Going for Gold

Peripatetic Summerland twosome Marv and Gray Bauer are looking forward to the Tokyo Olympics next year with special interest.

Their granddaughter Miki Dahlke, a senior at Harvard, has just qualified for the Olympic trials in the 200-meter freestyle at the Phillips 66 National Championships at Stanford University.

Hailing from Mill Valley, where she attended Tamalpais High School, Miki is co-captain of the university women’s swim team, while studying applied mathematics.

She also qualified for the 50, 100 meter freestyle categories, and the 100 meter butterfly events at the trials to be held in Omaha in June, 2020.

“If she’s successful, we may well fly to Japan to watch her compete,” says Marv, a keen bungee jumper, whose global escapades from great heights I have chronicled in this illustrious organ.

Sad Day for Chickens

Having just celebrated the restoration of her Provencal-style home next to TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey, interior designer Penny Bianchi is heartbroken.

“A tragedy today!” she posts on Instagram. “We have lost three hens to fungal pneumonia recently. We took two to the cat and bird hospital, who vainly tried to save their lives.

“Very expensive. Fungus in the mud. It is abating.”

As if that wasn’t enough, the animal lover recounts dogs without leashes raced up her home’s driveway from a trail.

“Chickens flew, panicked up in the trees. Miracle many were not killed! One beloved hen killed instantly trying to flee. No fair, people. Keep dogs on leash by your house! Not the dogs’ fault! Your fault! Please, leashes by our house!!!”

Paws for thought, indeed…

Happy Anniversary 

One of Hollywood’s most famous couples is celebrating a special anniversary.

Montecito TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and actress Portia de Rossi, 46, are marking 11 years of marriage.

Ellen, 61, in a social media post, gushed: “Happy anniversary, Portia. 11 years. My favorite number with my favorite person.”

It was posted alongside a black and white photo of their wedding day.

The twosome began dating in 2004 after meeting backstage at an awards show and have been together ever since.