Vacation Notes

A few photos and comments about my vacation, and then I'll move on. At least I'm not forcing you to stay awake during a slide show.

First, a few observations about you Los Angeles-sians.

You're not quite as mannerly as Midwesterners. Most of us don't shove or cut in lines. We say "excuse me" when we step in front of someone, or bump into them.

I couldn't keep myself from it, and found myself, more than once, face to face with someone expecting something. "Excuse me." "Yes?" Well, nothing. I'm just trying to get by here, excuse me while I move around you. Too much work! I can see why you've dismissed it from your social niceties.

But in other issues, you're MORE polite. You don't flip off crazy drivers. Lori explained, to me, though, that it's not because you're all so polite, you sneaks! It's that you fear the other driver will point a gun at you. That's just crazy. When someone cuts you off here, you flip them the bird, and they flip it right back. It's therapeutic. There's no need for violence, people.

You all really are more fit than we are. You have more nice outdoorsy stuff and more access to fresh foodstuffs.

And it's not unheard of here, but it's still rare to see a man getting a mani/pedi. I didn't pass a salon in LA that didn't have at least one guy getting a no-polish manicure. Interesting.

And I'll admit it: your farmer's markets are WAY better. We do not have an omelet bar, homemade tamales, crepes, fresh OJ, or coconuts with straws coming out of them.

The flora and fauna in LA is amazing. It's so established. Ours freeze to death and have to fight their way back every spring. No time for gargantuan leaves and blossoms.

There are more co-ed bathrooms in LA. Girls here are oh-so-prim, and rarely share a bathroom with the boys. Furthermore, beach bathrooms are out-and-out disgusting; I perfected my hover on Venice Beach out of pure survival instinct.

Enough. Here's some photos, and I'll be out of your hair. First: 10-cent avocados. I'd be knee-deep in guacamole all the time if I could get an avocado for this price. You can't even get a gumball for a dime in this berg.



The girl on the back of this tandem bike has the right idea.



Ummm...this can't be good...


Flowers from the Santa Monica Farmer's market:


And one wild one, at Pt. Mugu.


A little something from the Santa Monica Fisherman's Pier.


And from Venice Beach:


And these from an outdoor furniture/statuary place along the Pacific Coast Highway. Oddly enough, it was one of my favorite stops on the trip.




Maybe these guys had something to do with it.



All of my photos will be at www.gnightgirl.smugmug.com in the next few days or so, if you really want to see the slideshow.