IV: Chapter 19 - page 343

[kelber at mindspring.com]

The mention of the obscure ship also echoes back to COL49 in the scene where Mike Fallopian's describing the origins of the Peter Pinguid Society -- in this case a Russian ship was involved.

Wondering if there's any significance between the Portola club and Sportello.  By virtue of even sitting in this power-bastion, negotiating, is Doc passing through some private portal -- in effect becoming an auxiliary member of the Golden Fang by doing business with them, even if it's to save a life?  Also, I've never understood Doc's personal zealotry in protecting Coy and his family.  Stealing heroin from and negotiating with the GF seems an excessively dangerous and risky undertaking to protect someone Doc barely knows, and a pretty morally compromised person at that.

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: Robin Landseadel <robinlandseadel at comcast.net>
>
>Doc is as struck [in his way] by this painting of the commencement of  
>the Portola Expidition as Oedipa was struck by Varo's indices of  
>tears. Again and again throughout the story our stony hero asks  
>questions about what might have been if only . . .
>
>http://tinyurl.com/ydeg347
>
>	The Portola expedition, led by Gaspar de Portolà from July 14,
>	 1769 to January 24, 1770, was the first known recorded
>	attempt by Spain to explore Alta California by land.[1] The
>	purpose of the expedition was to secure bases in Upper
>	California before the Russians.[2] The plan was to establish a
>	base in the Port of Monterey (now Monterey, California) as
>	described by Sebastián Vizcaíno. The expedition consisted of
>	64 men in all, and approximately 200 horses and mules. The
>	expedition started at the Presidio of San Diego on July 14 and
>	returned on January 24, 1770 — failing to recognize Monterey
>	Bay.
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portola_expedition
>