Here’s an interesting biography of Diana’s Mum, Clorinda, written by a fellow member of the Pacifica Historical Society.
Written by Jean Bartlett, December 4, 2019
(A Pacifica Historical Society Project)
Announcing Clorinda’s performance in “Tosca”
In 1977, Clorinda Di Lonardo Campagna, her husband Dr. Sebastian Campagna, and their daughter and five sons moved to Pacifica, California. Prior to that, the growing family lived briefly in places that included: Nebraska, Michigan and New Zealand. How did the couple meet? Sebastian first noticed Clorinda when he saw her photo in the San Jose Mercury News. It was an announcement. The soprano would be performing with the Santa Clara Philharmonic.
“It is because of music that Sebastian and I met,” Clorinda said. “It was in the late 1950s and Sebastian saw my photo and decided to call me up. He wanted to meet me and I said, ‘No, I’m too busy and I don’t know you.’ But I did tell him to come to the concert. I remember my father asked me, ‘Who called you?’ I was embarrassed. This sort of thing had never happened to me. But Sebastian came and he introduced himself.”
“We didn’t really date,” she said. “We were both very busy with our professional lives. I was teaching full-time in the Alum Rock School District in San Jose and Sebastian at that point in time was in general medical practice in San Jose.”
But they did like each other and love bloomed. In 1963 they joined their paths at the altar.
* * *
Clorinda’s life has its roots in Guardia Sanframondi, Italy. In fact, the home where her father Carlo Di Lonardo was born still remains in the family. Guardia Sanframondi is a small town in Italy’s Campania Region in the Province of Benevento. It is 1,400 feet above sea level and looks out over the Titerno River Valley and the Valley of the Calore. The castle at the top of this hilly, cobble-stoned city was built in the
late 1400s. Rich with surrounding vineyards and olive trees, the medieval town is famous for its grape harvesting, olive pressing, annual wine festival and its Rites of Penance Festival.
“My father was from a family of five brothers and two sisters. His family’s business was olive oil and they had acres of olive trees. My mother, Costanza ‘Connie’ Foschini, was also born in Guardia Sanframondi. She and her sisters were known for never leaving their family home unless they were dressed perfectly! My mother and father were the same age, both born in 1898. At the very least they met in school, if they didn’t know each other beforehand. My father used to say, ‘The only thing Mussolini did for us is he made every child in Italy go to school.'”
After Carlo and Connie married they lived in Carlo’s family home. That is where the first of their five children, all daughters, were born.
“My sister Ludovica was born at home in Guardia Sanframondi in 1922. On the day she was born, my father was on the ship to the United States. It was a hard decision and it took a lot of courage to leave his wife and their daughter. But he and Connie knew it was best. He had cousins in Hackensack and two of his brothers lived in New York, and like a number of his family members he felt there was greater opportunity in the States. When Ludovica was 7, she and my mother came by ship to New Jersey. By then my father was established. He had bought a home on Grove Street in Hackensack, he had steady work as a cement finisher and he had planted a large garden filled with fruit and vegetables. His family would be taken care of.”
Connie, Ludovica and Carlo Di Lonardo, circa 1929.
Pasqualina “Lena” was the couple’s second daughter and 14 months later, Clorinda came along on October 24, 1931. In Latin, the name “Clorinda” means renowned. Her father told her that when she was born, he was reading some Italian literature where the heroine, a warrior, was named “Clorinda” – and now, so was she.
“My mother was so proud that I came along on the 24th,” Clorinda said. “Because that was the official day the George Washington Bridge opened.”
New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the bridge the day Clorinda was born. The bridge which spans the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey to Washington Heights in Manhattan, New York, opened to traffic on October 25. It was eight months ahead of schedule.
Shirley was Carlo and Connie’s next daughter, and Margie was born in 1936. “We lost Margie in 1977 and it was heartbreaking. My parents were so stoic. Margie was very talented. She could play the piano without ever having taken a lesson and she couldn’t read music. She was an artist and a painter. She taught music in Orinda and the sound she got from her fifth grade students just made tears roll down my cheeks. She died of a primary tumor in the liver. I still miss her.
“I understand Italian but I don’t speak it. My parents both spoke English and both became U.S. citizens. My father formed a night school in the community to help prepare other immigrants for U.S. citizenship. He had real leadership ability, including with children. We had one boy in our neighborhood who was frequently in trouble and who often made trouble over at our local school. There were two families in our neighborhood that were German – we were all immigrants – and at school, he was calling their kids ‘Nazis.’ When my dad heard about this, he got all the boys in our neighborhood to come sit on our front steps so he could talk to them. We were told to go inside and we were a bit nervous because these boys, all of them, were our friends. What was my father going to do? But my dad talked to this boy and all the boys. He said, ‘We are all Americans and neighbors here and we don’t call anybody names. That just can’t be.’ My father and my mother were both very much about community – always help where you can help.
“At one point I remember that people wanted my father to run for mayor of Hackensack but he said,
‘No, I can’t be mayor, I don’t have the education for that.’ My father was a people person. He was devoted to his faith, as was my mom, and he was handsome. I remember when I was 11 or 12, after I went to church with my family, I was going to walk to the candy store around the block and meet my girlfriends. But they were waiting for me when I got out. ‘What are you doing here?’ I said. ‘I thought we were going to meet at the candy store?’ And they said, ‘Well, we are waiting to see your dad.’ ‘How come?’ I asked. ‘Because he is as handsome as a movie star,’ they told me. That really shocked me. He was just my dad!
“As to my mother, oh how she could sing. Everybody knew when Connie was baking bread. She was singing at 5 o’clock in the morning! She was, however, most definitely the more serious of the two and my dad loved to tease her and she never smiled when he teased her. I remember one New Year’s Eve in Hackensack, my dad had made wine with grapes from California’s Santa Clara Valley and he shared it with the neighborhood. We had a three story house, which included the basement, and the wine was down in the basement. This particular New Year’s Eve he thought it would be fun if his daughters came downstairs with him and then when we went back upstairs – we all pretended that we were drunk. My mom did not laugh and was so angry that she told us all to go outside. It was freezing cold and it was dinnertime and we were hungry. So my dad went to the store, bought hot dogs, came back and heated up the barbecue and my dad and all of his daughters ate outside. Eventually my mother let us back in. She knew we were there. She could see us through the window. But that was my father and my mother!”
During the Depression the family struggled financially and her father worked every hour he could. But her parents grew their own vegetables and kept chickens and rabbits and there was always enough to eat. In addition, there was always music playing.
“My mom constantly tuned into all this wonderful Italian music on the radio, straight from Italy, and we never missed a Metropolitan Opera broadcast. I liked opera from the moment I heard it.” (Like the George Washington Bridge, the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts were also launched the year Clorinda was born…and they are still going.)
Clorinda also began singing as a little girl and her ability to sing was recognized early on.
“I’ll never forget my kindergarten teacher,” Clorinda said. “She was a tall, beautiful blond woman with a beautiful voice, and she had us kids singing all of the time. When she realized that I could carry a tune too, she really encouraged me and invited me to sing.”
Clorinda sang in school performances. She sang with her church’s children’s choir, intermediate choir and when she became a teen, with their adult choir. Serious vocal lessons began when she was in sixth grade. Her school principal talked to Clorinda’s father. “Mr. Di Lonardo, Clorinda is ready for professional lessons.” He recommended vocal instructor Mary Olney Smith. Mary was just graduating from Mannes School of Music in New York City. And so Clorinda’s musical career began.
“Our cousins that lived next door were all musicians. I had an uncle in Italy who had a beautiful tenor voice and his son was a boy soprano with the Metropolitan Opera Boy’s Chorus. So it was not a surprise that I went into music.
“I really had a wonderful childhood in New Jersey. One of the things I so fondly recall are Sunday car rides with my dad. He loved the country, and he would take his girls to the southern part of New Jersey where there are some beautiful lakes. We would bring bread or crackers to feed the ducks and he would say, ‘If you are good, you can get all the ice cream you want at the creamery just across the way,’ and that’s exactly what we did!”
Four of the five Di Lonardo sisters: Clorinda, Lena, Shirley and Margie. Circa 1947.
In 1945, the family moved to California’s Santa Clara Valley.
“My father’s cousin was stationed in California during the War. When he came back to New Jersey, he described all the orchards he saw and he said to my father, ‘Carlo, California is for you.”
The Santa Clara Valley, which in the 1940s had more than 100,000 acres planted with orchards, was known throughout the world as the “Valley of Heart’s Delight.”
“My dad and my sister Lena came out first,” Clorinda said. “They drove across the country with another relative who was moving here. My dad wanted to be sure it was the kind of place he wanted to bring his family to – and the minute he saw it he knew this was where we belonged.”
“Through relatives my dad met Frank Iusi,” Clorinda continued. “Frank was a realtor and he was very successful. He became my father’s mentor and friend, and he helped my dad find the house that became our first home which was in the village of Agnew, California.” (Agnew has since incorporated into Santa Clara). “We packed up the house, put things on a moving truck and then my mother, my two younger sisters and I came out to California on the bus. My eldest sister, who like all the Di Lonardo daughters went to college, was married and remained in New Jersey. We stayed in that first home for maybe a year and then moved to another home in Santa Clara. Frank found us that home as well. Finally, and this is all within a four-year period, we settled in Campbell. Frank found a home which had five acres of apricots and was exactly what my dad wanted. My dad was a grower and always wanted fruit trees.”
California was a beautiful place to move to. Clorinda attended Santa Clara High School and sang with her high school’s chorus. She also studied voice with Helen Kalas. Helen was Clorinda’s first vocal teacher on the West Coast. The daughter of the Czech-born cellist Jan Kalas, Helen came recommended by a national touring concert pianist Clorinda had met in New York at a recording studio. (Clorinda had been sent to New York by her vocal teacher to make a professional recording.) Clorinda also became a member of Santa Clara’s Wutzit Club.
Circa 1948. Clorinda meets Robert Alda, center, and also says hello to a family friend at a Santa Clara youth organization fundraiser.
The Wutzit Club was a youth recreational organization. It was started during the Second World War by a handful of youth to put the kibosh on any juvenile delinquency. By the time Clorinda moved to Santa Clara, the Club was run by Father Walter E. Schmidt, Society of Jesus. The Club had weekly radio broadcasts, a glee club, a club newspaper, a dramatic society and a sports program. They also sponsored three dances a week, did community work and offered classes in the arts. When Clorinda joined in 1948, she was one of 1,000 Club members. Father Schmidt was also the co-founder and coordinator of the Golden Circle Theatre Party – an annual “Wutzit” fundraising event at San Jose’s Civic Auditorium – which featured local high school performers and a number of Hollywood stars. At one of the Theatre Party events, Clorinda was singing with her high school chorus and got a chance to say “hello” to someone backstage who she knew from Hackensack. He used to come and sing at her cousin’s house.
“My cousins lived next door and they had converted their garage into a little studio. I remember that when I was a little girl, this fellow from Hoboken (about 20 minutes south by car), used to come over and sing with them and then they’d all hang out at the local soda fountain. I talked to him as well. One time he gave my mother and my sister Margie a ride to the hospital because Margie had gotten her hand stuck in some sort of a chain.” That “fellow” was Frank Sinatra and Clorinda’s cousin was the drummer for the Shep Fields and “His Rippling Rhythm” Big Band.
Following high school, Clorinda attended San Jose State College (now San Jose State University). A spinto soprano, she studied with contralto and professor of music, Maureen Thompson, while continuing to study with Helen Kalas. (A spinto soprano is a lyric soprano with darker color and more weight to her voice. For the spinto, it is easier to push through the big climaxes of the dramatic repertoire. Leontyne Price is a spinto soprano.)
In 1953, Clorinda graduated with a dual major in music and education. While studying at San Jose State, appearances included soloist with the San Jose State A Cappella Choir under the direction of William J. Erlendson, professor of music, and with the San Jose State Symphony Orchestra, in 1952, under the baton of Dr. Lyle Downey.
From an April 3, 1952 announcement in the Spartan Daily regarding an upcoming performance at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, featuring, as pictured above: John Morrison, Gloria Collins and Clorinda Di Lonardo.
Following her graduation, Clorinda continued to perform. She also taught full-time in San Jose’s Alum Rock School District. Along with being a sixth grade teacher, she additionally taught glee clubs and the Teacher’s Choir. She taught in San Jose for four years and then, following her performance with the Santa Clara Philharmonic, she was awarded a vocal scholarship with the Music and Arts Institute of San Francisco. There she studied in an opera workshop with conductor and pianist Dr. Antonia Brico, history’s first woman symphony conductor, and singer Alma Michelini, a protégé of Juilliard School of Music voice teacher Mme. Marcella Sembrich. (Mme. Sembrich was the first star of the Metropolitan Opera performing the day after the Met opened in October of 1883 and immediately becoming a household name.) Clorinda would also perform with Arthur Fiedler, the longtime conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
“I was still living at home when I got the invitation,” Clorinda said. “I had never heard of the Music and Arts Institute. I was excited and nervous. I asked my father, ‘Do you think I can do this?’ And he said, ‘Yes you can.’
“I had never driven to San Francisco so my dad came with me the first time. But then when I drove myself for the first time, I was pulled over by a police officer. He told me I was going too slow. I told him I had never driven to San Francisco and he asked me where I was going. I told him and gave him the address. And he said, ‘Follow me!’ Everyone at the workshop knew I was coming and they all saw me arrive with a police escort. Of course they never let me live that down!”
Clorinda’s performance résumé story also includes participation in opera workshops with composer, conductor and professor Fedor Kabalin at the University of California. She was the 1960 Western Regional Winner in the American Opera Auditions. She sang the leading role of the governess in the Northern California premiere of Benjamin Britten’s opera “The Turn of the Screw,” staged by the University of California. She performed with the Oakland Symphony in Verdi’s “Requiem.” In 1961, she performed the lead role of Princess Yaroslavna in Alexander Borodin’s “Prince Igor,” on the stage of the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. Under the direction of 1955-West Bay Opera founder Henry Holt, she performed the role of Amelia in Giuseppe Verdi’s three-act opera “Un ballo in maschera” (A Masked Ball) at Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theatre. (Both the Opera and the Theatre – the latter which is also the stage for TheaterWorks and the Palo Alto Players – are still highly prized Bay Area performance events.)
Clorinda as Amelia in the West Bay Opera production of Giuseppe Verdi’s three-act opera “Un ballo in maschera” (A Masked Ball) at Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theatre. Circa 1961.
October 8, 1961, soprano Clorinda Di Lonardo was photographed for the San Francisco Opera by the Opera’s photographer Carolyn Mason Jones.
In October of 1961, Clorinda sang the title role of Floria Tosca in Giacomo Puccini’s three-act opera “Tosca” at the Oakland Auditorium. Presented by the Italian-American Federation, tenor Sebastian Campagna sang the role of Cavaradossi – Tosca’s lover. Sebastian is the same man who introduced himself to Clorinda after seeing her picture in the paper. Who is this man she would marry less than two years later?
From Omaha, Nebraska, Sebastian Campagna was a state high school wrestling champion who went on to organize and coach Creighton University’s first varsity wrestling team in 1939, while he was a junior law student at the same school. He, along with his brother Don, additionally served on the Bluejays 14-man squad. Also a stage actor, his credentials included a number of performances with the legendary Omaha Community Playhouse. After he became a lawyer, he moved out to California. Following his service in the Second World War, he decided he didn’t want to be a lawyer. He felt he had much more to give and he wanted to become a doctor. His Creighton professors told him he was too old to become a doctor.
“Before I knew Sebastian, he was doing general practice in San Jose,” Clorinda said. “He then did a surgery residency with Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco, with Stanford and one with Kaiser. In addition, he was a tenor. Following WWII, he auditioned for the San Francisco Opera Chorus in his Army uniform. Gaetano Merola, the founder of the San Francisco Opera and the director of the Chorus listened and said, ‘The soldier will sing in the Chorus!'” After the couple met, Sebastian studied under Clorinda’s vocal coach Alma Michelini.
On June 29, 1963 Sebastian Campagna and Clorinda Di Lonardo married at St. Lucy Catholic Church on Winchester Boulevard in Campbell, California.
Clorinda and Sebastian Campagna, June 29, 1963, Campbell, CA.
The couple’s first child, Diana, was born in San Francisco, where Clorinda was also working as a substitute sixth grade teacher. Their second child, Victor, was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. These moves followed Sebastian’s long list of educational requirements – licensing, trainings, boards – to become a thoracic cardiovascular surgeon. There was a move to Texas and a move to Michigan. The latter is where their son Giancarlo was born. Sebastian did his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship in Auckland, New Zealand where the family lived for close to two years. Their fourth child, Leonard, was born in Auckland.
Clorinda continued to perform throughout their travels. In Auckland, she performed in numerous live concerts with a pianist. In Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, Clorinda recorded the “Poème de l’amour et de la mer” (“Poem of Love and the Sea”), a song cycle by Ernest Chausson, with the New Zealand National Symphony. The recording was subsequently broadcast on various radio stations in New Zealand. In addition, Clorinda did live radio broadcasts in Auckland, with an accompanist, performing songs from a soprano’s repertoire. She also enjoyed meeting New Zealand’s world-renowned lyric soprano Kiri Te Kanawa at a high tea at Dame Te Kanawa’s home.
“You never know what might happen,” Clorinda laughed.
Clorinda at home in Auckland, New Zealand with Victor, Leonard, Diana and Giancarlo. Circa 1970-1971.
When the couple and their family returned to the States, they first went to Mississippi. Sebastian was going to be part of a heart team there. But the family didn’t stay. They wanted to return to the Bay Area.
Their fifth child, Marco, was born in Sanger, California. Next stop, Switzerland – an opportunity came up for Clorinda and the family of seven moved there for about a year. Clorinda had been invited to be a participant/performer in The International Opera Studio, which was established in 1961 under the patronage of the Friends of Zurich Opera. In 1973, the Campagna family was back in the Bay Area and their fifth son, Adamo, was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. When Dr. Campagna became a part of the Pacifica Medical Center on Aura Vista Drive (now Bill Drake Way), the family moved to Pacifica. It was 1977. They rented at first and then bought their home on Gypsy Hill. Clorinda estimates that she, Sebastian and their children planted over 2,000 trees along their neighboring hillsides.
The Campagna family, circa 1984. Sebastian and Clorinda seated, with their children, from l to r: Marco, Giancarlo, Victor, Leonard, Diana and Adamo.
The children all attended Good Shepherd Catholic School once they arrived in Pacifica. Diana attended San Domenico High School in Marin, Victor attended Oceana High School in Pacifica, and Giancarlo, Leonard, Marco and Adamo attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. Clorinda continued to sing at various Bay Area events. She was also the volunteer choral music instructor at Good Shepherd for many years and later did some substitute teaching in Pacifica. Then there were her additional volunteer projects.
She’s been involved with Pacifica’s Annual 4th of July Celebration at Frontierland Park for more than 30 years. When the late, legendary Pacifica Tribune columnist Paul Azevedo passed in May of 2004 (Paul’s column “The Reactor” ran for three decades), Clorinda took over what he had done for many, many years at the Celebration – read to the crowd from the three parts of the Constitution – all of the Preamble, and some of the Articles and Amendments. The Declaration of Independence is also read in full.
“What I do is bring in people of all different ages – adults, elementary school students and high school students – to be readers,” Clorinda said. “When Paul passed away I thought we shouldn’t stop doing these readings. I think it is important that we realize our patriotism because we are kind of reluctant to show it or talk about it. I also think bringing in our young people as participants is important. They are our future.”
In addition, Clorinda provides the vocalist who sings “The Star Spangled Banner.”
“This is generally a young person from our town who is in high school or home from college,” Clorinda said. “All of the students who take part in our Annual 4th of July Celebration do so because they care.”
For a number of years Clorinda served as member of Pacifica’s Open Space Committee. She continues to be very active with Good Shepherd Church and is a longtime member of the Church’s Women’s Guild. She has been on the Committee for Pacifica Coastside Relay for Life since 2006 when her grandson, now in his twenties and a cancer survivor, was diagnosed with childhood cancer. She is a longtime volunteer with the Pacifica Historical Society, constantly working with its dedicated team of volunteers to successfully save Pacifica’s history. One of the Society’s projects, now completed, was to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore Pacifica’s oldest public building, the Little Brown Church, and turn it into the Pacifica Coastside Museum. Clorinda chaired a number of partnering events to bring in contributions. One such partnering event brought Pacifica’s iconic Winters Tavern to the table. Billed respectively as “Pacifica’s down ‘n’ dirty bar featuring live rock, folk & bluegrass bands in a rustic, wood- paneled space” and “the best dive bar in town,” Winters held a “Prom Night” in fundraising support for the Museum’s extensive, foundation-to-roof renovations.
“When you partner together with people and businesses in your community, everyone feels like they have a stake in the project and they want to be involved.”
She also continues to support the Pacifica Sea Lions. The Pacifica Sea Lions swim team is a competitive swimming program for youth 5-18 years of age. All of Clorinda’s kids were Sea Lions growing up and Clorinda has long been a force behind the Sea Lions hamburgers and hot dogs booth. She has also been a longtime believer in and fundraiser for UNICEF. On a family note, she is thrilled to be the grandmother of twelve, six boys and six girls.
In 2010, Clorinda was presented with an Outstanding Individual Contribution Award from the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce. In 2018, she was one of eight honorees singled out by Pacific Coast TV for continuous efforts which inspire and strengthen the community. For an opportunity to hear Clorinda sing, click into this link. It was recorded in 2012 at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco. The occasion was the wedding of her son and daughter-in-law, Adamo and Amy.
Jean Bartlett photo
In 2011, Pacifica Historical Society members Clorinda Campagna, Pat Kremer, Jim Kremer, Kathy McGuire and Shirlee Gibbs get ready for “Prom Night” at Winters Tavern, a partnership fundraiser chaired by Clorinda.
Pacifica Historical Society photo
Helen James and Clorinda Campagna, at Pacifica’s Sam Mazza Castle, put the details in order for a Pacifica Historical Society fundraising event for the Pacifica Coastside Museum. Circa 2005.
Sebastian Campagna died on June 4, 1993. Clorinda still remembers it as if it was yesterday.
“We were both going to visit my father’s old friend Frank Iusi to provide some paperwork he needed from us. At the very last minute, we were almost out the door, I got a call from Cabrillo Elementary School wanting to know if I could be there as a substitute immediately. I figured they really needed someone or they wouldn’t have called so late. I was dropped off at Cabrillo by either Sebastian or Adamo. At 4 o’clock I was waiting to be picked up but no one came. Then Adamo came and when I saw his face, I knew something had happened.”
Sebastian was killed in a car accident. His car was hit by a train earlier that day as he made his way to the Hall of Records in Redwood City. He was 77.
“Sebastian was such a good man, such a smart man and a wonderful husband. He was also a wonderful father. I’ve often thought about how I was supposed to be in the car with him. I guess God was just ready for Sebastian. There must be more things I need to do and I am happy to do them.”
Jean Bartlett photo
Clorinda at a Pacifica Coastside Museum fundraiser in 2014.
Clorinda with her parents, Carlo and Connie Di Lonardo, on her wedding day in 1963.
Both parents were always very supportive of Clorinda’s singing, but her dad said early on, “How are you going to make a living?” But he also said, “Whatever you do, Clorinda, be true to yourself.”
The five Di Lonardo daughters, June 29, 1963: Ludovica, Clorinda, Lena, Shirley and Margie. “My sisters also very much supported my music journey. I had opportunities I wouldn’t have had without such strong family support. I’m very grateful.”
Clorinda and Sebastian dance together for the first time as husband and wife.
On stage with two of the leads in the Omaha Community Playhouse presentation of A.B. Shiffren’s comedy, “I Like it Here.” Sebastian Campagna, left, as Willie M. Colombo, and Charles Hoffman, right, as Sebastian Merriweather. April, 1947. (Sebastian was studying medicine in Omaha.)
Following the Second World War and before he met Clorinda, Sebastian auditioned for Gaetano Merola, the founder of the San Francisco Opera and the director of the San Francisco Opera Chorus. The conductor listened to the tenor’s vocal and Sebastian was immediately awarded a spot in the Chorus.
Clorinda with her children on the occasion of her 75th birthday, l to r: Leonard, Victor, Clorinda, Giancarlo, Diana, Adamo and Marco. October 24, 2006.
Clorinda Di Lonardo Campagna and Sebastian Campagna, June 29, 1963.
Author: Jean Bartlett (www.bartlettbiographies.com)
Pacifica Historical Society / Jean Bartlett ©2019.
David arrived in Stewarton on Sunday evening in time for some of my Mum’s yummy steak pie. Diana found the two of us waiting patiently in anticipation of the pie quite entertaining for some reason.
We expected an early start on Christmas Day with the young girls in the house. They were exceptionally patient, and even waited through breakfast before heading to the living room to open presents. There were lots of fun presents for everyone. Here’s McD with one of the stuffed trophy heads we received from Elspeth and David. Aren’t they hilarious? They did generate some interest on the trip home as they peeked out from Diana’s carry on bag, even getting the once over by the Dallas customs team.
We drove to the nearest decent sized town, Inverurie (Diana can do a decent Scottish accent on this one), for an Indian dinner. Rajpoot was very good, with everyone really enjoying their meals. The owner thought he was funny bringing me a kids dessert served in “Miss Pinky” – I had laughed when I saw them on the menu.
The event turned out to be quite something. Intro speeches by all the University brass and the “Minister of Culture” for the new Center – Oscar winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Free food trucks from several Austin classic spots – I enjoyed an empanada from Four Brothers and a delicious green chile pork taco from Torchy’s.
Moon Taxi (an indie rock band) performed after the speeches and I thought they had a very pleasant sound.
Diana’s bus wasn’t due for another 45 minutes and so I made a minor detour to Antone’s to listen to some free Blues music – what a deal.
Tuesday evening was spent at Adamo’s house enjoying Italian take out. We were glad to finally diagnose why Phoebe constantly barks whenever Grammie shows up in the house – her hearing aids emit a high frequency noise that drives the poor dog nuts.
spent some quality time having Massimo read me his favourite books – he has them very well memorized for a 3 year old. The chameleon doesn’t have a colour of his own is his current favourite.
I headed up to Adamo’s home early on Thanksgiving afternoon to watch the Cowboys play the Bills and wish I hadn’t bothered – one of their weaker performances in a while. One of the cats was more interested and determined to block my view.
I finished a trio of books this week. My favourite was “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett. I had brought this book to read on my previous trip to Pacifica, but Clorinda ended up getting engrossed in it. We were able to discuss it this time and she regularly asked me where I was in the story.
I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the Amazon book review when one of my favourite authors recommended two new books that he had enjoyed very much – I ordered them up and put them in the to be read stack. The first, “Very Nice” by Marcy Dermansky is described as:
The next recommendation, “All this could be yours”, by Jami Attenberg, had a bit more substance. One back jacket cover review captures the feel well:
Norma thought she was very funny in the office on Tuesday. Sitting with a bandage on her finger just waiting for me to notice. In her defense, she brought an amazing bottle of 23 year old Ron Zacapa rum from Guatemala that we all enjoyed very much.
I finished “Conviction” by Denise Mina this week. Here’s the Amazon synopsis:
My week started with a different medical appointment – the annual eye exam complete with dilation on Monday morning. Nothing better or worse than last year, which is always pleasant news. Right after that we made the drive down to Austin so that McD could attend a prospective client meeting on Tuesday morning. It’s nice that she has a client in Austin instead of Milwaukee or Boston.
It was a short walk to June’s and a typical situation – the champagne by the glass didn’t suit McD (I tasted both samples and agree with her this time), and so a bottle was ordered. We enjoyed another great meal – my bone marrow bolognese was fantastic. Our only complaint was the music the DJ was playing – we might be getting too old for this place on weekend evenings.
After dinner Diana and I were ready to call it a night. Not so much with our guests. They Ubered to a honky tonk 20 minutes away and enjoyed a show by Choctaw Wildfire. They always like to find some authentically local and off the grid spot.
My book this week was “Panama” by Thomas McGuane. What a crazy ride of a book, n0t like anything I’ve read. Felt like a marriage of Hunter S. Thompson at his gonzo best and John Kennedy Toole’s New Orleans humor from “Confederacy of Dunces”.
had to spend his birthday in Austin to work on the migration, so we took him out to a nice vegetarian dinner on Friday night at Bouldin Creek Cafe. His gift was his very own Baby Penguin, which also became our migration mascot.
Limits music festival to see Guns ‘N Roses. We were very fortunate to run into “Marcus the ticket guy” on Barton Springs, and he fixed us up with wrist bands for a very reasonable price. The wrist bands are very fancy. A few minutes later we were transported back to the classic rock of the late 1980s.
morning and had a pretty lazy day. We met up with Damon for dinner at El Naranjo. This is an Oaxacan style Mexican place that I had been wanting to try. The ceviche and duck with mole sauce were very good. Apparently over 30 ingredients go into that thick, dark mole. I have a little left over for dinner tonight, and I’m thinking it may be even better now. After all the excitement on Friday, we called it an early night.
I finally finished the 500+ page novel, “The Most Fun We Ever Had”, by Claire Lombardo. I enjoyed this book, but it did go on for a while. Here’s what NPR had to say:
On the drive to the restaurant, I noticed a sign on the El Mercado Mexican restaurant alerting us that John Inmon was hosting Marcia Ball as his guest. After dinner, we paid our $5 cover and enjoyed the last 40 minutes of that excellent show. John Inmon is known as one of the finest guitarists in Austin (pretty rarefied company) and hosts a different guest every Tuesday night. What a treat to see Marcia Ball with a different band and playing songs that you don’t hear in her regular sets recently. Here’s the excellent “World Full of Love”. Marcia and her friend told the story of writing this song after the last election – they were not happy with the result but turned around that sentiment into this beautiful song:
Then we had a real moment. Frampton introduced a gentleman that he’d known for a long time, but had never played with, Eric Clapton. A real one of a kind experience as they played the Beatles, “My Guitar Gently Weeps”:
I started “The Most Fun We Ever Had” by Claire Lombardo this week. The first 100 of 500 pages have been enjoyable. I suspect it’ll take me a few weeks to finish this one. The multi-generational story of a Chicago based family seems like it will provide many hours of interesting reading.
I spent the first week in Austin, while McD headed to Wisconsin for a few days. Sunrise on Tuesday was described as “crepuscular” by the TV weather guy. It was quite impressive and I looked up what that meant:
I do enjoy waking up with sunrise over downtown Austin. Meanwhile Diana was enjoying what Wisconsin had to offer – much cooler weather, and some good steakhouses (no relation to the New Orleans institution of the same name).
On Saturday morning, we caught a flight to San Francisco for a few days with family. Crosswords are a good way to pass the time, and I always enjoy the view of the Sierras with a small snow cap remaining.
surf boarding behind a ski boat in Lake Tahoe when you can’t float with a life jacket, living in a one bedroom apartment in North Beach with a baby grand and not being able to concentrate on music if the kitchen wasn’t fully organized, and making a 21 layer rice crispie cake for Adamo. For desert we chose a butterscotch pot de creme (yummy). We both enjoyed our 2 hour plus lunch experience.
I loved the book “Henry, Himself” by Stewart O’Nan. 
Cat was in Austin for an Apple Systems Engineering annual meeting, and we were able to meet up on Thursday evening. We made a quick visit to the Sky bar for the requisite picture, and then Ubered over to Peche – I know, it’s less than a mile, but it was still too hot to walk at 7:30 pm.
We visited the Roosevelt Room, a kind of fancy speakeasy style cocktail bar, after Peche and I enjoyed a Paper Plane. We sat at the bar and thoroughly enjoyed watching all the craft cocktails being prepared – some works of art. My drink came with a small origami plane flying alongside
four hours and was really struggling to figure out what was going on. Had to read a synopsis when I got home. Not sure whether I’ll make it through the remaining 3 hours or not. #2, I decided to venture away from the standard places along the highway and try a real Waco restaurant for my lunch stop. Harvest was a very good farm to table casual place, not too far off Interstate 35. The migas were excellent. I look forward to stopping there again.
new restaurant for us, Knife, located by Willow Bend Mall. This is a John Tesar place. You may remember I came home with a whole pan of his duck confit risotto after attending a demonstration he did at the Granada theater a few years back. He is starting to expand his empire with a few different places now, after getting his real start as the executive chef at the Mansion on Turtle Creek.
I finally finished “Lost Children Archive” by Valeria Luiselli. On the surface this is a family road trip story. Parents and two young children embark on a trip from New York to Arizona and the Apache homelands. Several stories interweave, including narratives on the plight of native Americans, and on children traveling alone across the border in attempts to reunite with family members living in the United States. All very poignant with the backdrop of our governments challenge to figure out a workable immigration solution on our southern border. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but got bogged down in some of the historical details and discussion on documentary field recordings.