Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 25, 2022

Mountain View News Saturday, June 25, 2022 


WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 

“Then followed that beautiful season…Summer…Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical 
light; and the landscape lay as if new, created in all the freshness of childhood.” 
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

“Summer is a state of mind.” 

“Summer. Flip flops. Vacation. Ice Cream. The Beach. Sunshine. Camping. Swimming. Kite 
flying. Flowers. Sand Castles. Sailing. Gardening. Longer Days. Road Trips. Lemonade Stands. 
Sleeping In. Children Playing Outside. Joy. Laughter.” 

Last Tuesday was the first day of summer. Of course, where we all live, it feels like summer 
more often than not. But school is out. No more nagging about homework. No more getting 
people out of bed at the crack of dawn. Meals are a little more catch as catch can and a lot of 
BBQ-ing is going on. A little wine with ice in it is awfully nice, too, at the end of the day in a 
shady spot. 
Speaking of summer, one of the 
major highlights of summer in 
Sierra Madre is the annual appearance 
of Elvis, which happened 
last Sunday in Memorial 
Park. The picture today is the 
King himself (photo courtesy 
of Chuck Seitz) looking and 
sounding fantastic. Elvis is actually 
Harry Shahoian in real 
life, but he’s been dazzling Sierra 
Madre audiences since at 
least 2007, if not before. The 
entire town was out in their 
lawn chairs to enjoy all the Elvis 
songs. 

When I was 13, I was deeply 
in love with Elvis; captivated, 
enchanted and besotted. Probably 
every other 13-year-old 
girl in the world was, too. My 
mother gave me a dollar and I 
took the bus up to Canterbury Records on Colorado and bought my first record. A 78 rpm 
vinyl of…you guessed it: “Don’t Be Cruel.” I remember all the lyrics even now. I got it home 
and promptly dropped it and broke it. I was devastated. Bless her heart, my mother stopped 
on her way home from work and bought me another one. Considering that she thought Elvis 
was a joke, that was quite something. I can hear her now, “That guy’s just a flash in the pan! 
Pat Boone, now. He’s such a better singer. He’s going to be a star!” 


I didn’t care. I loved Elvis and begged to be taken to his first movie: “Love Me Tender.” 1956 
with Debra Paget and Richard Egan. The single of the song passed a million in sales – every 
other 13-year-old girl in the world bought it, too – which had never happened before. I loved 
every minute. 

Harry does Elvis proud and we are so happy to see him every year when he comes to town. 
I have to include my very favorite Elvis song, can’t help myself: 

“Love Me” 
(Jerry Leiber - Mike Stoller) 

“Treat me like a fool, 
Treat me mean and cruel, 
But love me. 
Wring my faithful heart,
Tear it all apart,
But love me. 
If you ever go,
Darling, I'll be oh so lonelyI'll be sad and blue, 
Crying over you, dear only.
I would beg and stealJust to feel your heartBeatin' close to mine 
Well, if you ever go,
Darling, I'll be oh so lonelyI'll be sad and blue, 
Crying over you, dear only.
I would beg and stealJust to feel your heartBeatin' close to mine 
Well, if you ever go,
Darling, I'll be oh so lonelyBeggin' on my knees,
All I ask is please, please love me” 

Yes, I bought that one, too! We’re looking forward to the new Elvis movie which is coming 
out in the next few days. We’ve seen the previews and Austin Butler as Elvis looks pretty good. 
Tom Hanks as Col. Parker looks downright weird but we’re going to give it a shot. The movie 
we’re all wanting to see the most is the new Minions movie, “The Rise of Gru.” 

Stay cool, dear friends and neighbors and try not to think about the fact that gas now costs 
more than Dom Perignon champagne. Walking is our friend! I’ve managed to get over 10,000 
steps three times now since I got my step counter. 

Celebrate Everything! 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
Where you’ll find “Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope”
And “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”
Take a look at both of these books, stuffed with hope and some really good recipes.
And there are Kindle treasures galore you can send straight to your Kindle,
Including the best adventure story ever: “A Treasure Map, A Drunken OwlAnd 47 Rattlers in a Bag”
Check me out, friends and neighbors! 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com