THE FEBRUARY HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER reprints a 1993 Beach & Bay Press article titled, “Why does Mission Beach always flood when it rains?” I’ve added a 1939 cover photo and six more shots of floods that occurred AFTER the article appeared. Let me know if you’d like a copy. HOW DO THEY DO THAT? I was putting my credit card back in my wallet at Valero when a woman magically appeared. “Excuse me, sir. I’m trying to get to Encinitas. Could you spare 50 cents?” Both halves of my brain were suddenly firing on all cylinders. The left half asked, “How do these homeless women just appear? Are they teleported from a parallel universe?” The right half was thinking, “OK, gas is $2.89 a gallon. A car gets 20 miles to the gallon. Encinitas is, what, 30 miles up the coast? How far can you get on 50 cents?” I took a dollar out of my wallet and handed it over, knowing she would head for the nearest liquor store. Pretty soon my tank was full and, as I replaced the nozzle, a man said “Thank you sir!” I looked around and saw a man, and the aforementioned woman, getting in a late-model Explorer. Maybe they WOULD get to Encinitas!! DOESN’T ANYONE WANT to go to the aerospace museum? Actually, it’s now called the San Diego Air & Space Museum. A while back, my buddy George Fogelman, called to see if I could score tickets to the Midway for his uncle. “Nope,” I replied, “but I have passes to the aerospace museum.” “That’s OK,” he said and hung up. More recently Marilyn McNair called with news that her sister and brother-in-law were in town from Idaho, and he was hell-bent on seeing a Lockheed P-38. I told her he’d have to travel to the March Field Museum for that, but I had free passes to the aerospace museum. “That’s OK,” she responded, “I think we’re gonna go to Gillespie Field.” WHAT GOES AROUND comes around. Every morning, at about the same time, I head north on Fanuel for my morning gab session at Starbucks. Most mornings I sit at Grand Avenue waiting for the light to turn green. It seems like it stays red forever, but it’s usually about a minute and a half. Once a month, perhaps, I hit the light green and feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Remember last month’s week of rain? Strangely, I hit the light green seven straight days. Maybe I should have headed to Barona instead of Starbucks. “Plans start at $0 a month.” That’s what the “KAISER PERMANENTE thrive” advertisement said in the Union-Tribune. It’s an interesting business model. I guess they make it up on volume. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? My 89-year-old mother and I enjoyed a delicious meal at China Inn, then read our fortunes. I don’t remember mine, but when it came her turn she intoned, rather loudly I thought, “YOUR SEXUAL APPETITE ASKS FOR SECONDS. INDULGE!!” “GIMME THAT!!” I said, and grabbed it away from her. Turned out the word was “sensual,” which, come to think of it, wasn’t that much better. John Fry may be reached at 272-6655 or [email protected].