.jpg) Third Generation Los Gatan
Jack R. Sorenson's Fantasy Novel
Inspired and imaginative, The Child of the Shadows is Jack R.Sorenson's fantasy story of magic, growth, hope, and the classic issues of good and evil.
Folks who enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series will find many things to like in this book as well, as it shares some of the hallmarks: the use of enchantment and the element of "another world" being among them.
Best of all in this tome is character development. The individuals we meet are complex and intriguing, all with several dimensions to them. In Child of the Shadows, the main players are not always what they seem at first glance - or second, or third.
A month or two ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Jack in person and talking with him about his book, about Los Gatos, ghosts and some neat history of the town. He has a wonderful "sense of story" that he's putting onto paper and I expect to see his current work become a series in a short period of time.
I promised Jack I would read his book and write about it in my Live in Los Gatos blog. At the current time, I'm only halfway through the very long (500 + page) novel. With several open books on my nightstand at once, nothing is consumed too fast, but this one is worthy of a mention for your holiday gift list - well before the end of the year, by which time I'll have finished it!
Where to find the book? It's available at the Los Gatos Public Library and online at Amazon.
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.jpg) There are a lot of cool people in Los Gatos, and some of them are actually famous. You can go to Wikipedia or other places to get a partial list of the high-profile people who live here or have lived here. I tend to avoid naming names on this blog because I figure most of those folks would rather just try to live a normal life and be somewhat incognito.
Yes, most of the famous people - I believe - really just want to be treated like regular folks (at least most of the time). Fame can be a great thing, but it can also be a terrible thing. It's terrible when you cannot enjoy a restaurant meal or just go shopping "like a normal person" because people won't leave you alone. It's also a downer when you aren't really sure who your friends are because so many just want to hang on your coattails because you're doing well and in the spotlight. It is a nightmare when paparazzi have you in their sites and microanalyze your every move or people follow you in your car because they're curious or who knows what.
On the flip side, fame can offer some perks - it can be fun at times, but perhaps most of all, it can help those who have it to do a world of good when they bring attention to an important cause.
.jpg) And that's the case with Peggy Flemming, the famous Olympian skater, who resides here with her family here in The Cats. I always smile to see her around town, and I always leave her alone. Our sons went to preschool together, and attended the same high school, though I don't think they really knew each other then (and I'm sure she would not remember me). So over the years, I've seen her here and there and thought it was neat that she was and is a woman with no "airs". Just another nice mom around town, but one I respect a lot.
Obviously, there's a lot more to her than what I've mentioned so far. Just now I read a neat article about Peggy Flemming Jenkins and all of this is just a lead-in to that. The article discusses her battle with breast cancer and the work she does in that arena now (as well as many other things, professional and personal, such as work with her and her husband's wines).
So have a read, and be inspired. There are good people all around us. Sometimes we just need to have the spotlight shine on them a bit so we know about it, and hopefully can be inspired to do some good ourselves as well.
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Happy Mother's Day!
Toady I'm going light on the blogging, because this is a day off. But I wanted to share a nice, restful image with you, one that is straight out of our beautiful Los Gatos.
Thomas Kinkade, the well known painter, lives locally. One of his subjects is North Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos, looking toward the pass to Santa Cruz, with older cars and the Town Theater in view. I can't copy it here, but I can send you to a link on his site to enjoy a view. Hope you like it! Of all his paintings, I like this one best.
Enjoy your Mother's Day. Do something unique and fun!
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Los Gatos is home to many great things, many great ideas too, but also home to many fascinating people who are successful in their own fields. The list includes CEOs, sports celebrities, and other famous people. Wikipedia lists several of our Los Gatos contemporaries who are very well known, and if you live here, you do bump into them at Whole Foods, a restaurant, or maybe your child's school. They're just normal people, trying to lead normal lives. I, for one, won't bug them if I see them in public or at some function where we happen to be together. I once spent a year in a body cast and it made me appreciate, deeply, how important it is just to be treated like a "normal person" - no matter what the circumstances are.
But Los Gatos has often been a popular place among those who could choose to live or visit anywhere they wanted - this is not a new experience for our pretty town. John Steinbeck lived here and wrote "Of Mice and Men" in those days. Charlie Chaplin came to visit and was seen a few times at the old Lyndon Hotel in the days when he was filming at Niles Canyon (a district of Fremont). The famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin lived in Los Gatos, up near the Holy Names Sisters convent and the Jesuit Novitiate, for a bit of time in his childhood. It was a treasured time for him.
Want to read up on well-known visitors? Take a look:
Visiting Movie Stars:
http://www.community-newspapers.com/archives/lgwt/10.17.01/pics-past-0142.html
Visiting Presidents:
http://www.losgatos.com/history/presidents.html
In addition to all the famous (and those of us who are not-so-famous) people who have enjoyed making Los Gatos home, there was a time in which ordinary, but very ill, people would pilgrimmage here too. The climate was so favorable it was prescribed. Did you ever wonder about the fact that Los Gatos was so small, but for many years had two mortuaries? Many of these sickly folk did improve here, but many others did not. Read John Baggerly's surprising bit of history as Los Gatos, the health refuge: http://www.losgatos.com/history/climate.html .
Finally, some residents just won't leave, even when their earthly life is over. If you are interested in our (mostly) unseen residents, please visit a page on one of my websites dedicated to Haunted Real Estate. Los Gatos is a featured location and I discuss there the old cemetary (which has shops over it now) and other places where the townsfolk remain in spirit.
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Live in Los Gatos:
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle.
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