Beware the Bag Monsters!

On Halloween it’s in the Bag!

Booo Halloween bagWritten by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

With the sounds of Halloween here and little ones eager to take their trick-or-treat bags door-to-door, SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel are thinking how nice it would be to keep those bags out all year.

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Not just for Halloween candy, apples and treats, but for everyday items, dairy and meats.

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When you bring your own reusable bag on shopping trips, instead of using plastic bags from the store, you can reduce the amount of plastic pollution in our environment.

Did you know that each reusable bag equals 400 single-use plastic bags?

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Or that 600 plastic bags are thrown away every second in California?

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Every year 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. Of those, 100 billion bags are used in the United States alone.

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That’s a lot of plastic bags…most of which end up littering our streets and polluting our waterways and oceans, endangering sea life, who get tangled in the bags or ingest them , and ultimately entering the food chain.

 

That’s even scarier than the ghosts and goblins roaming around on All Hallows Eve.

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Fortunately California got an early treat this Halloween – the passage and signing of Senate Bill 270 – authorizing the nation’s first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores.

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The Surfrider Foundation Huntington/Seal Beach Chapter has long supported legislation to ban plastic bags. Its Rise Above Plastics Chairperson Jessica Bechtold explained to SurfWriter Girls that building awareness is the key – informing the public of the environmental problems caused by plastic bags and getting people out of the habit of using them.

The bill phases out plastic bags at grocery stores and supermarkets in the summer of 2015. Convenience stores and pharmacies will follow in 2016.

When the plastic bags disappear, so will Bag Monsters – ghostlike, spooky spirits made from discarded plastic bags.

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For now, though, they’re still out there. So, heed this Halloween warning:

Beware the Bag Monsters…and Don’t Litter!

Stash Your Trash on Halloween

When you’re dancing around the fire

watch out for goblins, ghosts and gyres.

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It’s nice to have a yummy treat…

Good and Plenty’s, Reese’s Cups, and candy corn to eat.

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But, don’t toss your trash on the beach

when recycling cans are in reach.

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Remember that Bag Monsters are always near.

You never know when they’ll appear.

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With bulging eyes and shark-like teeth to chew,

If you litter, they’ll get you!

Happy Halloween!!!

 

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SurfWriter Girls Patti and Sunny

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Venus in Fur on Stage at SCR

Graham Hamilton Gets Wave of Applause

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Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Surfrider Foundation West LA/Malibu Chapter Chairperson Graham Hamilton is temporarily trading in the wave break for the spotlight here in the OC where he is starring in South Coast Repertory Theatre’s production Venus in Fur.

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Graham Hamilton at Beach

SurfWriter Girl Patti and husband Greg Kishel had front row seats and saw firsthand what a talented actor Hamilton is. “His performance is impressive,” says Patti, “as he changes character and point of view throughout the play and deftly switches back-and-forth between drama and comedy.”

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Graham Hamilton and Jaimi Paige in South Coast Repertory's 2014

Playing the role of a stage director trying to cast the perfect leading lady for his upcoming play, Hamilton is joined by multifaceted co-star Jaimi Paige, who bursts into the room on a dark and stormy night – inverted, blown-out umbrella in hand – demanding to audition. Sultry and magnetic, she turns out to be more than she seems…with an agenda of her own.

Written by David Ives and directed by Casey Stangl, Venus in Fur puts a new spin on the “casting couch,” exploring the boundaries of seduction and power, fantasy and reality.

If you’re looking for an intelligent, witty, sexually-provocative play, this is it – a one-act, one-scene, 90 minutes of total entertainment. It runs through October 26. For tickets go online to: scr.org Or call 714-708-5555.

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Corona del Mar Seaside Garden Brunch

Sherman Gardens – An Oasis of Tranquility

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 Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

 When you feel like taking a break from your everyday activities and want to slow down the pace a little there’s a special place in Corona del Mar that’s just steps from the beach…but a world away – the Sherman Library & Gardens.

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An oasis of tranquility that was first opened to the public in 1966, the Sherman Library & Gardens (2647 E. Coast Highway) has colorful flower beds…

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a tropical conservatory, water fountains, cacti and succulents, and a tea garden perfect for lingering over tea or indulging in a Sunday brunch.

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SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel opted for the latter – a relaxing brunch in the Gardens’ Café Jardin and the chance to sample award-winning chef Pascal Olhat’s French “coastal cuisine.”

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With Patti’s husband Greg Kishel on board for the culinary adventure, part of the fun was picking out the different menu items we wanted to try.

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The seasonal 4-course brunch ($35 per person), served from 10:30 am – 2 pm, includes an assortment of appetizers, a starter course, main dish, and dessert.

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To get the total Café Jardin experience, our game plan called for ordering a variety of dishes – and promising to share.

The appetizers were like miniature artworks – tomato and onion tarts, mini-quiches and a mix of olives, arranged beautifully on the plate.

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For the second course, Greg opted for the Vichyssoise cold potato soup, while Sunny went for the smoked salmon mousse and Patti the country paté.

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With the main course, Greg ordered eggs Benedict, cooked in the French style with ratatouille and asparagus.

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The roasted chicken breast and herb risotto got Sunny’s attention.

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And Patti couldn’t resist the grilled salmon.

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Then, when we were all still talking about how good everything was, the dessert tray appeared with an assortment of mini-pastries, berries, and individual chocolate mousse cups.

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By the time we finished eating we were ready to explore the gardens, named after early California business pioneer Moses Hazeltine Sherman, who achieved success in mining, cattle, and real estate…selling Henry Huntington the Los Angeles Pacific Railroad electric railway system in 1904.

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Wandering the gardens, immersed in the bygone California landscape, the 21st century was easily forgotten…except for the occasional intrusion of a car horn from the Coast Highway.

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To make your own garden brunch get-away from the everyday, contact the Sherman Library & Gardens for reservations. Sunday, October 12, is the last day for brunch service until spring 2015.

Or stop by to browse in the library’s extensive Pacific Southwest California history collection, check out the unique items in the gift store or enjoy handmade crepes in the Tea Garden Creperie.

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Whatever you choose, like a character in a Thomas Hardy Victorian novel, you’ll be “far from the madding crowd.

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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.