SCOTT/SOPHIA HUTCHINS 1996-2025

 

Scott Hutchins

 

Sophia Hutchins

When my good friend and colleague Dennis Torres was the Director of Real Estate at Pepperdine, Scott worked in the Real Estate Office as a student employee.  Dennis said that he was taken aback when one day Scott arrived for work as Sophia, but Dennis basically said OK, we've got work to do!  Scott was the Junior Class President of the Student Government Association, and here is a story about his resignation from the SGA post:   

After sitting tensely in front of his computer for two hours, junior Scott Hutchins submitted a Facebook post that he said he had been waiting to post since the beginning of the school year. With feelings of anxiousness and nervousness, he pressed the “post” button and immediately shut his laptop.

Hutchins announced his resignation as SGA Junior Class President on the “Class of 2018” Facebook page Nov. 2 without an explicit explanation to his peers. Within several minutes, he said he received countless Facebook messages and texts from people asking why he was resigning. Later that weekend, Hutchins attended an ICA conference where even more people asked him why he was leaving his position. He said he realized that he had the choice to lie about his absence or be open about it. In doing so, Hutchin’s transparency with his student body shows value in communicating ethically with his peers.
 

Scott Hutchins will take a leave of absence for this semester in order to complete his gender transition into a woman, he said. He said he wants to be open with his story to try to help other people in a similar situation.

“I’ve always had the question of ‘Do I want to transition from male to female?’” Hutchins said. “I never thought a lot about doing it until I got into college because I was able to break away from my family and started to establish my own identity.” 

“College gave me the time to deal with a lot of issues that had always been there,” Hutchins said. At the beginning of college, he said he started seeing a therapist who helped him reach the conclusion that it was time to begin his transition. Since the beginning of college, he said he slowly began to physically transition his body by going through medical procedures, such as hormone treatments and hair removal procedures, to alter his appearance. This semester, Hutchins will complete the transition medically, emotionally and socially by engaging with people as a female.

Hutchins said he knew that he identified himself as a female from a very young age. In the third grade, he researched transgenders and the process of transitioning. When he was 15 years old, he verbally expressed that he was a woman for the first time to one of his best friends.
 

“It’s almost like it just came out,” Hutchins said. “I didn’t even mean to let it out since I had been so used to holding it in and brushing it under the rug.”

Despite these overwhelming feelings, Hutchins said he was still uncertain whether he would ever transition at that age. In the past few years, Hutchins said there were two motivating factors that encouraged him to transition: Watching Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner’s interview announcing her own gender transition on ABC’s 20/20 and strong support from his family and friends. Hutchins said that Jenner’s interview “made it so much more real for [him], like normal and successful people do this and people are OK when they do it.” He said the interview pushed him forward to finish his transition at full speed. There was also strong encouragement from Hutchins’ friends, both within and outside the Pepperdine community. One of his closest friends, Ella Giselle, who is not a Pepperdine student, has undergone her own gender transition.

“I think the importance of having friends that have already gone through it is something different than what a therapist will offer you,” Giselle said. “It’s good for mental stability to have someone to go through it with you and endure it with.” As Giselle said she is always happy to answer his questions, she explained that this is a reciprocal support system. “I’ve already come out and have been living full time as my newer self,” Giselle said. “But Scott is my support too; you always need support.”

Hutchins said that Giselle and other trans people told him they wish they had transitioned sooner which made him realize he should prioritize his transition as “everything else can wait.” Before transitioning, Hutchins said he was gay because he believed it would be easier for people to accept him; but he knew deep down he was not gay. He is openly involved in the LGBTQ community at
Pepperdine as the chair of the LGBTQ+ committee in SGA and a member of Crossroads, the university’s first LGBTQ+ club. Hutchins said he was a strong advocate in the creation Crossroads in SGA by voting on resolution supporting the club and their constitution.
 

“I really did that not just for myself, being in that community, but for the school to really bring them forward,” Hutchins said. “I feel like the climate is moving in the right direction regarding LGBTQ issues.”

Hutchins said he hoped the establishment of Crossroads would make him feel more accepted,
not just by students but by faculty, staff, and administration. Hutchins also said the administration should create specific policies for transgender students, specifically with housing guidelines. During his sophomore year, Hutchins had to request for housing exemption in order to live off-campus. By doing this, Hutchins is affecting change through- out other realms of the school, going beyond the social aspect and creating policy that will help other students.
 

“If you’re a new student here and transitioning, where are you going to live?” Hutchins asked. “The male dorms or the female dorms? They need to come up with some specific policies in that and I would really like to be involved with that process in the future.” Hutchins said he wanted to give a voice to the trans people, especially those who are not open about their transition, here at Pepperdine. “Everyone has their own reasons for not being out,” he said. “I really want to be their voice, normalize the issue, and let people know who are struggling that they are not alone.

Hutchins plans to return to Pepperdine for the fall 2017 semester and re-introduce himself with a new name and look. “I am apprehensive about students heckling me,” Hutchins said. “It still worries me, but I think that once people see and meet me, they will realize that I am the
same person, but just looking differently.” He said he hopes to continue his involvement with SGA. Regarding his position as Junior Class President, he said it is important to him that his replacement
is someone who is familiar with the job and shows a strong interest in it. Hutchins said he hopes the Pepperdine community can keep an open mind and think critically about gender, gender roles and how they are created. Since there are not many open transgender students at the school, he finds this experience “a bit nerve-wracking.” 

Hutchins said he understands people are curious about the process and is happy to answer their questions but he encourages his peers to think about the type of questions they are
asking. Giselle said the biggest mistake anyone could make is to idly watch and not ask questions. She said people should not be concerned if the question is “wrong” because that is how they will learn about the process.

 “People always ask me about my physical appearance,” Hutchins said. “They’ve been asking me a lot about my hair, my skin and my nose.” Aside from the physical changes, Hutchins said there is an emotional aspect to transitioning that not many people consider.“Nobody ever asks me ‘How are you doing?’ when I tell them I am transitioning,” Hutchins added. “I feel like they are not concerned about me. As a friend and a classmate, I feel like people should be concerned with how [I am] doing but no one instantly thinks of that."

 Fong, Jennevieve (2017) "Scott Hutchins Explains His SGA Resignation,"Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research: Vol. 5, Article 6.  Note: An earlier version of this article was published on Pepperdine Graphic Media Online on Dec. 11, 2016

 

After Scott transitioned to Sophia, there were numerous reports that Sophia and Caitlyn Jenner were romantically involved.  Both denied such a relationship and stated that theirs was a personal friendship based on Sophia being Jenner's business manager.

 

While reading a recent Malibu Times, I noted a story about a tragic fatal accident:

A tragic accident on Decker Canyon Road in Malibu claimed the life of a 29-year-old woman on Tuesday morning, July 2. 

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station responded to a call reporting a traffic collision with possible injuries at approximately 10:20 a.m. in the 4200 block of Decker Canyon Road, just a quarter-mile south of Decker Edison Road.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the woman, identified only as a 29-year-old white female (FW/29), was driving a black/blue 2013 Polaris RGR-800 Crew Side-by-Side ATV southbound on the narrow canyon road when she collided into the rear bumper of a gray 2016 Mazda 6, also traveling southbound. The driver of the Mazda, a 51-year-old white female (FW/51), was reportedly uninjured, along with her passenger.

Authorities say the impact from the collision caused the ATV to veer off the right shoulder of the roadway and over the cliff side. The off-road vehicle plummeted approximately 350 feet into the ravine below.

Emergency medical personnel responded quickly to the scene but tragically pronounced the ATV driver deceased at the bottom of the canyon.

As of Wednesday morning, officials have not released the identity of the deceased pending notification of next of kin.

Sheriff’s deputies report that there were no immediate signs of intoxication or impairment by either driver. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Decker Canyon Road, known for its winding, narrow layout and steep drop-offs, has been the site of multiple serious and fatal accidents over the years. The Sheriff’s Department is urging all motorists to exercise extreme caution when traveling along canyon roads in the Malibu area.

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station is asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who has any information related to the incident to contact Detective Shean at the Traffic Investigations Office by calling (818) 878-1808. Reference report #25-02752-10.

As of now, no further information is available regarding the victim or additional circumstances surrounding the crash. Updates will be provided as the investigation continues.

Soon thereafter it was announced that the person who died was Sophia Hutchins.

MALIBU'S PINK LADY

Whenever we head out on a road trip, I see things that I should write about; so it's time to catch up a bit.  Here's something I did not see, but it's a legend around Malibu.  We often drive through the tunnel and it is easy to see where the painting was, and how difficult it must have been to paint.  A large picture of the Lady graces one of the wall at a local pub, Tavern One on PCH.

Here's the story:

The Pink Lady was a short-lived painting on a rock face near Malibu, California in 1966. The painting was created by Lynne Seemayer (1936-2017), a paralegal from Northridge, California and depicted a 60-foot (18m) tall, nude woman in a running position.  

The painting was located on the rock face above the southern entrance of the tunnel on Malibu Canyon Road near Malibu. For some time, the rock face above the tunnel had been covered with graffiti, which Seemayer felt was "an eyesore". Working at night, she began removing the graffiti in January 1966, using ropes to suspend herself in front of the rock. When the rock was clean, she created the painting on the night of Friday, October 28, 1966.

By November 1, the painting had begun to attract local news coverage. It was dubbed the "Pink Lady" by the media, due to the pink paint used for the skin. Los Angeles County road officials, concerned about traffic problems the painting might cause, attempted to remove it with high-pressure spray from fire hoses, and then with paint stripper However, Seemayer had used heavy-duty house paint for her creation, and both methods failed to remove it.

When she realized that her work was in danger, Seemayer publicly admitted to creating the Pink Lady, and sought a court injunction. This failed, however, and on November 3 a road crew covered the painting with brown paint.

Seemayer sued the county for $1,000,000 for the destruction of her work, and the county counter-sued for $28,000 in removal costs. Since the painting was on private property, both cases were dismissed by the court. For some time after the painting was removed, Seemayer received hate mail and phone calls from people who felt the work was obscene, including threats of violence against her and her children. She also received a few offers from art galleries to show her work.
The image was used as a wine label.

OZZIE SILNA 1933 - 2016

 

The Malibu Times recently reported the passing of Ozzie Silna and several folks have commented.

Longtime Malibu resident Ozzie Silna has died at the age of 83.

Silna was given a Malibu Times Dolphin Award in 2002 for his extraordinary generosity. Silna was commonly thought to be the bankroll behind many political and social causes in Malibu. Some of the local causes he contributed to over the years include the Malibu Boys and Girls Club, Malibu High School, Webster Elementary School and Heal the Bay.

As treasurer of the Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy, Silna was primarily responsible for the arranging the largest private donation that Malibu received toward the purchase of the Chili Cook-Off Site in 2005 — a $500,000 gift.

Silna is known for his involvement for what is routinely ranked as the greatest sports business deal of all time. In 1976, Silna and his brother Daniel were the owners of the St. Louis Spirits, a professional basketball franchise in the outlaw American Basketball Association (ABA). After years of competing with the dominant NBA for basketball fans, the ABA was folding, and the Spirits were not invited to join the NBA.

The brothers rejected the cash payment. Their lawyer, Donald Schupack, instead made a counteroffer. The four ABA teams joining the NBA — San Antonio, New Jersey, Denver and Indiana — would give the Silnas a one-time payout of $2.23 million. The Silnas would also receive one-seventh of each team’s national broadcast revenues in perpetuity.

The total intake of Ozzie and Daniel Silna from the deal was $300 million. They sold their rights back to the NBA in 2014 for an additional $500 million, making their total earnings $800 million.

I wrote about the Silna brothers here and here focusing on what was referred to above as the greatest sports business deal ever made.  By mere coincidence, I once had a chat with Ozzie, and he was a very unpretentious affable fellow.  We talked about the ABA and the fact that I actually had some Spirits of Saint Louis basketball cards.  One certainly would not suspect that he was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  RIP

PARKING AT NOBU-MALIBU

In appreciation for his helpfulness, I took a good friend and colleague to lunch at Nobu as a thank you.  We had very tasty food, but that is not the point of this post.  It's about the cars.  Since we drove to Malibu for graduation and the first summer school block, we went to Nobu in our Subaru Impreza with bike racks.  At Nobu, where $10 valet parking is mandatory, the lot was flush with high-end cars, including Teslas which now seem to be de rigueur in Malibu.  When we came out, there was a blue Bentley convertible in the handicapped space - I guess one must have a blue Bentley to go along with the blue handicap parking tag.  I did not take the picture below, but you get the idea - that is not a Mustang horse.

 

However, the best part of the whole scene was my friend's response as he looked over the cars and watched our Subaru being pulled up by the valet - he started to sing the Sesame Street song "One of these things is not like the others."  Still chuckle when I think of this.

ZUMA JAY 2

Those of you who have been around here for a while might remember my previous post about Zuma Jay, found here.  Now that I have been back in Malibu for a few weeks, I again had the chance to play some basketball at Malibu High and Zuma is still kickin' with pretty much the same game as I described.  I likely would not have written again, but then in this week's Malibu Times, Jay joined the ranks of locals who are The Face of Malibu.  Go to the link for the whole story and interview - some excerpts below the portrait. I need to ask Jay what he thinks about the portrait - I think that he is significantly more handsome than this painting :-)

He’s a surfboard designer, Hollywood stuntman and practical effects specialist. He was the Marlboro Man for seven years. He was on the Malibu City Council and has a degree in law. He does E.O.D (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) for the U.S. Navy. He’s an author with a book at the Library of Congress. 

Sixty-two-year-old Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner is the owner of Zuma Jay Surfboards since 1975 and he designs all of the surfboards himself. He’s been an avid surfer all his life and became Jay from Zuma when he helped build The Whale Watch and first set up his shop next to it. He’s a joint master concessionaire for the Malibu Pier and in his spare time enjoys gardening, playing chess and knife throwing.

The Malibu Times got a chance to sit down with the man who does not text, tweet, use Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or any other social media outlet. He believes communication should be done face to face.

MARISOL MALIBU

If you have a few million dollars lounging in your bank, you may want a home here:

PLANET PEPPERDINE

Well if Planet Boulder is 25 square miles surrounded by reality, Planet Pepperdine is life in a beautiful bubble.  There is much to like about Pepperdine University, not the least of which is its beauty.  Others agree, as noted in a recent Huffington Post article found here.  Visit this link to take in a virtual tour of the campus.  Enjoy.

 

Remodeled Science Center - My office was on the left, past the arched doorway.

"Livin' the Dream"  -  CrossFit Scott

SPIRITS OF ST. LOUIS & THE SILNA BROTHERS

 

When we lived in Malibu, I learned that Ozzie Silna was also a Malibu resident.  I knew that Ozzie and his brother, owners of the Spirits of St. Louis ABA team, had pulled off one of the best deals in the history of professional basketball, and the NY Times article below lays out the details.  I had the opportunity to chat with Ozzie one time at a Malibu restaurant, and he was congenial and fairly low key about how well things turned out for him. 

No Team, No Ticket Sales, but Plenty of Cash

By RICHARD SANDOMIR

For years, it was an underappreciated wrinkle in the historic deal that merged the established National Basketball Association and the upstart American Basketball Association in 1976. The owners of the Spirits of St. Louis agreed to be paid a small fraction of the N.B.A.’s television money to comfort them for being cut out of joining the older league.

Their piece amounted to a sliver of the modest amount that CBS was paying the N.B.A. in those days. But if the share was small then, one particular term of the arrangement was attractive: the owners, Ozzie and Daniel Silna, would be paid the money every year in perpetuity, or as long as the N.B.A. existed. 

The Spirits became a distant memory, even for people in St. Louis. But the N.B.A. has continued to exist quite nicely, meaning the Silnas’ haul has been substantial: $255 million and counting. But as sweet as the deal has been, the Silnas want more, and they have gone to court to get it.

In Manhattan federal court on Thursday, lawyers for the Silna brothers and the league argued over whether the men are owed money beyond what they get from the N.B.A.’s national broadcast and cable television contracts. They want to tap into the money the league gets from international broadcasts, NBA TV, the league’s cable network, and other lucrative deals that could not have been imagined in the three network television universe of 1976.

If Federal District Judge Loretta A. Preska agrees, the Silna brothers — Ozzie, 79, and living in Malibu, Calif., and Daniel, 68, and living in Saddle River, N.J. — stand to receive millions more, all without having assembled a team or used an arena for more than three decades. 

“This issue has been a nuisance as long as I’ve been associated with the league,” said Ed Desser, the former president of NBA Television and new media ventures who now runs his own media consulting firm. “It was never enough to be a serious distraction. It’s one of those accidents of history.” 

Four of the A.B.A.’s seven teams merged with the N.B.A. in 1976, but the Virginia Squires were a financial wreck and the Kentucky Colonels were placated with a $3.3 million payment. But if the Spirits couldn’t join the N.B.A., the Silna brothers wanted to share in what the A.B.A. didn’t have: national TV revenue. They settled with one-seventh of the television money generated annually by each of the four surviving A.B.A. teams — the Nets, the San Antonio Spurs, the Indiana Pacers and the Denver Nuggets.

The arrangement began to get public attention as the size of the league’s network TV deals swelled. The four surviving teams have tried to extricate themselves from the arrangement, but have not found a way.

In the early 1980s, the teams discussed buying out the Silnas for $5 million to $6 million but did not pursue it. They offered substantially more in the late 1990s, but the Silnas rejected the offer.

Donnie Walsh, the president of the Indiana Pacers, said in 2003 that discussing the Silnas’ deal “puts a dagger in my heart,” reminding him of losing that one-seventh share of TV money each season. On Thursday, he said he preferred not to talk about it.

In 1980-81, the first year the Silnas were eligible to get their share of TV money, they received $521,749, according to court documents filed by the N.B.A. For the 2010-11 season, they received $17,450,000. The N.B.A.’s latest TV deal, with ESPN and TNT, is worth $7.4 billion over eight years. Soon, the Silnas’ total take will hit $300 million.

The A.B.A. was already seven years old when the Silnas — the owners of a New Jersey textiles business that specialized in making polyester — bought the Carolina Cougars and moved them to St. Louis in 1974. Formed to challenge the N.B.A., the A.B.A. wanted nothing more than to join the N.B.A. 

The A.B.A. instigated a salary war. It discarded the traditional orange ball for a red-white-and-blue one. It implemented the 3-point line and juiced up its All-Star Game with a slam dunk contest. Stars like Julius Erving, Connie Hawkins and George Gervin played a freewheeling game that reflected a counterculture sensibility that contrasted with the N.B.A. squares. 

Still, one team was owned by the prototypical square, Pat Boone. Yet another had Morton Downey Jr. as its general manager well before he became known as a coarse, chain-smoking talk show host.

Teams left cities as if attached to moving vans. Their names changed regularly. Into this unrest came the Silnas. 

“They spent a lot of money to get a good team as quickly as they could,” said Rod Thorn, who was fired as the Spirits’ coach 47 games into the 1975-76 season. “Ozzie was the main guy. They were really involved, big fans and came to a lot of games.” 

Michael Goldberg, who was the A.B.A.’s general counsel, recalled the Silnas as passionate owners who took a risk by buying into a shaky, undercapitalized league.

“They fell in love with the idea of owning a team,” he said. “Dan was a little less focused on the team. Ozzie reminded me of a schoolyard player who got picked eighth in the game but still loved it.” 

The team’s announcer, fresh from Syracuse University, was Bob Costas. The Spirits were lucky to draw a few thousand fans to home games and once announced a crowd of 848, said Costas, who believed the number was closer to 400. The zenith of the Spirits’ history was defeating the defending champion Nets in the 1975 playoffs before losing to Kentucky in the next round. 

“It was like winning a championship,” Costas said. “I remember Ozzie and Danny running through the locker room and into the showers, just like a couple of kids on a frolic.” 

Nearly four decades later, the Silnas are recalled for a savvy deal that continues to enrich them. But not all of their business moves have been so lucrative. They were victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s massive fraud. Daniel Silna told Forbes last year that they lost all that they had invested with Madoff, but would not say how much. In lawsuits against the Silnas, the trustee for the victims of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme have said that the Silnas, relatives, family trusts and two corporate entities collected $24 million in fictitious profits

.

After the hearing Thursday, a lawyer for the Silnas declined to comment or allow his clients to be interviewed

Daniel Silna and Donald C. Schupak, the lawyer who negotiated the TV deal with the old A.B.A. teams, had listened to arguments over whether two 36-year-old documents contained language that would let the Silnas collect even more money from TV sources not yet created in 1976. 

They showed little emotion as Preska, the judge, sparred with a lawyer for the N.B.A. She gave the league more time to make its case and urged both sides to settle. But her comments seemed to indicate that she was inclined to side with the Silnas, two brothers who might be the savviest owners the N.B.A. never had.

 

A PLACE FOR YOU IN THE 'BU

 

 

Word has it that Cher has once again put her Malibu house on the market.  You may want to negotiate a bit on the $45,000,000 asking price!!  When we lived on Point Dume, we drove past Cher's place each day.  It sits just off of PCH on a cliff overlooking Malibu Road - it isn't even a beach front property!!!

 

 

This is pretty much what you see as you drive east on PCH about a mile west of Pepperdine

 

 

An aerial view with PCH on the far side of the house

 

Aerial view from PCH side

 

 The pool


 

A view from poolside

 

 

 

And you could probably negotiate for some of the furnishings, sans Cher

 

And for those who have forgotten, or never knew, the young Cher



CHILLIN' IN THE BU

We spent the long President's Day weekend in Malibu, our hometown for a number of years.  We were able to walk the beaches, eat at some of our favorite restaurants, roam the old stomping grounds and visit with family and friends. Since our arrival time at LAX was around 6:30 pm, my original intent was to stop at the nearby In-N-Out for a double-double:

However,  we decided to head on out to the Bu, check in at the Malibu Country Inn and head down Westward Beach Road to the Sunset Restaurant.  As you will note from the pictures on the link, the Sunset is located along the beach at the base of a cliff - and on top of the cliff is Zuma Bay Villas where we lived for a few years.  If you watch the video, note Shearwater Lane, our road, and the steps to the beach that come right out by the Sunset.

Zuma Bay Villas

Well, at the Sunset the DJ had the music cranked up so loud in the smallish bar area that we quickly exited and headed for Spruzzo, which is another close-by restaurant.  Hot wings and adult beverages hit the spot!

On Saturday morning, our plan was to walk Zuma Beach and stop in at How's Trancas Market for the best-in-the-west apple fritters and a cup of coffee.  Another plan changed - the Market has been closed and gutted and there is construction all around.  So we headed to the Point Dume Pavilion Market where we found some fine pastries and an in-store Starbucks.  As we were enjoying our coffee and rolls, a good friend from Pepperdine and Point Dume resident dropped by and we had a good chat, catching up on all of the news via the PeppVine. 

After coffee, we went on a whimsical quest looking for Malibu guest houses.  We found a wonderful place high above Zuma Beach - how high is shown in this picture:

The owner was most gracious, and introduced us to Air B&B, which is an international online community of folks who have homes, guest houses or rooms, and even houseboats for rent.  We have already found the Point Dume guest house that we will hopefully be able to rent for our next trip to Malibu. 

Saturday afternoon was spent wandering the beach below Malibu Road and then traveling over to Agoura for a visit to the Beadiac [Rhonda seems to know where all of the bead shops are located] and a shared tri-tip sandwich at Wood Ranch BBQ - one of my favorites.  Later we met my sister at Duke's for conversation and a bit to eat and then headed to Pepperdine for a men's basketball game versus Portland - Pepperdine actually won which hasn't happened a whole lot this year. 

Sunday morning we walked the length of Zuma Beach and had our coffee and pastries at the Trancas Starbucks.  We then headed west on PCH to the county line and got on Mulholland Drive to wend our way back.  It is a lovely road, winding through the Santa Monica Mountains, and is quite remote at times. As we slowed for a small settlement, we noted the hundreds of bikers who routinely gather at the Rock Store, and many were clustered around a fine old car - the folks were listening to its owner describe his gem, the owner being Jay Leno!  A bit further up the road is the Old Place restaurant, and we stopped for mimosas and a bit to eat.  Sunday afternoon I was able to play basketball at Pepperdine's Firestone Field House with several good friends.  I also met a student who is from Golden and is the nephew of a Boulder school teacher that Rhonda has worked with - small world.  And to top that off, the teacher and her daughter were also in Malibu visiting their nephew/cousin, so we met them all for a short visit at their hotel - the swanky Malibu Beach Inn. [I love the sounds of the ocean and birds that begin when you open their home page].  Then we headed over to a new-to-us restaurant, Cafe Habana, owned by Rande Gerber [spouse of Cindy Crawford].  Decent food, decent beer.

Monday morning we completed the Malibu Starbucks trifecta with coffee and pastries at the mid-Malibu shop.  We then headed across the street to the Malibu Lagoon State Beach for another beach walk.  After finding a few more 'gems' Rhonda dropped me off at Pepperdine where I met up with colleagues and friends.  Since I had lunch at Pepperdine, we stopped at Taverna Tony so Rhonda could have one of their great Greek salads. 

We were able to check out another guest house, this one on Broad Beach Road.  For dinner, we again headed through the canyon, this time to Calabasas to eat at a friend-recommended brew-pub, Wolf Creek.  We were struck by the name, mainly because Wolf Creek is a Colorado ski area, and when we looked at the menu, there were several Colorado brews including two from Boulder.  We never did learn of any Colorado connection, but the link to the Rocky Mountain West was obvious - photos of the Tetons, etc.

That pretty much wraps up our adventures - hope you enjoy all of the links!