Life takes time
February 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
I’d probably need several years of psychoanalysis to determine why I’m so fond of this character, found on Sunset where Waverly curves down to meet the boulevard. Shouldn’t I find the dark scowl frightening/ disturbing/ threatening?
Instead, I read the face as determined/ take no bullshit/ ready for whatever comes. Walking to the farmers’ market on Saturday mornings, I give it a friendly nod, happy to know it’s made it through another week unmarred by graffiti.
The remainder of the mural is pretty cool, too.
Thanksgivukkah in Venice
December 2, 2013 § Leave a comment
My very first day in Los Angeles, my host took me to Venice Beach. Why? I don’t know; it was Memorial Day, screaming hot, and the place was packed with people. Jerry Brown ran for president that year and there was even a campaign rally gearing up.
Is all of L.A. this crazy? I wondered.
Fortunately, no.
I’ve been back to Venice many time since then and seen the beachfront in more pacific moods, most recently on Thanksgiving day. Tourists were out, shops and eateries were open, vendors had their wares displayed (calaveras appear to be the souvenir du jour), skateboarders were in their pit, homeless folks gathered under the palms–but the crowds were elsewhere (Wal-Mart, maybe?) and the mood was mellow.
Here are a few shots from Venice Beach and vicinity:
Cat
January 21, 2013 § Leave a comment
This cat attached itself to me as I walked through her neighborhood one morning. I stroked her back; she put her nose in the air and flicked her bushy tail from side to side, making the soft, bleating sounds that signal pleasure.
Her thick, long piebald pelt was soft and silky. Someone was taking good care of her.
I had to go before she was ready to let me go. “Sorry cat,” I said, straightening. She rubbed the top of her head against my shin and mewed in supplication, then trotted after me as I set off down the hill picking cat hair out of my mouth.
In the way of cats, something else drew her attention before I had gone very far and I was a solitary walker once again.
Real in L.A. 