Out into the World

Driving through Los Angeles is traumatic under normal circumstances but positively a violation of the Geneva Convention after being housebound for three weeks. Heading south on 99 the knuckles began to whiten. The merge onto the I-5 for the Grapevine was gut-clenching. But merging into a freeway with 6-7 lanes in each direction was beyond my coping skills. Fortunately hubby was helpful in his suggestions: "We're going 2 miles an hour! Get a valium out of the nightcase!!!!" Excellent advice. But humans were not meant to be in such packed numbers going at such rates of speed--when they move at any speed at all.

My first cheerful moment came when we noticed a big shiney tanker truck directly in front of us. I think it might have been carrying milk but what caught my attention was the stark message clear across the back: JOHN 3: 16. Before I could grab the camera we had whizzed around him and hubby was not inclined to slow down to 30 mph in the truck lane until he caught up with us on the incline to the Grapevine.

However--the next great California vehicle I spotted I did manage to snap a pic! It did my heart good to realize there still were purple hippie busses traveling the freeways.

The self-assuredness of Orange County was a relief compared to the chaos of Los Angeles. But Los Angeles has always been like that--a tremendous hurry to get from where one is to where one is not. And repeat that mind set several times a day forever. Orange County exudes prosperity and people who have gotten through the traffic and are trying to forget it exists. Lots of banks in Orange County. Lots of new buildings. Cleaner air.



And then so quickly the blue of the Pacific Ocean was there on the passenger side of the car. I'm not sure people who haven't grown up in an ocean state can understand what a sense of relief and satisfaction it is to suddenly come upon the ocean again. The claustrophobia of the inland freeways is replaced by blue ocean rolling out forever. Of course the fact that we ONCE AGAIN were at a complete stand-still on the I-405 didn't seem as traumatic as it had an hour earlier. By simply turning off the navigator we were free to abandon the freeway for side streets and be "beach folk" for the last stretch of the trip. We pulled over at one viewpoint on sandstone cliffs above the Pacific and just enjoyed the view and the people.


So here for your viewing pleasure are some pics of the Pacific Ocean just outside of San Diego. There will be no attempt to add seagull music or ocean sounds! You will have to imagine them yourself.

I hope this gull remembers to uncross his legs before he attempts take-off!

Just one note--after so many days in bed looking out one window, my eye still sees "small" much more easily than it can see "large." I got from the car to the edge of the cliff and had to sit down. That was fine because I was treated to life in the brambles by a robin, squirrel and gull visitors. If I had been able to stand I would have missed this small micro-world.