Boardless in Santa Monica

Damn the airline board fees! There were some fun waves to be had this morning near my second hotel in Santa Monica and I really really wish I'd been able to bring my fish. I couldn't find a surfboard rental place open that early, and although D had offered to lend me a board, with the 20-minute, 15-mile drive to his South Bay house ballooning to an hour and 20 minutes during rush hour, he might as well have been living on the other side of the moon.

So instead I walked on the beach and took envious pix. (Apologies for the crookedness; I need to find some free photo editing software, since Apple won't let me buy iPhoto standalone and Picasa won't work with my older non-Intel Mac.)

I guess the beach is a good place to call home if you're homeless.

The sign in the background warns of contaminated water.

Ruins the peace of the morning. And is there is more trash because people expect someone to rake it up?

Spending time at the despoiled beaches of LA made me really appreciate my home breaks. The Bay area coast is so much cleaner and more peaceful, unsullied and natural. I plan to go appreciate it Saturday morning before the next winter storm blows in.