Goodbye narcissism and Southern California
Southern California is a beautiful area but somehow we are always ready to leave after our business here is done. The noise, constant helicopters and military aircraft…it is an assault on your senses. Add to that the crowds and the drivers…why can they not merge?…why do they feel so entitled that some part of the road (paid for by all US taxpayers) belongs to them and yes, even when you HAVE to merge or go off the side of the road they seem unwilling to let you have that small space in front of them…mine…a far cry the friendly drivers of Northern California and Oregon..even the slowpokes in Arizona are courteous..maybe that is what they lack…yes..most definitely…Miss manners could make a fortune here. Drives me nuts to say the least and Mike has created a whole new Spanish/English vocabulary of swear words to deal with them;)…very colourful indeed…I won’t repeat them…but here are a few in picture form. You can even purchase a pair of socks to disclose your party preferences in Pacific Beach if you so desire.
I guess I often see a side to San Diego that is not included in the travel brochures. The warm climate has led it to be homeless central. Men and women stand on busy street corners with signs pleading for food, or work or cash. They are the homeless, they are the vets. How could so many be so lost in this rich first world country? It boggles my mind.
We made some good friends during our “horses waiting for new barn” time here…(you know who you are;) and spent some time with our fabulous family. Even had the chance to see a few horse shows (YEAH! A few too many perhaps for Mike..hahaha) and meet some really nice (not sweet, that rant is coming) non narcissistic people, both old and young so we won’t write Socal off just yet…we were getting close though;) I’m glad my braiding kit has found a new home in the hands of an 8 year old poised for many first place ribbons in the future. Wonderful to see kids passionate about something and working hard towards some kind of goal and adults willing to take the time to make those dreams come true…you guys rock…and I’m biased with the whole horse thing…ya think;) had to limit my horse show shots:)
We did mange to get out and explore and walk. The concrete drives me crazy but I still needed to move around and not sit. With Mission Bay to the East and West of us it provided a place to explore. May grays were upon us and there were few sunny days, the coastal fog rarely pulled out past us and returned quickly as the afternoons wore on…even the cats looked depressed but we made some delightful discoveries, a baby possum feeding at the low tide line, an Osprey perched and looking for it’s next meal. We had a few hummingbirds around the trailer but no other birds so that “No bird Walk” sign was mostly true…I think the free roaming pet cats and ferals may have had something to do with it as well.
After the Lake Jennings wildlife the Bay seemed very sterile, and unfriendly. When people tell me “OH, Southern California is SO friendly” I have to disagree. You can not base friendliness on the overly saccharine waitress that would like to be your best friend in 3 minutes and puts smiley faces on your receipts…they just want a nice tip. Just simple politeness would do, and greatly increase your tip from me. That overly friendly WELCOME shtick seems to be rampant in these parts, from the Banks (Wells Fargo PLEASE stop that current campaign…it makes we want to run out of the bank screaming) after awhile the overly sweet gets old, and you want some reality instead, but then, this is not reality land is it? This is Southern California…am I cynical, yes I am, but I can merge, and I let people merge in front of me..therefore at least I am polite which is not something that can be said for the a large percentage of the people living here.
The entire time we were at the RV park we did not get even a simple “hello” from any of our neighbors even though we tried, until the day we were leaving, they were German, very nice, not sweet:) I guess that is why the park hands out bumper stickers that say “Be friendly”, it’s not working. Southern California is not friendly, end of that rant.
Still ongoing estate business to settle but in time all will be resolved…patience. The horses are settled into a new barn, a real barn, not a prefab structure made of pipe so safe and secure with impeccable care. Mike even talked me into going down to the airport to watch the planes take off and land..very loud..he was very happy. I’m glad. I did get to see an incredible Coral tree and it’s hummingbird and the perfect Snowy Egret flyby so all in all it was a good excursion into the city…the perfect gelatto and cornettis at Pappalecco’s and the deli at the Mona Lisa made it a good day in the city.
So after complaining about all that fog and cooler temperatures here I sit in Calico, California, sweating profusely with the sad pitiful AC not being able to combat the 103° heat seeping in from outside. It is really hot. We had cloud cover yesterday so it moderated our trip inland but now, just friggin’HOT. Our next jump will be a bit further, into elevation, this weather is not pleasant, to say the least.
So once I cool down I may become more agreeable;) We’ll see won’t we. I had an email from a YELP fan, perhaps a restaurant owner(?), asking me why I was so critical, in all my restaurant reviews. I simply stated that I had not had anything good to eat, that I had paid for, in the area they were in, Arizona, I believe. See, heat makes me grumpy, especially if you serve me bad food. I’d better not review the Calico Restaurant here at the Knots Berry Farm’s attempt at a Ghost Town…could be why we are the only people in the campground. Perhaps I shall stick to Alien Jerky….I certainly will not make any alien friends. I would be sad if both ET and Yoda were to scorn me, and quite terrified that Xenomorph will come to kick our asses no doubt…let’s hope Sigourney Weaver is still about;) Perhaps I’ll give the Alien Jerky a miss after all…who needs more bad food reviews anyway;)
Saludos mis amigos…see you on down the road a bit:)