High at Sunset Blvd and Mandeville Cy Rd, a most disorganized school trying to cope with the most confusing and rebellious three years in a child's life. Suschen was a head taller than her classmates and though not more intelligent more mature than they. In addition the school psychologist made us aware of Susanne's dyslexia. After much agonies about what to do, the psychologist recommended and helped to advance her one year (which was to shorten Junior High to 1-1/2 years for her) and Barbara succeeded to enroll her in the remedial classes at UCLA Frenault school for dyslexic children. A difficult time for her and her mother. Finally I suggested to give Susanne a camera, because I felt that she would be good at "seeing". And she was. - Junior High came to an end for her in June 1974, in the Fall she went to Pali High.

Renaissance Fair April 1973 with the Grohses and Illa and Carolyn Forrest

The Renaissance Fair had been around for several years. Every Spring all the Flower Children would congregate on a beautiful oak-studded property near Thousand Oaks to sell their handicrafts, dance, smoke pot, play theater, and make love and music. Everyone attending was expected to get dressed up in English Renaissance finery and speak Elizabethan English, many did. I don't remember when we went there for the first time, 1970 or 71? - the festival did not have the greatest reputation in the beginning, too much drugs, too much sex.... But by 1973 it had become organized by a special (commercial) foundation which did leave the destival's spirit largely intact. In the late afternoon, after the crowds had gone, the "performers" played for and with each other...

Renaissance Fair 1973, Carolyn, Illa, Anneliese, Gerhard, Barbara

Renaissance Fair 1973, Water gourds and the little daughter of the gourd maker

Since the place was perfectly safe we sent off Susanne, Cornelius, and Peter on their own, only agreeing to meet for lunch at a certain shady spot. In the photo Gerhard is anxiously looking for his son. It was here that we learned to let go of and trust each other, and never to panic when we couldn't find one another. We always met again after a while, like with a sixth sense.

Dancing girls

The Serbian Musicians

Renaissance Fair 1973, The Shakespeare Stage

In the afternoon Queen Elizabeth I - always the same aging red-haired actress - was, with much pomp and music, carried throughout he grounds to the theater where she ordained noblemen, speeches were given in old English, and tankards of beer were emptied.

There were three more stages. On one Shakespeare plays were performed in abbreviated versions, very bawdy, very fast, lots of fun and rumpus - and of course, at the end everybody lay dead on stage.....

Cornelius July 1973

Carolyn, Napa 1973

Carolyn, Sarah Bott, Illa in Will Rogers's State Park, Pacific Palisades 1973

Ecki, Reinhard, Alain, Jochen, and Christoph Unger in Pacific Palisades

May, July, August, and September 1973

1973 was the year in which Susanne fell in love with her cousin Ecki from Hamburg and Reinhard his friend. Eventually Alain joined them. They first appeared at the beginning of May and took Susanne to Disney Land for her birthday. Then they vanished on a tour to somewhere only to reappear in June for another 10 days. Alain joined them in July - and all, including Gerd and Jochen returned a fourth time in September to attend the celebrated Prokul Harum Concert at the Hollywood Bowl... Suschen will have to relate the details of that summer herself.

Jochen, Rolf, Eckard 1973

Alain, Purzel, and Anneliese, 1973

During this summer I had to go on a string of business trips to Albuquerque and Washington, and I now have to ask Barbara continuously for advice, my memory of these events is spotty. Barbara had also invited Christoph Unger from Lucklum and somehow I managed to join Barbara and the children on a three-week camping trip through California in August. On this trip we discovered Bliss State Park at Lake Tahoe, Virginia City in Nevada, and found a genuine gold and garnet necklace in a junk shop in Silver City.

Susanne with her new camera, July 1973

Cornelius, Barbara, Christoph Unger, July1973

California Camping Trip with Christoph Unger, August-September 1973

Granite Lake above Lake Tahoe, August 1973


A magical afternoon at Lake Tahoe, August 1973

Mono Lake Summit, Camping with Christoph August 1973

Cornelius studying the atlas, early 1974

Susanne,Cornelius, and Christoph, August 1973

In the Fall Cornelius joined AYSO, the American Youth Soccer Organization and soon became an excellent goalie. Later I was inducted to be the referee for his games - I tried hard not to embarrass Cornelius with my abysmally poor soccer knowledge.... Susanne discovered the business aspects of baby sitting - which brought her between 50 cents and 1 dollar an hour! And in a grand-slam fancy she played serious tennis with Monica - for a while.... And more successfully, in December she went to a (rather dubious) ski-camp in Mammoth with her school.

In December I had again uncomfortable heart arrhythmia and one of the doctors I consulted "discovered" my slightly elevated blood pressure - I had had that at least since 1956, but nobody had considered it important. Now new studies showed.... Anyway, after a strenuous battery of tests (which every time drove my blood pressure sky high) I was given some anti-hypertension pills, which in one form or another I still take.

1974

My Parents Visit, February 18 - March 27, 1974

In February 74 my parents arrived for their second visit. Half the time they stayed with Gerhard and Anneliese in Palos Verdes. As family get-togethers go this was the most successful and harmonic of their three visits, Father was still flexible, Mother tried hard to help Barbara to smooth over the old barely hidden rifts in our family fabric, we undertook extended trips to Pasadena, and the desert, and Marianne Daeg staged a grand-style dinner for us..

Father-and-Mother Idyll, looking at our photo albums, 1974

Father, Mother, and Barbara with another photo album, 1974

Anneliese and Gerhard, Huntington Gardens, Pasadena 1974

Father explaining desert plants to Barbara, Huntington Gardens, Pasadena 1974

Dinner at the Budke-Daegs in Los Angeles, Jürgen Budke, Mother, Gerhard, Marianne Daeg in full regalia, Father, Barbara, Rolf, 1974

Mother and Gerhard in a serious discussion, 1974

Evening at our house, Father preoccupied with another photo album, Gerhard, Mother, Susanne in night gown eating!, Rolf, 1974

Excursion to the desert, Picnic at Joshua Tree Nat. Monument 1974, Mother, Gerhard, Father, Susanne, Peter and Cornelius, Anneliese

I will reproduce the pictures from the last two hours on the airport without any commentary. They speak for themselves. Who pressed the shutter? Anneliese? - Meine armen Eltern.

Farewell at the airport, 27 March 1974, Rolf, Father, Barbara, Mother

Rolf, Father, and Gerhard at airport

Towards the very end Mother demanded an "Eisbecher mit Schlag" her remedy for frayed nerves.

Father and Gerhard, Barbara and Mother in a typical pose....

Mother eating ice cream with whipped cream to cool her excitement.....

Ilse Stauffer in Pacific Palisades, April 1974

Dietlind Giles and Melanie, Ilse Stauffer, 4 April 74

Ilse and Cornelius playing recorder

Annual Rituals - Skiing in Mammoth March 1973 and April 1974 with the Pays

Over the years a sequence of annual rituals evolved : Skiing in Mammoth in March or April, the Renaissance Fair in April or Mai, a camping trip or a visit to Germany in the Summer, Baja California over Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas.... We eagerly looked forward to each one but to none more than to skiing in Mammoth. This one week in the high altitude sun was worth three weeks on the beach in the summer.

In February of 1971 Barbara had taken us all to Mammoth to learn to ski. Together with the Ladages and their 2 Children we had rented an A-frame house on Old Mammoth Rd for a week. Barbara and the children took lessons in down-hill skiing. I plowed my own tracks through the woods and the desert. February had turned out to be cold and dark, we spent too much time in the dusty cabin. So after our return from München we tried skiing first in March 73, then 1974 in April, the altitude above 2000 m guaranteed enough snow and sun. Both times we shared the A-frame with the Pays. Elsa the mountain woman from Switzerland outdid us all, until Susanne and Cornelius got really good at it. I stayed on uncharted and unspoiled cross-country tracks where I met nobody, did not have to stand in line, spend a lot of money, and freeze on the lift, and could take a sun bath during noon time. I even convinced Barbara and the children to join me for one day. It was not a success, Susanne claimed that cross-country skiing spoiled her down-hill style and Cornelius complained that it was too much work....

Glorious Mammoth Mountain from the road to Minarets Summit - especially enlarged for Susanne!

Mammoth March 1973. Breakfast with Rex, Fifi, Elsa, Cornelius, Maya, Stephan, Susanne in the Old A-Frame House.

Mammoth March 1973, Alkali Lake and Sierra, Cornelius, Barbara, Maj., Elsa and Fifi (Fiona) Pay

Barbara after Mammoth, April 74

The Pay's and our VW near the dump in Mammoth 74

Cornelius after Mammoth, April 74

Cornelius and his beautiful mother

Cornelius playing with Lego

Susanne, like her mother, would rearrange her room - whenever she felt down. Suschen never had many friends during her high school years, and some hung on to her because she appeared so strong. Maybe Mo, Monica Willumsen was for many years her most stable friend - if not her closest. The boys in her class simply were only half her size and no match. So whatever the reason, was it that her friend Karen had one of her dark spells - Suschen completely rearranged her room.

Suschen's room from the kitchen

Her desk where her bed used to be.

Susanne in one of her reading spells

"Mo", Monica Willumsen helping in our kitchen

Susanne in Daddy's big chair

Rolf and Barbara in Florence, April 26 - May 12, 1974

One of the left-over dreams from 1971/72 and very much Barbara's was to spend some time in Florence and Tuscany. I don't remember what why we went in 1974, probably because Barbara could stay over for the Lattmann Familientag - which I did not much care for. - We flew separately, I left April 16 and returned May 13, Barbara followed ten days later and returned May 22 - I don't remember where we stored the children. We met in München, from where we took the train. We rented a room in an old palazzo on the right bank of the Arno with a view of San Miniato al Monte on the other side.. It was early in the year and the weather was not stable, but there were a few very beautiful days like the one we climbed Giotto's Campanile - Barbara's predilection for high places with a wide view! On another day we rented a tiny car and drove to Siena through the Chianti and back along some of the routes Gerhard and I had taken in 1972.

Not to overburden these pages, you can find more pictures in Tuscany.

Father Lattmann at the Familientag in Goslar 1974

Renaisance Faire with Sigrid and Ralf Damm , May 19, 1974

Over the years we took many people to the Renaisance Faire, Sigrid and Ralf Damm from Stuttgart, Irmchen Gernand from Bonn, Christa Scherwitz, Uli May, they all fell under the spell of this quintessential Californian happening especially the Europeans. Look, Sigrid's, the Primal-Scream Psychotherapist's mouth hangs open watching bawdy Shakespeare being performed on stage....

Cornelius with magic wand, Peter dressed up as Robin Hood

Karen in the trench, Suschen's feet behind Sigrid, Barbara, Dietlind Giles, Ralf Damm, and Cornelius way in the back

Susanne's big Tour of Germany July 10 - September 4

In July Susanne, the big girl, went all by herself on the long planned and much anticipated Grand Tour of Germany: Gelnhausen, Hamburg, München, Tübingen, Konstanz, Velbert, Gelnhausen.... Ask her, she remembers every day of these 8 weeks.... I don't!

Rolf and Cornelius High Sierra Hike, July 21 - 29

While Susanne was away Cornelius and I went, all by ourselves, on a hiking trip in the High Sierra behind Mammoth. We carried everything ourselves and slept without a tent under the stars. It was a great adventure. One night above 1000-Island Lake was very wet and cold, then we had to skid down a snow field and in order to get back to the right path had to ford a rather rapid brook. I chosen a shallow ford with an island in the middel. Cornelius slipped and got all wet. I finally stripped, got myself a big tree branch as pole and carried Cornelius on me back through the second half of the ford. We made a big bonfire under the trees at which we dried his clothes at night.... The weather threatened to turn and we left the woods a day earlier than planned and went to the Mammoth Hot Springs east of 395 and the airport - The discovery. Cornelius's silver ring became completely black and was lost in the sulfuric water. Finally we discovered Bowdy the most beautiful ghost town, where we got once again into trouble. Looking for one of the old gold mines in the neighborhood we suddenly found ourselves opposite of three wild guys with shot guns - "Get Out! This is private property!" they screamed and shot into the air.... We did retreat in a hurry. - Unfortunately this remained the only such trip between us until 1986 in Ladakh.

Camp after fording the river

Cornelius on the pass to Thousand Island Lake

Cornelius on the gold hill near one of the abandoned mines

After we came back from the High Sierra, Cornelius went to Big Rock Summer Camp - where Susanne had also been before him - in Topanga Canyon from July 30 to August 28. And when Susanne came back from Germany she went through her first high-school football season in October. She screamed so much for her team that she lost her voice.... Barbara found a woman speech therapist for her to take voice training from for quite a few months. And Barbara developed a stress problem in her back and went to see Dr. Powers, a charismatic chiropractor, who would grab your hand in both of his soft paws, look deep into your eyes and say something very comforting.... Brrr, I only met him once, but he searched Barbara's back with an electrometer and did a lot of good for her with his "electro-accupressure-method". Later Christa Scherwitz taught me a simple spine massage that made Dr. Powers unnecessary - and I became the back-relief-expert of my suffering friends. Quite an experience to be able to make a completely paralysed victim rise and take his bed and walk off !

Baja California with Nancy and Jerry Bott, November 1974

This must have been the third time we drove to Laguna Percebo south of San Felipe on the Gulf of Baja California. A wild and lonely beach in those days with warm enough water to take a swim in November and memories of Crane's Beach and its dunes. A good place to recharge after the daily stress at Aerospace. Most of the times when we had been there previously the weather had turned, and we were driven home by a sudden rainstorm. On our last visit we had to drive home through a wild night, the car was barely able to climb in second gear against the wind across the mountains to San Diego. We reached home at 3:00 in the morning.


Laguna Percebo November 1966

By comparison 1974 was one of the most glorious weekends at Laguna Percebo.

Jerry and Sarah guarding the tents near the low-tide Lagune

The dunes and the lagune at sunset

Nancy, Sarah and Cornelius - casting long shadows

Nancy and Susanne mining shells

1975

Gerhard and Anneliese's Fasching Party in February

Anneliese loves parties. The Grosses are no quite as great party-lovers, but they have artistic talents which they might lend for the purpose. So every February there was a Faschingsfest and every Christmas a Christmas Party at Anneliese's house in Palos Verdes, and the Fasching parties were fabulous occasions - all the decorations were conceived and painted by Gerhard - including, free after Apuleus, the Golden Ass with his roses. Many of the revelers were from the Swiss-German community in Palos Verdes - mostly fluid-dynamics engineers who had been brought to the US in the 1970s to design and build isotope-separation-centrifuges for a US government contractor....

Gerhard fine-tuning the music

The Donkey teaches the Swiss Ladies dancing

Marianne trimms Jürgen's costume

Skiing in Mammoth with the Forrests, first time in the Coffey's House 30 March - 5 April

The Coffey "cabin" was spacious and luxurious with a view of the mountains to the west.

Cornelius, Mark, Carolyn, and Christopher

Cornelius, Barbara, Robert, Marc, Christopher and Illa on the terrace of the gondola station

St. Anton Run full of people

Barbara dwarfed by snow at Minaret Summit

Hot Creek looking west towards the mountains

The desert in Winter

A Sunday Hike from Trippet Ranch to Pacific Palisades Spring 1974/75

Gerhard, Barbara, Suschen, Karen, Purzel, Peter, Cornelius, and I walked for 2-1/2 hours through our montains. Along the fire trail stood until the great fire of 1979 big barrels filled with water. In the hot summer one could take a dip in them - especially at night..... They were all destroyed by the fire.

Cornelius ready to jump

Picnic on a pair of water towers

High-Sierra Hike, all of us and Monica, 24 August - 1 September 1975

The success of my and Cornelius' hike into the Minaret Wilderness in 1974 spawned the idea of a family hike in the same area, instead of climbing from Agnew's Meadow across the ridge to Thousand-Island-Lake we would turn in the opposite direction to Lake Ediza, Iceberg Lake and CecilLake and cross the pass just below Mt. Ritter and the Minaretts. This would take us to 3500 m higher than any of us had ever been. We would sleep out in the open in beautiful, new North Face sleeping bags. We invited Monica to join us. It was to become the only real trek together - in beautiful weather.

The four of us at Agnew's Meadow at the beginning of the hike. Monica took the picture.

High Camp 3 Cornelius Barbara, Monica, Susanne. The outsides of our sleeping bags were frozen in the morning

Barbara and Susanne on Lake Ediza below the Minarets

Deep blue Iceberg Lake

Barbara and Monica cooling their feet

Barbara and Cornelius circumambulating Cecil Lake (3500 m)

Some time in October we went on a Sunday excursion with the Grohses to the Ports of Call in San Pedro. To ease the tension Barbara suggested that Gerhard and Peter and Cornelius and I should have our pictures taken in a wild-west costume. The photo became famous as "Konrad and Otto, Tbilisi, anno 1911".....

On their return from a sailing trip to the Channel Islands in November Anneliese, Peter, and Gerhard stopped by and Gerhard collapsed on our sofa with an excruciating pain in his lower spine. I gave him the strongest analgesic we had in our medical box. It helped but little. Next day Anneliese took him to the doctor and a few days later to the hospital where they kept him for a couple of days. The cause of the pain turned out to be two partially disintegrated vertebrae. A few weeks later these were diagnosed as metastases of a potential soft kidney tumor - the size of a small football - which was found a few weeks later. The prognosis was grim, operating was impossible because of the extent of the tumor and the metastases, chemotherapy the only hope.

With this prospect passed Christmas and the New Year....

Left-over Pictures of 1973-75