Further SoCal

So, some observations from SoCal so far.

1. AB tending to exaggerate the menace of the local inhabitants: First we were driving through Oceanside, and he said that it was a very dangerous place, full of thugs. To illustrate his point, he directed my attention to a fellow crossing the street in front of us.
"Look at that thug!" he said. "Long hair, bulldog."
It was true, the fellow had long hair, but it was elaborately coiffed and colored, and it was true he was wearing a flannel shirt but it was a soft, intricate pattern. It was true the fellow had a bulldog, but it was an old, swaybacked, kindly-looking bulldog who scuttled timidly forward when a car nearby honked its horn.
Later, as we were turning a corner, AB pointed to a parking lot and said, "Look at that homeless guy, what's he doing?"
So I looked. The homeless guy was gaunt, with stringy gray hair, and a pile of blankets and bags around his feet. He was busy nodding encouragingly to a passing car and giving it the aloha sign.
I just didn't think it was so dangerous.

2. The immense variety of vegetation. There are towering palms, huge linden or eucalyptus trees, cabbages, pine trees, fruit trees, avocado trees, all kinds of grasses, all sorts of flowers.

3. Cyclists. Of all ages, all in silks, forming peletons up and down the road. Most of them are older, and riding extremely expensive bikes. At a stoplight a gentleman with freckled, shaved legs and gray hair stopped to take a sip of water. The wheels on his bike alone cost 4k apiece (as AB was quick to point out)

4. Runners. Everywhere.
5. Kayakers. So many cars, mostly station wagons, with kayaks on top, and kayakers in the waves, dropping in on the surfers.
6. Houses along the coast. From the waves, looking back at the houses on the cliffs, most of them with huge, multistory windows looking out at the ocean, a whole variety of architectures, from Spanish to modern to Mediterranean villas even what looked like a modified Victorian.
7. Gray. It's been gray all the time. The fog over the coast seems permanent. At the break we surfed this morning, the old longboarder men were discussing how summer never really came this year. One old man complained that his friends inland all had healthy tans, but he was pale because he lived on the coast. He had skin the color of an old penny -- I can't imagine what his "tan" friends must have looked like.
8. Yoga. It's everywhere out here, in all varieties. Studios on every block, people walking along with rolled up mats slung over their shoulders.
9. Meditation chapel. Found a meditation chapel in Encinitas, overlooking the ocean. I did not meditate but I enjoyed looking at the waves below, while imagining that from the chapel behind me the enlightened beings were radiating waves of well-being which would somehow soak in.