Greetings from Playa Del Rey, CA

Greetings from Southern California.  I am taking a week to visit my Mom, Dad and brother and as a request I’ve asked to visit a little bit of Los Angeles.  Even though I was born in California and have spent many years growing up here and now having ‘come home’ many times I’ve never been to so many of this state’s sites…like the Hollywood walk of fame, the Getty Museum, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills….you know, all those LA things.  So for the next two days we have planned to get a little touristy.

On the way up to LA we stopped off at the Koontz campus in Oceanside.  This is the SW campus for Canine Companions for Independence.

We didn’t go inside unfortunately because when I called to see if I could stop in to say hello and visit the campus they told me they were not open to the public.  Now.  I don’t necessarily consider myself ‘The Public’ and told them I was a new puppy raiser (and their dog is THEIR property)…still…I could come on the 1st Thursday of the month.  You should of heard the let down in my voice over the phone.  Southern California hospitality just isn’t the same as it is in the Midwest…that is for sure!  Anyway…we drove by and I got a few pictures and we were on our way.

Mark took us on a little mini-tour of his neighborhood and we stopped at Manhattan beach.

Right around this area Mark talked about a shooting and my thoughts turned to trying to figure out just how safe of an area it was.  But you know… I come from the Chicago area so a shooting is like a UPS delivery (or so you’d think from the news!).

I added another triple D restaurant to my completed list.  That’s the Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives reference I’m talking about.  Baby Blue’s BBQ.  Yum.

And really close to here I snapped a quick shot of a man passed out on the sidewalk.  This shocked everyone in the car.  Are they shocked because I took a picture or because I have a fascination with the plight of the homeless?

I guess I’m a little weird in that respect.  You know, some people collect angels, I collect photos of homeless around the globe.  It never looks pleasant.  You know…if he only had a million dollars…he could be living in this beautiful little bungalow.  Three beds, 1-1/2 bath.

Is Paradox the right word?  Or is it Ironic?  I don’t know.  There are extremes to our society, on each side of the spectrum.

So to end this on a little bit of a happier note, today we are off to the Getty Museum and then I’ve found a cute little quilt shop not too far from the hotel.  I hope to get to it this afternoon.

See y’all soon!