Snow falls in Victoria just days after extreme bushfire alert

news.com.au ^ | 5th March 2009

[Myrddin]

When my wife's grand father arrived in the early 1900s, Chula Vista was the "lemon capital of the world". Her grandfather could have purchased the Sweetwater/Bonita valley for about $500 at that time. It was mostly undesirable swamp. His family didn't buy it. Instead, they founded a company called Kelco to harvest sea weed for food/pharmaceutical applications.

Most of the Haas avocados that I recall are out toward Spring Valley/Lemon Grove/El Cajon areas. The origin aside, guacamole is the most frequent application around my house.

[Slip18]

Interesting story, Myrrddin. I’d love to hear the rest of it.

I got Chula Vista mixed up with El Cajon.

My dad and mom lived in Del Mar for a long while. They could have bought a hotel a block from the beach (railroad tracks were not included — LOL) for under a mil about 35 years ago. All the rooms (I think around 150) were filled during the school season from students at San Diego State. Paid for itself. My dad declined for some reason.

Hotel sold for $5 mil three years later. Aw, heck, I loved my dad, but he was terrible at investment properties.

[Myrddin]

The Kelco connection was interesting. I worked at Marine Electric Company prior to meeting my wife. The kelp boats were some of the smelliest boats. They have a cutting fixture (invented by my wife's uncle John Hatton). The boats cruise through the kelp beds like a water borne lawn mower. It is one big kelp container with a pilot house, engine and cutter. As necessary, I would make a visit to care for the boat electronics. The kelp in the hot sun didn't smell very good. Small crabs caught in the kelp were easy picking for the seagulls. The iodine from the kelp promoted lots of rust as well. One of the most important products from kelp is an alginin used to thicken milk shakes. Merck purchased Kelco and my wife's uncle retired.

Most of my work on the water front was with 180 tuna seiners. The Fall is especially busy as each boat must have the emergency radios and batteries inspected by the FCC. They all want to be finished so they can set sail just after midnight on New Year's Day. It was a good line of work until the "dolphin safe" supervision drove the fleet to New Zealand.