Summer

Former Costa Mesa High football coach Tom Baldwin admittedly didn't know how to spend his summers. Last year was the first time in nearly a half-century he'd had a real summer vacation. "I coached football for 47 years," Tom Baldwin said. "I always thought you were supposed to coach football during the summer." But after retiring from coaching football following his second Mustangs head coaching tenure in 2004, Baldwin, now 74, had time on his hands. Although it must have been tough for the longtime head coach, he left it to his wife, Carol, to do the planning.

Young Chang It's hard to understand just why the wing of the Eastern spotted skate being grilled by chef Jason Niederkorn is a summer selection. On the silver stove, it appears to be just a fillet of fish without seasonal ties. But once Niederkorn lays the fish at a tilt on a little hill of lime, red and orange garnish that comes from the farmers market just an hour away, he completes a summer scene using Mother Nature's vegetable colors as his paint and a large white plate as his canvas.

Despite slightly less airline passenger traffic out of John Wayne Airport, local hotels report business has been steady compared to last summer. "This summer has been very similar to last summer, but we've been able to see a rate increase," said Doug French, director of the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa's revenue management. "People are paying more for rooms." Rates of local hotels have gone up about 10% to 15% since last year, French said. Brad Logsdon, director of sales and marketing for the Hilton, said at the start of the summer hotel staff was nervous about occupancy as they watched gas prices creep above the $3 mark.

Christen D'Alessandro Summer vacation is coming to a quick end for the four local boys who played in the North-South Orange County All-Star football game last night at Orange Coast College. Kevin Welch, a wide receiver from Corona del Mar, will be attending Indiana University in the fall. He will be leaving in less than 10 days to start football camp in Indiana, where he is a preferred walk-on. "I haven't done much this summer. I've just been working out every day to get ready for football," Welch said.

Young Chang Prettiness this summer won't be pretty as in pink or the sort of pretty that is shy. The look stands out, instead, in lace and ruffles, soft greens and pastels, with subtlety but with panache. Pretty, these next few months, will look romantic. Last summer's trend welcomed bold stripes and bared stomachs, not to mention the wristfuls of ethnic-looking bracelets that seemed to compete for "most chunky." This summer's fashion forecast from local resort-wear experts includes mostly solids (white being the most popular)

Summer is supposed to be a time to relax. Mellow out. Hang by the beach and catch some rays. But what if you are not a carefree student who's lounging at home for the summer or a trust-fund baby who has no need to work? What if the kids are out of school and one needs a ride to soccer practice and the other is dying to go surfing with his pals but the pool guy is supposed to stop by sometime in the next 12 hours to fix the drainage system? There is only a 10-degree difference between summer and hell.

Summer softball standings Sunday Leagues Modified Coed-Upper 1. Outers, 18; 2. The Rookies, 12; 3. Butchers, 10; 4. Sharkbites, 8; 5. Fairview II, 6; 6. Touch 'Em all, 6. Modified Coed-Lower 1. Suds-N-Buds, 15; 2. Off In the Corner, 14; 3. California Dreamin', 13; 4. Verifone, 9; 5. Q-Less, 6; Lost-N-Found, 0. Monday Leagues Coed "C" 1. Misfits, 15; 2. Margaritaville, 14; 3. Fanatics Only, 12;...

Deepa Bharath NEWPORT-MESA -- Thursday's cloudy weather was merely a typical case of the much-talked-about June gloom that will be whisked away by sunny skies. Maybe not today, the first day of summer, but soon, forecasters say. "Yes, we had a brief visit from June gloom," said Mark Moede, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Diego. "But it's only temporary." Balmy conditions and warm ocean waters await beach lovers this summer, he said.

NEWPORT BEACH - The winning teams from the Newport Beach Community Services "Summer Hoops '99" were announced Tuesday. Twenty-six teams comprised of boys and girls entering second through seventh grades participated in the eight week, summer recreational league. The winners in each division were: Girls "A" Division (6th-7th grade): Erika Hosseini, Simone Borghei, Ashley Slatery, Maika Trobman, Monica Chalawat, D.J. Trobman, Ashley Rhinesmith, Matty Christensen.

Summer officially started early Wednesday, and so before anyone gets a slash from a stingray or pulled out to sea in a riptide, here's a reminder of a few safety tips that will keep you in action this summer instead of on the sidelines. First, if you're going out in the sun, wear sunscreen. A recent Mayo Clinic study finds that it takes just five serious sunburns to double ? yes double ? your risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Are there many among us who have spent time along the beach and not had that many burns ?

Next month, Dan Cameron - the new chief curator at the Orange County Museum of Art - will board a flight to Europe, where he hopes to gather ideas from some of the world's most innovative international art exhibitions. "I'm going abroad in June to see what a few of my friends and colleagues have done with the international platform," he said in an interview. "We'll see what I can poach. " What he captures, he'll bring back to OCMA in preparation for the museum's first international contemporary art survey, the 2013 California-Pacific Triennial.

Families interested in giving their children a chance to get deeper into nature over the summer can attend an informational meeting Saturday. The Environmental Nature Center is hosting a Summer Nature Camp Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1601 E. 16th St. in Newport Beach. Families can learn about the different camps, walk nature trails and participate in activities like making a volcano, a cloud in a jar and launching a poppin' rocket. Families can also visit the Butterfly House and get up close to reptiles, amphibians, arthropods and mammals.

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum is getting closer to reaching its ambitious fundraising goals, according to museum President Rita Stenlund. The museum also has profile-raising community events coming up, from a kick-off party for the Newport to Ensenada yacht race Sunday to weekly family events starting in June. Stenlund told the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday that the museum now has about $8 million in an investment fund. That's up from the $6.6 million listed in its 2011 tax return and $5.1 million the year before.

Oh, the joys of spring! Flowers are in bloom, tax returns are due, and parents are stressing out over what the heck to do with their kids this summer. When I was young, back in the Mesozoic Era, the lazy days of summer were all about playing outside until Mom called us in, reading comic books, and piling into Dad's beat-up station wagon for our annual road trip. Thoughts of school were stored away along with my Pee Chee folders and wool sweaters. Not so for my kids. Summer for them has been a time to expand their portfolios, burnish their academic, social and athletic skills, and rack up community service hours.

Camp James, an Orange County summertime staple in Irvine, is moving to Newport Beach to make way for the development of new apartments. The popular children's summer day camp will call the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina home when it opens for the summer. "We are very excited that our camp is relocating to the Newport Dunes," camp co-Director Scottie Roach wrote in an email. "We loved our home of 27 years, but we are thrilled to call the Newport Dunes our new home!

The past weekend must have been one of my best weekends on Newport Harbor. It ranked right up there with sailing Hobie 16s in 1975 off 17th Street, getting a speeding ticket for my first "beer can" race in 1983 or winning a Harbor 20 race this summer with my wife Jennifer. I had a cold beverage in hand, my feet were up on the cockpit rail of the "Golden Rivet," and I was sharing the company of two very good friends of mine: Amy and Chuck Simmons. We had tied the boat up, stern to, on a single mooring just off "M" Mark.

The halcyon days are over. No more waking up at the crack of dawn, lounging around on the couch in pajamas and watching cartoons. No more trips to the cineplex to see the latest talking animal movie. No more mid-week sleepovers, late-night campfires or trips to the fair. School has started, which means I'm actually going to have to start being responsible. Some parents cheer for the start of school because it means sending the kids away for four to six hours, allowing their sanity to return.

COSTA MESA - The Orange County Fair Board has approved a special free night at the fair for foster children, their families and volunteers. On July 14, more than 8,200 kids and adults laughed, played and ate their way through the Orange County Fair for free at "A Fair to Remember: A Celebration of Our Children. " The inaugural event offered a sneak preview of what was in store for fairgoers. Moved not only by community support for the event - more than $70,000 was donated to the effort - but also by the stories from kids and parents afterward, the board voted unanimously Aug. 25 to make the event a regular part of the fair's offering.

NEWPORT BEACH - Elisa Martinez Garcia turned 14 years old Thursday, and she celebrated that birthday with two distinct groups of friends. There are the other four young tennis players from Spain, with whom Garcia traveled to Newport Beach. Then there is the Sage Hill School tennis program. Some of those players were on hand to sing Garcia "Happy Birthday" as well at The Tennis Club Newport Beach, and there was a birthday cake. It's the first time Garcia has been to the United States.

This past winter I wrote two columns about the proper pruning of stone fruits and other deciduous fruit trees. This important chore continues to be one of the more misunderstood gardening responsibilities. I still get comments from readers who say they enjoyed the articles. I promised then that I would mention the value of summer pruning at a later time. In those original columns, written in December, I remarked that the objectives of summer and winter pruning are quite different, although both important.