Summertime and the livin’ is easy…yes sir, Billie Holiday got that right.  Especially summertime in a vaction framework in Southern California.

So far my time here in So Cal visiting my family and friends has been idyllic and I have been reminded of so many things that I miss about this part of the country – the foods, the sounds, the smells, the diversity, the ambiance, the decadence, the near absence of conformity on any level – oh yes, there is a lot to miss.

A long time mantra of mine has been, "dare to be different", yet I realize as I return to So Cal after an extended absence that the real daring here exists in seeking conformity.  Not so sure I fit in here anymore as a local, but I am certainly embracing my status as a born-again tourist.  Between revisiting my favorite iconic eateries and visiting the places that make So Cal the fabulous artsy, eclectic place it is, my time here has already been a flurry of memories and photos.

My brother capitulated and allowed us a visit to In-N-Out for lunch on Thursday.  I am a huge fan, he is not.  He claims Bob Big Boy’s is better for burgers and that given a taste test he would be proven correct – I think not.  In-N-Out represents for me the classic combination of good food and youthful memories.  In So Cal (as is true in other places as well), In-N-Out has legions of followers…it sits above all other burger chains and enjoys a status that is, as I stated above, iconic.  The In-N-Out location we visited was incredibly busy (which I might note supports my assessment that In-N-Out burgers and fries are indeed the best).  Of course while there I had to take photos and make a spectacle of myself…I simply had to capture the moment like the true born-again tourist I am.  My brother was mildly horrified, but Jeremy – the nice young man who is in the photo with me – said lots of folks take photos at In-N-Out when they visit.  Yep, best burgers ever…and I might note Jeremy gave me some In-N-Out hats and stickers too while I was there…yes, I was feeling the In-N-Out love…my brother, well he was just trying to endure my antics. 😉

In addition to having an In-N-Out burger and fries, I also had my first Pina Colada on Thursday at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach (shocking I know…how could one arrive in the new forty never having experienced Pina Coladas especially given the song from the seventies that referenced them so prominently?).  I must say it was quite yummy, but rum and me…hmmmm…not so sure that is something I dare to revisit often.  The photos below are of me and my sister-in-law Narin and Narin and my brother Jeff at Las Brisas, and the strip of Laguna Beach that abuts Las Brisas.

We also went to the Sawdust Festival on Thursday and enjoyed a lovely day Friday at Newport Beach (well a lovely day absent the bee sting and the shoe incident – but hey, all things being relative – I am in So Cal – what is to complain about?).  Friday eve was a blast too…I finally met my brother’s friend and colleague Bill and we all went out to dinner and then back to his fab pad that is architecturally brilliant and unlike any home I have seen before. I fill you in on all those events tomorrow as this day’s events beg to be lived and simply must trump the reliving of past events herein.

It is summertime and the livin’ is indeed easy. 😉

Dat three hundred and eighty-three of the new forty – obla di obla da

Ms. C