Rattlesnake Season Starts Early

Oh?  That tidbit was announced on the local Orange County TV news at the end of January.  Who knew?  My young granddaughters did, “Oh the rattlesnakes cross the Santa Monica Mountains hiking trails all the time, grandma.”  Remind me to stay off the mountain trails.  Apparently the normal rattlesnake season runs from April through October…  Add to that bears in the backyards in Pasadena and mountain lions routinely crossing the 101 and you have an altogether different picture of paradise.

But paradise it has been this winter. We enjoyed the warm southern California weather for two months while our neighbors have been enduring one of the worst winters on record.  I felt really guilty about that, at least until the rattlesnake warning.

All good things come to an end and we have been back in the frozen tundra for a week.  I can take a joke with the best of them but when are they going to roll up the snow and cart is away? Yesterday it reached the 50s for the first time since early December.  Much of the snow cover melted but not to fear, 4 to 8 inches are predicted for tonight!  I cannot complain because it was an unbelievably awful winter in the Midwest and we missed much of it.

On to more pleasant memories, our California vacation was wonderful.  We were able to spend a great deal of time with the granddaughters who are a miracle.  Weekly dinners, occasional sleepovers and special trips remind me just how lucky we are.  The girls rope me into reading to them, although I expect that they read far better than I.  The latest series I found was the Dear Know-It-All  books about a junior high journalist and her friends.  The situations and solutions presented are real, relevant, and rational.  I would recommend the series for young girls nine to twelve.  I may need to load some of the earlier books onto my Nexus 7 because they are not all in print now.

What of our California adventure this year?  We spent most of our time in Santa Monica again but were able to get down to Orange County for a couple of days.  Some of my favorite SoCal restaurants are the Sherman Gardens and Library Restaurant (Corona del Mar), Auld Dubliner (Tustin), Thyme Café and the Urth Cafe (Santa Monica), and C & O Cucina (Venice). We also visited the Observatory in Griffith Park which is a great place to take yourself or your kids because the displays are very fine and the docents knowledgeable.  Their sky show is OK, I’ve seen better. The Observatory is free except for the sky show. We also went to see Cirque de Soleil’s Totem—very enjoyable.  Most of our time was spent at the beach, usually reading on a park bench and watching the sail boats.

 I fulfilled my long held desire to visit the Central Coast and was not disappointed.  After a nice lunch at the wonderful Mexican restaurant, Cielito, in Santa Barbara we drove north on scenic highways 1 and 101 to San Luis Obispo, a small city about three and a half hours from Santa Monica.  The area we visited, from Santa Maria to San Simeon, has much to recommend. In San Luis Obispo we visited the historical part of town near the small downtown area, a variety of shops, the Mission, and their Carnegie Library Muesum.  The restaurants in SLO (as they like to be called) are very nice.  If you like beef a trip to Tahoe Joe’s is in order; for Italian try the Upper Crust Trattoria which is in a strip mall, but the food and décor are first rate.  Lunch at the Apple Farm Restaurant will delight you with good home cooking and a visit to nearby Morro Bay requires a stop at Rose’s Landing for seafood chowder as well as a view of the harbor seals as they swim by.

Morrow Bay was relatively quiet in February, but I expect it is much busier in the summer.  The Central Coast State Park Museum in Morro Bay is really worth the stop. The interactive displays are educational for adults and children and be sure to see the minke whale skeleton on the very breezy balcony.  The Park’s golf course looked challenging; the boat rental tempting.  There are other state parks nearby as well as a large salt marsh.  However the really nice part of the SLO area is the people who are just like your neighbors and friends back home.  They are eager to share a recipe, offer directions or suggestions, or just chat with you.  I hope we can return to this area and check out nearby towns because it is a great place (read, SANER than LA or Southern California). I wouldn’t mind living there either…

After a week home, the memories begin to fade.  The unpacking is finished; loads of laundry done; maps and brochures stored away for next year.  I voted in the primary today. (Early voting is very popular in our household.)  We attended one of the lectures at the Institute for Continued Learning at Roosevelt University and have another scheduled for this Friday.  The Spring semester begins soon.  Plans for Easter begin to emerge.  One thing for certain, there will be no rattlesnakes at the egg hunt!

To Be or Not To Be

 

Not the Hamlet quandary, rather, to be or not to be a Californian—that is the question. It has been just over a month since our return to SoCal, prompting our annual quest for the “perfect home,” knowing full well that in all likelihood the search will be inconclusive! We have pursued the question with vigor as is our wont.

My ambivalence about California persists. The weather has been a bit cooler than normal, but it is certainly not what is to be expected in the Midwest this time of year. We walk nearly every day, enjoying the sand and sea, filling our lungs with salt air, starting to get tan lines around watch bands and shirt sleeve borders.  Our grandchildren are growing, becoming individuals of interest and delight. We have the opportunity to see them nearly every week. The privilege of becoming a genuine part of their lives is sacred. Yet something about California living be whispers “be wary.”

Once again we have engaged the time of a realtor, although I feel guilty commanding a professional’s time when I could give her 1:20 odds against making the sale’s commission.  She has shown us dungeons and do-ups, but nothing that could prompt a bid.  The charming lady tells us that realtors have very little “product” to show; Orange County homes are selling like hot cakes once again. It is amazing to solid Mid-westerners that homes selling for 500-600 thousand have cardboard cabinet shelving and water heaters ready to begin a great conflagration.  

We have been encouraged to give Laguna Woods a second look. As I recall most of the very reasonably priced homes there hadn’t seen an interior decorator since 1952, or a cleaner in a decade. The sellers were either recently deceased, or sitting in wheelchairs manned by home health aides waiting to whisk them off to a nursing facility as soon as the ink was dry on the contract. Despite descriptions of golf courses and recreation buildings teeming with activities the leisure village for seniors was depressing, depressing, depressing—but cheap.

In a more venturesome mode we have also been looking at new homes. The construction industry in California is booming (take note all you investors).  I am interested in the Central Coast between Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo, hoping soon to make a visit to active lifestyle communities in the model homes stage. The smaller homes—and people our age need smaller—are fairly reasonable in this area of California. It is about 2.5 or 3 times farther from our grandchildren however which may or may not be a good thing. If we were to move to Orange County I’m afraid that we would always be second best to the girls’ California grandparents—lovely, loving people who have been a part of their lives since birth.

The quandary continues, uppermost in my mind is the query “Is it really too late for us to relocate?”  We are no longer young; our time has most probably past, and besides, who wants to have a mortgage in their 70s!  Frankly we are torn between the safety of our wonderful Midwest home or the risk of an uncertain future in a land long overdue for an earthquake.  The slings and arrows propagate exponentially… 

In all probability we will return to the Chicago area in March with the question unresolved, but not really unanswered.  Once again life will resume, all too quiet, searching for a place to rent next winter, choosing which snow shovel to use on the driveway, facing dreams discarded with a brave smile, acquiescing to sensibility, waiting for the home health aide.

Westward Ho the Wagons!

We have been in southern California for 10 days. Although the weather so far is considerably cooler than last year it is warm by Chicago area standards.  We look forward to sunshine and sea breezes.

Our California family is thriving, always busy, constantly surprising.  Our granddaughters spent New Year's Eve with us beginning with dinner and ending with a 2013 breakfast.  I gave the girls rug hooking kits for Christmas and they had been working diligently at home while their dad read two Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives books that were also part of their holiday loot. It is cute to see that they really still enjoy having a adult read to them while they work on a craft. 

They brought their rug kits with them for the overnight. However there were other exciting things to do, chiefly playing pick up sticks and learning to play Pounce, which is a group competitive form of solitaire. The older girl really got into the game, so much so that she fell off her chair trying to beat me to a card pile. No harm done, but she literally "threw herself" into the game.  Her younger sister was eager to text daddy to tell him. As soon as she typed "Dani is OK but"  we stopped her. Those four words would be enough for him to leave the restaurant or theatre and rush over.

Last Saturday we had a welcome to California dinner at C & O Cucina in Venice Beach. They serve the most delicious garlic buns and calamari!  Everyone had a tasty entree and a good visit. The service is extraordinary, the menu varied, and the prices reasonable. Couple that with fantastic Italian food and we were well and truly welcomed back to California. Tomorrow we will have a belated birthday dinner for my 17th birthday, although the girls are getting too good at math to swallow that number.

It's a good thing the weather has been fine for walking with all the celebrating. Hubby is eager to get into his shorts and short sleeved shirts, but when he tried it today we had to turn back early because the goosebumps were becoming too prominent! We are renting the place we used last year, which is three blocks from the beach, four from the Promenade shopping area, and very close to great restaurants--there I go with food again!

That's all for now. I'll waddle back soon to keep you up to date.  Keep warm Chicago!!

Thanks for the Memories

We've been home for a week. The day we left California it was 78 degrees. The next day we arose to the coldest day of the winter and 4 inches of killer snow. For those of you not familiar with snow, killer snow has a large water content and is very heavy. The unwary might end up in the nearest emergency room if they don't shovel carefully.  Of course the hubby's snow blower wouldn't work even though he paid a goodly sum to have it overhauled in October!  While shoveling hubby and I looked at each other, not giving voice to what was in our hearts. "Why did we come home?"

A week of work, rain, wind, and the expectation of more snow describes our first full week back. My tan is fading fast. We missed our Wednesday dinners with the grandchildren.There will be no trips to Manhattan Bread and Bagel for bialys and cream cheese with chives. LACMA will need to wait until next year. All that remains are the good memories of sunshine, relaxing walks and picnics at the beach, reading aloud every Clementine book published so far, waking with no "need to do today" thoughts.  It was a lovely hiatus, but reality is in the Midwest. Thanks for the memories though. See you next winter.

Saturday

It's our last Saturday in California, a bright fresh day. We, like hundreds of others, take to the beach for a four block stroll along the sand and sea. Because it is only 11 in the morning, it is not too busy yet but there are several hundred people staking out their place in the sun. Yesterday's cold onshore winds have subsided and the day promises to be pleasant.

We are amazed how quickly the 2012 Spirit Awards tent has been raised. Only yesterday the ribs were erected with a few side tents clinging to the side of the low cliff that forms the boundary of the beach area. Today the tent is up and workers scurry in and out with wires, cables, boxes. The "laid-back" Spirit Awards are given for the best independent films and serve as an hors d'oeuvres  for the Academy Awards scheduled for next Sunday evening. All of LA has Oscar fever. For weeks the newspapers acclaimed each nominee's excellence in hopes that Academy members might cast a vote for their actor, director, writer, etc. In February LA is all about Image, Image, Image.

Getting back to our walk, we dodge the fierce bicycle riders and cross over to the walking path, dodging brainless skateboarders who don't care who they wipe out when they wipe out.  The air is cool with a hint of sea salt.  There is a mist covering the Palos Verde peninsula and the Malibu Hills.The sea plays host to several small sailboats. It looks as if some sort of regatta might be in progress. Two people soar above the water, held aloft by a yellow parachute that is tethered to a small power boat. A number of helicopters race along the shoreline while below the sea is as pacific as its name.

In the sand nearly all the volleyball nets are in use. We stop and sit awhile, watching the foursomes fight it out--the guys in tees and shorts, the girls in bikinis. Tents and umbrellas have been set out on the beach in expectation of family and friends gathering to enjoy the day.Dads are spending time with their children. Very few surfers use the Santa Monica area, the waves are much better elsewhere. Virtually no one is in the water. It is too cold; it's always too cold. Those '60s Gidget movies were never filmed in the ocean. The poor kids' would be sporting goose bumps larger than the polka-dots on their beachwear!

When we reach the end of our usual walking course, we climb a small hill and return through the park. There are a few benches and we often sit, watch the water, read our books and view the many dogs lucky enough to be given a walk along the shoreline. On a Saturday morning there are as many children in strollers as dogs on leads. Today there is plenty of entertainment to claim our attention. A group of 30 - to 55 - year old men are playing street hockey in the unused parking lot. My husband remarks that the game looks dangerous; I reply that that is the whole point.

We start back to our rental, stopping to purchase a Sunday paper. I like knowing the news before it happens. Saturday's a day to loll about and rest up. We will certainly miss the sun, sea, and our walks.

Road Trip!

Last weekend we nipped across the border to get a respite from Metro LA.  Lest you think we headed for Tijuana that's not the border I mean. We drove south on the 405 into the Newport Beach-Irvine area of Orange County. Wow, it was the day after Comps in college!  We knew it had been stressful in Metro LA but the feeling of relief, of having a weight lifted was tangible.  Life is very different 50 miles south of Santa Monica. To our way of thinking it was a change for the better.

The first thing we did after checking in to our hotel, where they know us and welcome us back, was to head for the bike/walking trail and head for the Bill Farmer Park.  Although there was no lovely blue ocean to follow, it was good to be able to kick out and up my pace, not having to fear slipping on sandy walks or being menaced by bikers. It was warm and I added to my pink tan before we got back to the hotel.

We planned to visit a favorite Greek restaurant for dinner but learned that it was closed. (What is it with the Greeks this year?)  I had read of an Irish place so we headed for Tustin's "The District" which is a massive shopping center designed by someone who hated automobiles. Let's just say that parking is strange there, but not impossible once you get the hang of the layout. Anyhow we found the Irish place, The Auld Dubliner, semantically challenged and allowing smoking outdoors.  The smoking kept us inside where we could appreciate a very authentic looking pub.  Since it was technically a sports bar there were lots of burgers and wings on the menu. There were also traditional Irish items. This place served one of the best Guinness Irish stews I have ever tasted! It was loaded with fork tender beef and vegetables you could identify. If you are ever in that area I heartily recommend the place. We had hoped to go back for the corned beef and cabbage or the Shepherd's Pie, but didn't make it. Next time.

Whenever we are in the area I check out the cultural listings. Symphony Hall in LA is a bit too intimidating for me but the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa is just right. This absolutely beautiful center has a number of separate venues for all sorts of arts performances. It is the home of Orange County's Pacific Symphony. There are family, classical, and pop concerts, and two theatres. Each venue is architecturally interesting.  Symphony performances are held at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Seniors and students can obtain "Rush" tickets for $20. if tickets are available an hour before the concert. This year we heard Nicola Benedetti perform the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 at the Beethoven & Benedetti concert. Very enjoyable and very comfortable. This beautiful facility is attracting top talent; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti conducting is performing later this month. Visit www.scfta.org for more information.

Another side trip we took was to the Great Park, which is not yet great. The city of Irvine is developing a massive park (to be larger than Central Park when it is finished) on the site of the former El Toro Marine Air base, aka where God lost his shoes.  The city is trying to entice visitors with free hot air balloon rides but it was too windy to go up when we visited. Meterologically speaking it was blowing at 15 mph. There was plenty of hot air on the site though--hot, hot, dry, dry. The park will be lovely someday with trees, trails and a lake, although I don't know where the water will come from. It must be costing a fortune! It should be interesting to see it next year to check on its progress.

Reality must be faced eventually and we were back in Santa Monica by Monday evening. Back to the sun, surf, and blood pressure medication.

On the Promenade

Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade is every bit as popular as its Pier.  Throngs of people visit the restaurants and pricey shops that line the streets from Broadway to Wilshire Blvd. especially on the weekend. We were there on Saturday evening after the never-ending Cirque du Soleil performance (review to follow) and we couldn't find any place to eat. That was not because there are few restaurants, on the contrary, there are many but the wait times were unbelievable as young and old played the culinary version of how many people can fit into a phone booth. It was frustrating to have two hungry little girls and no place to feed them.

We have actually visited the Promenade several times. In addition to hundreds of global visitors there are the natives and their dogs, street performers, market day vendors (on Wednesday), and way too many homeless,  beggars and con artists.  The stark contrast between customers carrying upscale store shopping bags--which are NOT PLASTIC and cost a dime each--and the indigent is remarkable. Santa Monica is very welcoming to the hundreds of homeless who sleep on park benches, in doorways and parks; who openly panhandle on the Promenade and course the neighborhood streets like city workers two weeks before an election in Chicago. I expect it is a salve to their Southern Cal Mercedes consciences. The Quickfacts section of the 2010 U.S. Census shows the 2006-2010 median house value to be in excess of $985,000, about double the California average.

I imagine you noticed the "NOT PLASTIC" description above. One should note that shopping bags, grocery and all others, must be paper per city ordinance. If you don't bring your own there is a ten cent charge. This is really a good idea anyway, except when purchasing leaking meat at the grocery store.  Another salve to their conspicuous consuming conscience is the fact the Santa Monica is scrupulously Green.

A day, or evening, on the Promenade is a bit surreal, but makes for interesting people watching. Anyhow the walk is educational. Some of the street artists are quite good, others should keep their day jobs. (Oh, this seems to be their day jobs!) One can pick up all sorts of foreign languages, even Australian. It seems that Southern California is a popular vacation, and business, stop for the Aussies.

Anyway I did promise a review of the Cirque du Soleil show entitled OVO.  It was held in a large tent just below the Santa Monica Pier and it was freezing inside.  The acrobats, tumblers, trapeze artists, and jugglers were wonderful, in the tradition of good circus from all over the world. OVO's theme was lame. All the performers were bugs, insects and spiders, and were creatively, if somewhat obsfucatively, costumed. The sound was deafening while the story line, assuming there actually was a story line, missed by a mile. In addition the show went way too long, beginning at 4 and continuing until nearly 7.  (There are few plays, a small number of concerts, and no operas I would sit still for for that long!)

Time marches on. Only three weeks until we return to the Midwest which has been having terrific weather too. I imagine they have been holding off the blizzards until we return.

North from LA

We traveled up to Santa Barbara County recently. Most of the journey was spent getting out of LA County. The problem is that the Santa Monica Mountains are in the way.  The weather has been a dream most of our trip and we wanted to take advantage of it by heading north to the Central Coast.


I love the Central Coast and Santa Barbara. We didn't manage to get as far north as San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, maybe next time.  Our aim was to visit both the city of Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. We have been in Santa Barbara before and it is a great place to visit and pretty nice to live in (except for the earthquakes which are a serious problem).  If you are ever visiting here, you MUST visit the Botanical Garden, home to a variety of beautiful and wondrous plants, including some giant redwoods.Go to the Mission if you like that sort of thing. We were not going to be there long so our visit focused on the Karpeles Manuscript Library and a nearby used bookstore.  The Library holds several original documents of interest to American History buffs. There are a small number of Karpeles Libraries sprinkled around the country but I had never heard of it before. The bookstore was very well organized and stocked. Of course I managed to liberate a treasure to take home.

After lunch in one of Santa Barbara's nice restaurants we continued north on 101 to the Santa Ynez Valley. For those of you familiar with the movie Sideways it was filmed here in the Central Coast's Wine Country. Wine tourism is very big here and tasting shops abound. It is also a nice place to get some really nice olive oil and other olive products. We stopped in Solvang which is a Danish American town.  Little shops, restaurants, and Danish bakeries abound.  If you haven't tasted Ingeborg's chocolate or Olsen's Danish Village bakery products you haven't lived.

The drive through the Santa Ynez Mountains and valleys was lovely. Much less hectic and crowded than LA. We stopped at Lake Cachuma to see several pairs of nesting American Bald Eagles. This lovely lake is open to visitors who can picnic, hike, and boat. Swimming is off limits however since the lake is the source of the valley's drinking water.

We were sorry that we hadn't planned a longer trip so we could explore farther north. I definitely want to get to San Luis Obispo County next year. Anyhow we returned to Santa Monica (however reluctantly) with a bottle of the valley's red wine, some to die for fig infused balsamic vinegar, olive oil, candy, and cookies.  Not a bad haul, and some consolation for having to return to mad, bad LA.

Lazy Days in SoCal

First I must correct my previous assertion that they never clean the ocean walkway in Santa Monica. They do, occasionally, but traction remains tenuous.  Sorry, Santa Monica.

There is something inherently wrong with crows perching in palm trees. We see them all along the beach area and on Ocean Avenue. It is eerie. However the weather has been nice and sunny so we're working on a tasteful tan to show off when we return to the icy north.

Crows aren't the only disturbing sight as we take the salty air.  There was a time when one would steer clear of someone walking, gesturing, and talking aloud to an "invisible person."  Now it's a common sight, no need to hold the children close; it's one of hundreds speaking on their phones with and without Blue Tooth. Of course this is not something limited to the seashore, we are treated to one sided conversations wherever we go. It's such a delight!  Sort of a Simon and Garfunkel  "Sounds of Silence" in reverse.  Nevertheless, we press on and enjoy the warm weather and sunshine.

An opportunity presented itself while here. We had the chance to visit the new headquarters building of the Rand Corporation. The lovely, green building was designed by DMJM Design. It's basic shape is a double ellipse. Nearly 85% of the people who work there have an office with a window that opens thus capitalizing on the benign climate while saving the environment.  The Los Angeles area alumni association of one of my alma maters arranged a tour with emphasis on the art collection. However we were given a thorough overview of RAND and its work, as well as a tour of the building.  I WANT TO WORK THERE!

The art collection was quite spectacular. 90% of it belongs to Peter Norton of Norton Security. He is an avid collector of contemporary art. In a serendipitous meeting, he mentioned his collection which was housed in a warehouse to someone high-up at RAND.  It just so happened that they had a great many empty walls. The result is a sheer delight. I am not one for modern art, but contemporary art is different. The collection is varied and quite eclectic. The first work we saw was titled "Crash." It looked like smashed glass, but was actually carefully placed mylar strips that made a pattern similar to broken glass.There are two paintings of a forest scene in Australia where the artist carpeted the ground. There are several works that show subway maps, including London's Tube. All the station names have been changed to famous persons who are grouped by "line."  For example, there are stations of Philosophers, Artists, Scientists. It's quite clever.  Other interesting ideas include someone's paintings of TV characters' homes as described in the shows.  There is a wonderful mural of downtown LA at Broadway done by John Valesquez, as well as many portraits he made in exchange for room and board.  The creepiest set of works was hung outside the boardroom. They appear to be geometric matrices done with short strokes making straight lines. Actually these are false eyelashes....

Anyway we are enjoying our vacation, especially now that the Midwest has had snow.  Next time I will describe our trip to Santa Barbara County.

Wintering in Southern California

This is our fourth winter in southern California and we are settling in.  Last year we made the move up to Los Angeles County and stayed in Manhattan Beach. This year we are staying in Santa Monica and are closer to our grandchildren.

We are staying 3 blocks from the ocean which makes daily walking in the sunshine more convenient and cheaper because we do not need to feed the ubiquitous meters that blanket Manhattan Beach's downtown. (Although it didn't take us long to figure a way around that.) That said, I really must admit that we like Manhattan Beach and the South Bay area more than Santa Monica, Marina del Rey and Venice. The main plus to SM is the proximity to family.

The holiday press of humanity has lessened although there seem to be a great many people with nothing better to do than spend the day at the ocean. (Do Californians actually work?) The Rose Bowl brings in hundreds of people. It must be a tradition with the Badgers fans to congregate on the Santa Monica Pier en mass, hoping to break some esoteric record.  However there were many Might Ducks around too. Mostly they are gone now.

The piers in Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach are very different. Santa Monica has every square inch utilized in money making entertainment. I doubt that those who throng to the poor man's Disneyland even know they are over water.  Manhattan Beach has a lovely pier with a modest aquarium on the far end. The MB pier allows visitors to stroll its length, looking all the while at the sea and the surfers. One can contemplate the relationship between man and the vast waters flowing towards the horizon. In SM it's cheap thrill and masses of people.

The beaches and "boardwalks" differ too. In Manhattan Beach the walking area is known as the Strand. The walking paths and bicycle paths are comfortably apart. Benches that face the ocean dot the full length of the Strand and the people treat one another with respect.  In Santa Monica the two paths are very close and somewhat confusing. I have no idea if they have a special name for them; only when one gets to Venice (which I assiduously avoid) is it known as the boardwalk.  One must step carefully because the path is covered with sand, which can be slippery underfoot. Although cement walls are common, there are few benches upon which to contemplate the waters, for the reason that the throngs of homeless, while very welcome in SM, are not welcome to sleep on the beach--probably because it's bad for business. The bicyclists, rollerblading enthusiasts, and various and sundry "whatever moves you" folks are downright aggressive and nasty.

The actual beaches differ greatly.  Santa Monica has a mania for cleaning its streets, every week without fail and a steep fine to pay if you forget to move your can. However, it does nothing for its sand beaches. In Manhattan Beach the sand is raked, cared for, and inviting; not so in Santa Monica where the beaches are dirty, messy, uninviting, and too far away from the paths to lend the ambiance we look for at the shore.

Santa Monica is an OK visit, especially if you like a lot of action. If contemplation and relaxation are what you are seeking, try Manhattan Beach which, despite the enormous hills, is much nicer. The folks in South Bay seem to have their priorities straight, enjoying their good fortune, welcoming visitors, respecting their precious southern California setting.

A Midwesterner Ponders Change

I’ve lived in the Midwest all my life. Midwesterners are hard-working, no-nonsense, and sensible people. We generally act only after careful deliberation, eschewing the flashy and trendy. We have deep roots. When I am faced with the possibility of relocating to southern California, my deliberations must proceed slowly in order to evaluate the consequences of that move. I’m no stranger to southern California. Long before part of our family moved there we found it a good place to visit. We have just returned from an extended visit. The question I must consider now is whether or not I want to live there.

Hands down, southern California has great weather—boring, but great. Most Midwesterners think it is uniformly warm, but it is not. Near the ocean, temperatures range between the 60s and low 70s during the day. Evenings require a light sweater. The water is very cool. Surfer movies lead one to assume a skimpy bathing suit and surfboard are all you need for the sport. Real life surfers wear wet suits to keep warm. (Incidentally, the Midwesterner wants to know when these surfers work and go to school.)

The desert—and southern California really is desert—can be very hot. Rainfall is quite modest. The green of late winter too quickly becomes brown and sere. There are deciduous trees, but the stunning colors of the upper Midwest never appear. Palm trees are messy and ugly. The flowers of California are multitudinous and magnificent. Californians just take their nice weather for granted; no Midwesterner would. I’m sure I would miss the variety and persistence of green trees and fields that is our reward for enduring winter.

Although the Great Madrid fault that produced the largest magnitude earthquake in the continental U. S. is located in the Midwest, it is generally benign. In California the threat of severe earthquake is taken for granted in much the same way as the nice weather. Personally, I prefer solid, un-shifting ground beneath my feet.

Other cataclysms Californians expect include wild fires. These are a serious, recurring, and potentially expensive threat. Dangerous winds from the desert feed the fires. In a few hours all that you posses can be destroyed. Life is precarious and one must be prepared to evacuate homes on very short notice. In the Midwest the most persistent threats are tornado and flood. These are every bit as destructive as wild fires and earthquake. Neither the west coast nor the Midwest has an advantage in this area.

What are some of the now and future problems each area needs to address? In southern California water and fuel are critical natural resources to consider. Southern California is vastly overbuilt. Drought conditions along the Colorado River and in the Southwest will require the rationing of water in southern California very soon. Water rights will take a commanding position as scarcity and agribusiness tighten the clamps on southern California’s water supply. Californians seem to be in a state of denial about a looming water crisis. It is real and needs to be addressed. Resolutions will be very costly.

Californians love their automobiles. Distance is measured in minutes, not miles. Californians spend a lot of time in their cars. Freeways are super sized and almost always at capacity. (Some of the nastiest drivers I’ve ever seen drive on those roads.) Gasoline prices were running about $3.65 as a minimum at Easter. Smog persists in the valleys despite emission regulations that are the toughest in the country. One will see some alternate fuel cars and many bio-fuel buses. One cannot fail to notice a plethora of very expensive cars that most Midwesterners would only view in a film. These status symbol cars require expensive fuels. Just how much will the Californian be willing to pay? The conspicuous consumption of their automobiles belies their vocal “save the planet” mantra. There is a disingenuous attitude most Midwesterners would spot a mile off, but that Californians fail to acknowledge.

The Midwest is not without its problems. There persists the feeling that the middle of America has past its heyday. Our population is aging; youngsters seek more exciting venues. Midwesterners have experienced a loss of manufacturing jobs, jobs that will never return. Transportation infrastructure desperately needs attention. Highways are insufficient; bridges and roads in disrepair. Travelers are advised to avoid Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Its problems are far beyond the need for new runways.

There emerges an undercurrent of sentiment that the Midwest is peripheral in today’s economy and culture. We have been passed over; we’re out of the loop. New Year’s Eve TV celebration coverage views its major cities as irrelevant. We are part of the rust belt and suffer psychologically from the loss of manufacturing, and meaning.

I am, of course, still skirting the real issues involved in a decision to move from my lifelong Midwestern home. Can I become a Californian? My views on southern California are entirely personal, idiosyncratic, and possibly unfair. However my perception of the southern California persona is critical to the decision making process. How much is vincible ignorance? Am I too old to change these opinions? Do I want to change them? Should I want to change them?

How do I perceive the average Californian? There is a superficiality I find discomforting. One of the first things I noticed is reinforced by watching the ads on TV. Image is all. Californians are conspicuous consumers. They are lean, and intolerant. There is nothing about the image that can’t be improved with a nip & tuck, a lift, a peel, fancy car, expensive—read, overpriced—home. TV ads show a populous obsessed with image. (One might expect that every Californian is just waiting to be discovered at the local Starbucks.) The appearance of prosperity and success passes for the real thing, but not all live the good life as you soon understand by perusing the re-sale and consignment stores that proliferate on the Pacific Coast Highway.

A Midwesterner’s expectations are more modest. Many of us may care more about the appearance of our lawns than our physiques. Maybe we’re genetically incapable of the hedonism of the southern Californian. Everything in California seems fast and shiny new. Cutting edge technology, bio-tech, impressive corporate headquarters abound. At the back of the Midwestern mind-set, is the fear that these, too, will pass away. The young may well embrace the edginess, but older Midwesterners proceed with caution. Somehow I can’t get past a discomforting sense that this “chic, tomorrow, and global” milieu might really be part of Disneyland. Something about California whispers ephemera.

Before I make the decision to uproot my life, these perceptions must be resolved through the lens of objectivity. It may be that it is too late for me to change so radically. There are private, family reasons in favor of such a move that I have not addressed herein. However I feel that it is important to determine whether or not I want to become a southern Californian apart from those reasons. How do I weigh family influences against personal prejudice? If family reasons for re-location ultimately prove transitory I might find myself stuck in a place I hate, financially poorer, and spiritually bereft. Resolution will take some time.