Laguna Beach 2

Black and white at sunsetCrystal Cove - Bette Midler's "Beaches" shack
Lunch

I would sooner walk on my tongue than say I had more fun photographing and hanging out in Laguna than I did in Oh-Hell-Hole...but... ...aaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyeeee.... aaddddddddddd.... ooorreee.... uuun.

NIGHTLIFE - One fun - almost mandatory - thing to do in Laguna is to go to the Boom Boom Room to see the boys dancing in their underwear. We had to pony up a couple of bucks before seeing all the "sights", because - all due respect to the movie - there's no such thing as Free Willy.

DRIVING - D & A were super sweet enough to let me borrow their jeep to drive the 1.5 hours up to see relatives in Woodland Hills. They asked me "can you drive a stick?"

Rising to the Man Challenge, I puffed out my chest and said "Sure!"

Now, while that may be true (I've driven a BMW on the Autobahn), knowing your way around a manual transmission is not the only preparation you need to drive a jeep. There's also "can you drive with no top, no sides, deep brakes, a shallow clutch, bouncy mirrors, flickering headlights, and occasional, random clunking noises?"

It was awesome! I was much more aware of being...transported. The wind, the sun, the car next to me, the sound of the engine, shifting, changing speeds, taking corners with my whole body. Even though I was constantly wrestling with the wheel and the gears (there is no checking of the map, answering of the cellphone, fixing your make-up in this vehicle), I loved it. I wasn't just steering...I was driving.

TAKING PICTURES - There's 2 things I hate - people who are intolerant of other cultures...and the Dutch.* I was just sitting there at the Getty Villa, minding my own business, waiting for the crowd to disperse and watching this spikey-haired, 55-ish woman with a camera/lens rig longer than my arm just breeze through the gallery, quickly and dutifully snapping a picture of each and every statue. She was literally cataloging everything in the museum as she worked her way towards me. Suddenly, she was standing next to me, shooting a wall plaque, and, spotting my camera, leaning over and whispering in my ear.

'I just hate people, don't you?'

I knew what was next - she was looking for a fellow photographer so she could brag about her camera. Before I could escape, she asked the question:

'I was just in Amsterdam in (insert Dutch name) Gaarten and I couldn't get a decent shot for all the people. What are you shooting with?'

I told her - a Canon 20D - and she replied - 'I had one of those; I sold it to my son and bought the 30D with the profits - it's really much, much better.'

I just hate people.

* Thanks to Michael Caine in "Austin Powers"