Not the Edge of the World ...but you can see it from there !!!

brinnnng ! brinnng !.....Let's see , it's midnight and I wonder who would be calling at this hour ...Thank goodness this call didn't interrupt Jay Leno's monologue .. It can only be one of two people ....person one is my sister Karen ......she has one speed in life .....FULL TILT....out of her way or you will be breathing dust and eating pavement ...My sis works for an Attorney who has offices on both coasts.....sleep is not an option but rather an inconvenience because after her 75 plus hour work week you will find her at one of the many Peninsula Tennis Clubs ( she is ranked in the Northern Calif NTSA Womens 4.0 category and she likens this part of her day as Therapy....Tennis is truly her passion ) , OR ..out Salsa Dancing with her best friend Prima from their St John's Ursiline days.....Since I had already fixed her plumbing issues at her condo earlier in the day , and I had briefed her on the outcome ( no more leaks and hot water is working ) ...it could only be one other person ........" Hello , Rick did I wake you ? " "Not at all NISA. What's up ?".............You see, Nisa and I had promised to touch bases every other week , and since we are both night owls , midnight is a good time to catch up on all the re-union plans ....go over who has returned calls .....who do we track down next ??? ..(.which reminds me ...Nisa has found Sue S . in Sparks , Nev......We are all looking forward to catching up on the good news from her neck of the woods......) Nisa and I swap more BACK IN THE DAY , TOP OF THE HILL , BACK IN THE 'HOOD stories ......now, this particular night we talked about the advantages of her living in Cottonwood, Ca and my coming back to the advantages of The Top of the Hill ,Daly City ...First of all where the heck is Cottonwood ....."It's not the Edge of the World , but you can see it from there " Please tell me you saw that coming...anyway I think it is 30 miles north of Chico .... she says it's real quiet there .....I say it is usually quiet here in Daly City except for the midnite phone calls, the drone of the BART trains, the jack hammering down on Hillside Blvd, and the police sirens every 15 minutes.....she says her neighbors are far enough away that it's very serene and peaceful ......I say that my neighbors are a work in progress ..everyone seems to own four cars and on Thursday and Fridays we all play the game MOVE YOUR CAR BECAUSE IT'S STREET SWEEPING DAY OR WIN A $ 50 PARKING TICKET....she says her commute is really easy ...I say pound sand .....she says it's really sunny and hot .....I start to cry !!!!!........For your information fellow Alums , Nisa is a land baron and they call her MS TRUMP because of her Real Estate holdings .....I think she owns half of Cottonwood .....Here is an Aerial View......OK . OK .....maybe not half of Cottonwood , but at least a hillside worth .....I've already staked out a plot of land on her property for my end of summer camping trip this year ...SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER !!.....kidding .......There is a silver lining in coming back to The 'Hood ....back to The Top of the Hill....Nisa , you may have your 115 degree Summer days .....I'll take the 56 degree days for now .....you can have your peace and quiet....I'll take the sound of a neighbors flushing toilet for now........you may have your chores ....i'll take the stores......you can have fresh air .......I'll take Times Square....You are my friend ....good bye City Life ...Green Acres we are .........OK Please tell me you saw this one coming .......What does the Top of the Hill offer ???? ......MILLION DOLLAR VIEWS and great memories .......it is something I grew up with and have always kept with me wherever I moved ...The views from the hills behind my house.....As kids , anybody that lived near the Bellevue Ave corridor , the Hillside blvd corridor , East Vista , Muirwood , Hey we have our Cottonwood too, Tallwood, Garwood , Gambetta , sounding familiar ???.....we hiked those hills till dusk ......I bought $ .25 cent paper kites from the Sprouse -Reitz at Knowles and Mission at the Top of the Hill , a couple balls of string ......tore up my Dad's underdrawers for a kite tail and off I went ....The kite would take off getting smaller and smaller from view ....and when I was tired of the flying , I would cut the line and let it go, go , go !!!....here's the view I 'm talking about ...the first aerial is X MARKS THE SPOT........From this aerial you should be able to make out where OLPH is in relation to the yellow X ...I've marked where Vista Grande used to be ..You should be able to make out .the Mission St / Hillside merge .....The horseshoe shape of East Vista Ave...and the start of San Bruno Mountains...........

Nisa , You can have your slice of Heaven ...Let me have mine ..............

Now If I did this correctly you should be able to click on this panoramic I 've created ......you should be able to save it and open it up in one of your picture viewers to enjoy the full size view..It's the image of what I will always remember ....

Not so much the newer bldgs , but the fact that as a youngster I could cut through my back yard and in just a few minutes get to a spot on the hill and look out to the Pacific Ocean , Lake Merced, spy on Westmoor High , Broadmoor Village , Jefferson High ( they are in the process of revamping the Football stands ...That's why they are missing in this picture ......

.....Well I hope you've enjoyed.....I know that many of you are in your very own Shangrai -La's, but I hope you don't forget the jewel that we once shared here at THE TOP OF THE HILL....

Happy Father's Day to all of you alums who are Dad's, and to those whose own Fathers are still around sharing with kids, grandkids and great-grandkids .......

And for those of you who would like to call me at Midnight , .......

" Hi, You've reached Rick's residence.......I'm not able to answer the phone at this moment , but if you would be kind enough to leave your name and number at the beep, I'll gladly get back with you as soon as I am able .......Thanks for calling , and I will talk to you very soon "

BEEEEEP ..............