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I chatted to Alice about books at the San Francisco gathering a few years back. I mentioned Steinbeck, and she said she was not a fan. I seem to remember that it was because of her being "force fed" his stuff at school.
Knowing your admiration of Steinbeck, I thought it would have made for an "interesting" topic... :D

I apologise to Alice if I have misrepresented her views...
 
Well it appears as though we didn't blot our copybooks too badly yesterday as today we were invited to the beach and maritime mountains close to Malibu.

What a merry band of hikers even though the track became rockier shortly after the photo was taken. Alice takes all this in her stride, never once asking for help or complaining. Brother Don and I did give a little assistance when travelling uphill, and acted as brake on the steep downhills, but that was about it.
Brother Don is a charming man, a more knowledgeable man I have never met.
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The only Californian poppy to be found in California to date, that was until Rosie found a clump of 5 blooms about 5 minutes later.
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Thank you Alice and Don for a day that will remain long in the memory, hope we can repeat this one day.
 
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Off topic a bit but Steinbeck is among my favorites. But I was only forced to read a couple short books of his while in school.
He wrote a book, Bombs Away, about a bomber team during WWII. My uncle was shot down on 42 and reported KIA. My grandma wrote to him and he sent a very nice letter in return. Turns out my uncle was helped by the French underground and after many days made it back to England via Spain. He had a few really close calls with the Germans and was lucky to avoid 2.5 years as a POW.
 
Venice Beach Friday 18 February 2022 ~ weather sunny, warm with a pleasant breeze.

This glamour girl was being filmed while posing and making progress along the sidewalk. She spotted my camera, climbed a couple of steps and gave this sparkling smile.
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This T-shirt with a message caught the eye
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At the roller-skating arena people were happily dancing to the music, it was a joyous place to spend some time
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Endless beach with a view or two
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Part of the skateboard park
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Two of the best skateboarders of the day, the girl was possibly the most talented. The man in black in the center offered low key advice and encouragement to many of the others and wasn't far behind the girl for talent.
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Another sport but more competitive, some having fun, some pretty serious
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We both simply liked this building backed by a blue blue skys76084a.jpg
Part II may appear later.
 
I've been there a couple of times while taking a guided tour of Los Angeles. Didn't fit in with the Muscle Beach crowd, though. 😂

Don't be so hard on yourself, everyone appeared to belong in Venice. Rosie just mentioned now is a good time to go to Muscle Beach, all the formal gym facilities are closed!
 
My sister worked at the credit union at a hospital there while her first husband was in grad school at USC. They also lived in Culver City for a while, her Mother in Law and Brother in Law worked for MGM, so on that visit (following year) I got to see all kinds of stuff they were doing for the movie Logan's Run.
 
Thank you for telling us this story, what a life your uncle had after such an experience.
The small town newspaper where he lived ran a series on his adventures 35 years after he was shot down. Otherwise I'd have only known a few details. I found a report in some archives that my uncle made in 1943 when he got back to the UK and it matched his later story.
 
If you are still in the area, Pinks Hot Dog Stand is a popular place. Its on La Brea and Melrose, close to the La Brea Tar Pits.

Thank you, but we are here only another couple of days and want to help our friend out on a few jobs around his condo before we leave. Perhaps next time, we'll keep it noted.
 
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