First It Was In-Flight Meals; Now Between-Flight Dining Is Banned

Airport traffic at Long Beach Airport has long been an issue with its neighbors.

So you can understand why airport security guards rousted a flock of birds dining on seeds allegedly thrown their way by a van driver who had flown the coop. The guards swept up the seeds, too.

As Beachcomber columnist Steve Propes put it, no use adding to the airport’s problems with some “non-FAA-approved flying creatures.”

Is this what they mean by a “love game” in tennis? Stephen Mesi noticed that a Monterey hotel’s facilities included an unusual multipurpose recreational area (see accompanying).

Speaking of fun: Fred Arnhoelter was intrigued by the name of a Santa Monica shop, commenting, “I certainly don’t get any joy out of having my car repaired” (see photo).

I phoned owner Jason Romero, who told me he runs More Joy Auto Repair and its predecessor, Joy Auto Repair. And the name?

“I bought it from a gentleman whose last name was Joy,” explained Romero. “We were going to change it, but we got such a nice response from people who were comfortable with the name that we decided to keep it. Plus, when people look in the Yellow Pages, I think it really jumps out.”

More repair joy? Ken Wong saw an ad for a Dodge Neon whose warranty seemed to cover the life of the owner and then some (see accompanying).

I’d hardly call that “limited.”

No kids’ stuff: The L.A. Daily Journal reports that the builder of a backyard playhouse in Santa Monica will pay the city $85,000 in legal fees to end four years of courtroom battles over whether the structure met municipal code.

The resident had sued the city during the dispute over the 12-foot-high playhouse. He does get to keep the structure. It’s just too bad he can’t pay the playhouse fees with play money.

A greeting no pedestrian likes to receive: My colleague Rebecca Trounson was walking her dog in Arcadia early one recent morning when an L.A. County animal control truck drove up. The driver said, “I guess you didn’t hear about the bear.” No, she said, she hadn’t heard about the intruder. He suggested she go home and, fortunately, the walk back wasn’t at all hairy.

Palm attitudes: I mentioned that Mike Royko, the late Chicago newspaper columnist, in one of his diatribes against Southern California, dismissed palm trees as “utility poles with feathers.” But David Terlinden of Long Beach points out that Royko may have been prophetic. After all, towers for cellphone transmissions are often disguised as palm trees these days.

“Duh” File: Jean Cochran bought a box of Arm & Hammer cat litter and was reassured by this notice on the box: “Safe for use around pets.”

miscelLAny: Salon.com columnist King Kaufman noted that a home run hit by Cincinnati’s Adam Dunn off Dodger pitcher Jose Lima “bounced in the street and rolled all the way into the Ohio River.” Estimated distance: 535 feet. But that’s not the best part.

Kaufman pointed out that the river is actually in Kentucky. “You know you’ve really given up a home run,” Kaufman said, “when there are only 48 states it hasn’t traveled through.”

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATimes, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.