The lovely Dionne (Bolton) has asked (cajoled?, persuaded?, conned?) me to share some thoughts and memories on some of the early denizens of Pine Mountain Club. Some were there from the beginning, before we got to PMC, and some came shortly thereafter. Some endured; some came and went. In all cases, they, in their own unique way, contributed in some part to the community that it was a few decades ago, and to what PMC has become today. These recollections, some apocryphal in all or part, are neither meant to be historically accurate nor biographically accurate. They're just part of a greater picture that illustrates in some way how things came to be in Pine Mountain Club and the surrounding area. Some of these memories are almost 50 years old. I'll try to relate them to you as best I can, with a little levity and/or sarcasm thrown in from time to time. Please understand that all was not just fun and games, so to speak: there was sadness and tragedy along the way. But I'm choosing to keep things on the lighter side for now, at least. Rest assured that all these people are/were human, with the inherent good and bad that comes with that, and all were good people, through and through.
Chapter One: Fred Westlund
Fred Westlund built houses, or more properly "homes". Homes built to be lived in -- not architectural showpieces, or flimsy cabins in the forest, but strong, solid, practical homes--perfect for raising a family while keeping them safe from harsh mountain weather, or for spending weekends in an attractive, affordable home-away-from-home. Fred and his crew were all part of Westlund Construction. I'm not sure the total number of homes they built, from the early '70's into the 90's, but it's well over 100 (maybe more) I'm pretty sure. I know they built over 50 homes in one year -- not tract homes that were all alike, but individual custom homes, built to suit the needs of individual buyers. Some large, in some cases on more than one lot, and some small, near the PMC mandated minimum size of 400 square feet. To my knowledge, all are still standing. Fred also designed and built the Apache Saddle Inn, now the Perch, the Jennings Realty building next door, and the Pine Mountain Auto Center (now Pine Mt. Fuel). He also built the 2-story building where the laundromat is, and the Pine Mountain Community Church.
Fred, his wife Pat (who taught for many years at El Tejon School), son Brian, and daughter Lynn were among the very first families to move permanently to PMC. When they arrived, the golf course, and the surrounding area: the Clubhouse, park, and streets on the flat part of the valley were almost devoid of trees, except for a few piñon pines. Fred took it upon himself to plant trees there -- mostly cottonwoods and poplars, and a few firs and cedars as well. Almost all the large trees you see there today were planted by Fred or his crew. Fred, with Floyd Bolton's assistance, started the "Sap Race" on labor day weekend, as a fundraiser to buy more trees. The Sap Race over the years became the Oktoberfest, and ultimately the Fall Festival.
Fred had a unique sense of humor. He loved corny jokes involving either a pun, or a play-on-words, or both. We used to call them "Fred jokes" or "Westlund jokes." Today, you may hear them called 'Dad Jokes".// Example "Sundays are always a little sad, but the day before is a sadder day!" (Groan!) Westlund Construction had a big blue Chevy dump truck, that the crew called "Big Blue". Fred called it the "Lone Ranger" , because, he said "It only goes 'To the Dump, To the Dump, To the Dump, Dump, Dump!'" Knowing we were Jewish, Fred told us about the first time he built a house for a Jewish family. He said that was when he learned the meaning of "Oy vey!" He said it means "Change it!"
Fred like to innovate, but often with mixed results. I'm sure some of his "experiments" were successful, but I don't recall which ones. I do remember few that were less than successful. When he completed the PM Auto Center, he gave us a banana (!) tree to plant in the front landscape area. He said he always wanted a banana tree. OK.... It was dead in two days. DEAD! When the Apache Saddle Restaurant / Bar was built, it was just the center gambrel-style structure. It was small, so the kitchen was located downstairs, with eating areas downstairs, as well as upstairs in the bar. Everyone liked to eat upstairs because of the great view, but it necessitated carrying trays of food up the steep, narrow stairs from the kitchen. Anticipating this, Fred designed a "dumbwaiter", with motorized cables and pulleys, to transfer the trays up to and down from the upper floor. Fred's design had a few flaws, and after numerous dinners and trays of dirty dishes crashed to the kitchen level, the "experiment" was abandoned. When the Auto Center was built, the original design called for two steel roll-up doors, with pull-chains to raise and lower them. The doors were pricey; so to save money, Fred opted to install flat aluminum garage doors that ran on tracks (kind of like todays home garage doors, but not in sections -- the whole flat door would pivot as it rose up and into the horizontal position. Unfortunately, no one bothered to check to ensure the tracks the door rode upon were parallel, so when the door was lifted, the wheels on the track pulled out of the bracket on the door, and the door came crashing down. No one was hurt, but there WAS a Jeep Wagoneer parked in that stall, and the SUV's roof took the full impact. (Yikes!) The Jeep Wagoneer was Fred's.
When we first moved permanently to PMC in May of 1976, Fred, Pat, and a few other friends introduced us to the Mid-western custom of "Shivaree". Basically, it's like a Welcome Wagon, but they show up late at night, when you're dead-tired after moving all day, and ready to collapse in bed. They show up on your front porch with booze and food, and keep you up all night.
Our first Thanksgiving in our new home in Pine Mountain Club, we were going to spend with just the three of us, because the weather prevented any of our friends and relatives from the San Fernando Valley from driving up. Fred and Pat invited us into their home, to give Thanks with them and their friends and Family, and enjoy a fantastic meal. That day, Ro and I had our first taste of Aquavit, a Scandinavian 90 proof liqueur, served ice-cold, straight, in a shot glass -- like Russian vodka. I really believe they keep it freezer-cold because if it gets above about 10F it spontaneously combusts! We met Fred's mother that day, and meeting her explained a lot about Fred!
Fred died a few years ago; his wife Pat a few years later. Miss them both!
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