April 2010 Archives

Pictured left to right: Jessica Ayala, sister; Alex Ayala. father; PFC AJ Ayala, his friend PFC Joe Estremera and Ayala's mother Toni Saner

By chance I came across a wonderful celebration in East Long Beach on March 27 where a local family was heralding the safe return of their son, PFC Alexander "AJ" Ayala, from his duty in Afghanistan.
Yellow ribbons lined the street at the end of his journey home. The joy and tears flowed simultaneously as friends and relatives greeted the U.S. Army Airborne hero. PFC Ayala proudly wore a purple heart attesting to the grave dangers of war.
Patriotic tunes wafted through the neighborhood compliments of the Millikan High School's band. Millikan was AJ's 2007 alma mater. While attending Millikan, AJ played on the football team for four years and was on the wrestling team.
While in Afganistan, his unit was assigned to bolster security during the August 2009 National elections. A roadside bomb exploded (EID) while five soldiers of his unit were in their vehicle. AJ was injured in the blast, and his Staff Sergeant Bowen and fellow comrade Mo Walker were killed in the blast. AJ recovered from his wounds and decided to stay in Afghanistan to serve with his fellow soldiers and friends.
Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske will honor AJ 5 p.m., April 6, during the Long Beach Council meeting, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

Grace Arnsparger, a third-grade student at Bixby Elementary School in Long Beach, enjoys a marine science lesson about ocean sediment.

Bridges to Exploration hosted twenty-three Long Beach elementary school students from four different schools on the Sea Creature Safari on March 27. The students earned a spot on the 90-minute marine expedition as winners of the non-profit organization's 1st Annual Youth Environmental Contest. Marine biologist Elliot Freutel, from the Long Beach Marine Institute, led the excursion and helped students explore wildlife found in the Long Beach Harbor. On board the vessel, students learned about a variety of marine life, including marine mammals, marine invertebrates, fish and seabirds. Students received a hands-on science lesson on how to sort and identify marine organisms found in ocean water and sediment.

 Marine biologist Elliot Fruedel, far right, from the Long Beach Marine Institute teaches a marine science lesson on ocean sediment to the students, from left to right, first graders Zoe Phan and London Perelli, from Gant Elementary; third grader, Tayla Rawdaw, from Buffum Elementary School; fifth grader Madeleine Bennett, from Gant Elementary; and kindergartener Alexa Weber, from Bixby Elementary. Bridges to Exploration is a non-profit organization located in Long Beach. It is committed to enriching, developing and advancing environmental education for K-12th grade students in Southern California. For more information go to www.bridgestoexploration.org.

I was playing with my grandson, Chris Seip, about 20 years ago in the family condos' hillside yard in Burbank, CA. My daughter came out with the camera and took several pictures of us. You could not have planned this one. No one was looking at the tree. How funny it was when we picked up the prints. He was a hammy little guy and who knows what he was looking at. He is now 22 years old and a senior at California State University Long Beach.

Connie Cipriani will turn 101 years old on April 4. She has lived in Long Beach for 61 years. Her family consists of three children, 10 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
When Connie was 2-years-old, she came to America from Italy. She lived in Newburgh, New York for 33 years and then moved to California in 1949. She was married to Dan Cipriani for 56 years. Some of her favorite things to do were traveling, cruising, camping and gambling in Las Vegas.
One of the most noteworthy residents of Regency Oaks Nursing Home in Long Beach is ESTHER ECKLUND. Esther recently celebrated her 108th birthday, and last week reached the 10-year anniversary of her stay at Regency. She is a spry 108 years young, and still looks forward to her outings each week with family members who take her for drives to the beach for an ice cream treat.