A TRIP INTO THE MOUNTAINS ON 9/11

As we drove down the Pacific Coast highway headed to the ranch of Richard’ close friends, film producer Nick Wechsler and Stephanie, his actor wife, we passed Pepperdine University and there, covering the expansive lawn, were thousands of American flags, waving, beautiful. It took a while before we realized that today is September 11th and they were commemorating the dead from 9/11. Many people were walking between the flags, taking pictures. Cars stopped to do the same.  

The view was sobering as well as beautiful. I remember when Pepperdine was being built. I lived out there, in Malibu, for many years in my twenties when I was married to Roger Vadim and we’d rent a house in the Malibu Colony when I was in California making a film. “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Chase,” Some of “Cat Ballou,”were among the films I made while Malibu-based. It’s a different world now.

Nick and Stephanie live high up in the Santa Monica Mountains, on a persimmon orchard. I adore persimmons, especially the firmer, Japanese variety, which is what they have. Richard is the godfather of their 5 year old daughter, Lily, a lovely angel of a child. It was my first trip out to their home and I’m sorry I haven’t done it sooner. The surrounding hills and canyons were covered with California live oak ; in the valleys, the mottled sycamores stood out, lighter green against the darker oak leaves, and here and there, sandstone boulders and rocks, the kind I climbed incessantly when I was Lily’s age, many with worn holes in them from where the Chumash indians of long ago ground their corn.

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  1. Hi there,

    I was thinking a few of your friends may be able to assist the Democratic candidate for US Senate in Alaska. Now that Lisa Murkowski is out this could be the only pick up seat in an otherwise tough year.

    Scott McAdams is at least the sane candidate. Sarah Palin endorsed his opponent Joe Miller who has all the tea bagger luggage with him.

    Beck and Palin held a rally in Anchorage yesterday. It was pretty much stock but they said it wasn’t political to avoid campaign finance oversight. Joe Miller was prominently featured.

    I would like a celebrity A-team to help out Scott. He is Mayor of Sitka and a small town guy but he can be taught and isn’t crazy.

    Alaska media is really only Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks. To win statewide we need only 134k votes.

    Can you help out? If the R’s roll the Senate it will be hell for our President.

    cheers,
    William Theuer

    Anchorage, Alaska

  2. hello , Jane hope all is well, I do like persimmons alot , it is the smell that seem to bring me to some new place. Pepperdine University is a place I seem to get information on all the time, having taught graduate school,at a private University, the 3ed largest in California, National University. The University I went to has a film media department , it has won for the last three years runing a $50,000 grant from The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, not bad of course it helps that Steven Spielburg started the dept and is a graduate from the University. I understant your visiting the Playboy home of Hugh Hefner. Hope you get some photos of Hugh Hefner , he gets to be a role model for us older guys, and he gives a lot of support to film. Nice to have you back

  3. What a wonderful trip for you.

  4. LOVE those persimmons too!…and have two trees in backyard. One is the firmer, Fuju variety and the other is the Hachiya which must be eaten when very soft or mouth ‘puckers’. When very soft, I freeze some of them.

  5. 911 inside job. nothing fixed until we address this.

    Bush remains only person to see first plane hit on video before second plane hit.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCtb9nlV_20

    One must do some serious mental acrobatics to believe that a few fires on a few floors did this.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akpnIFK-RM

    BBC reports WTC 7 collapse 20 minutes ahead of time while standing in front of it.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mxFRigYD3s&feature=fvw

  6. Jane, you must change the way we see women in the media by changing your name to Jane Fonda Seymour.
    Marilyn Mach Vos Savant changed her middle and last names to names from the maternal side of her family – and she has the highest IQ ever recorded!

    Also – there is a video of her on YouTube circa 1985 where she discusses ideas about education which I have never heard anywhere else.

  7. Beautiful photos, Jane!

  8. Hello Jane
    all this flags, it’s beautifull !…but this day of september 11th was horrible.
    Lily is adorable. She has the same smile as her mom !
    Vos cheveux ont poussés vite depuis les dernières photos. Vous avez l’air d’aller bien. Profitez bien de cet endroit magnifique qui me fait rêver !!!… it’s so different from France
    kiss for you

  9. Dear Jane, I’ve seen many of your movies and loved every one, especially “9 to 5” and “Barefoot in the Park.” I enjoyed reading some of your blog and learning more about the person behind the characters. I simply had to take this possible opportunity to tell you that you have a lifetime fan in me. Stay beautiful always!

  10. Hello Jane!

    I am just an admirer of yours and I wanted to tell you that you are one of my rolemodels. You look so healthy and fresh and you´ve had such an amazing career! Being an actress, a writer, a feminist and so on.
    I am a 19 year old Swedish girl who´ve just moved to Canada for the love of my life. As for my career, I am confused about what I want and how to achieve my goals so I was wondering if a brilliant woman like you would like to give me a few useful tips? If you aren´t too busy feel free to email me. I would really appreciate it! Thanks for taking time reading this.

    Sincerely,

    Malin Samuelsson

  11. This must be a beautiful area of California! All those American flags are impressive to see! Loved reading about the trees and rocks all around! It’s fun to think of the Indians that used to be there! I bet those rocks were fun to climb when you were a child!:)

  12. What a wonderful observance! I use September 11th to remind myself of the commitment I made to myself the night after the attacks. I promised myself to be always keep an open mind: to be educated rather than be ignorant, to learn about something before I assume what it is, and that freedom is not something you trade in for fear, because if you trade freedom for fear, the terrorists win. These past years I have seen that promised tested in the hardest circumstances. With Bush, it was all fear and little importance on freedom and our country fell apart and President Obama is still picking up the pieces. I found your autobiography in 2005 and that reminded me of the promise I made and to stay strong even though everyone around you starts acting weak. This 9/11, I was actually celebrating my freedoms, I performed with a theatre group at a local fundraiser.

  13. You puzzle me! Sobering and fun?

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