Monday, February 14, 2011

California Thinks I'm Fat

The Tumbleweeds have temporarily escaped the ravages of winter and stumbled into a land called California. It is green here. Things grow here. 



 We had a pleasant drive south from Sacramento to Los Angeles in California's Central Valley. Mile after mile of orchards, vineyards and all manner of green and growing things. Plums, oranges, pistachios, olives, grapes, almonds and who knows what. They ought to put signs up telling you what this stuff is, the grocery store does it why can't the farmers? 


The traffic wasn't too bad, the view was interesting. 









California Grass Angel




And then there's Los Angeles.

The City of Angels is very crowded and not green. 




We drove through the heart of the city for the first time. Saw the Hollywood sign. I was really hoping to see a celebrity like Angelina Jolie or Festus but it wasn't meant to be. They don't hang out in traffic like regular people. I did see a guy driving a dump truck who looked like Tony Orlando, but Dawn wasn't there so I didn't ask for an autograph.

If you squint really hard you can almost see Festus




There are 2.7 things I found disconcerting about LA:

#1. Saying LA makes you sound like a wanker.

#2. There are no clouds. It's a Stepford-Wife sky. It is unnatural.

#3. In 10 miles I saw 10 billboards telling me I should get skinny with surgery.

#3 1/2 The fast food restaurants have the calories posted on the menu next to the prices making it:
                    A. Confusing
                    B. Guilt inducing (compounded by said billboards)

No clouds. No Festus
On the way out of Los Angeles toward Phoenix we passed the birthing place of all windmills. It is a veritable windmill nesting ground in southeastern California. Only about 10% of them were spinning but clearly that's enough to blow away the clouds...












              
*****The green pictures are inspired by Glen. He who loves snow.****

8 comments:

  1. did u take all the pictures here? that first one looks like it's taken from the air...flying trucks?

    the smog keeps the clouds away...not enough room in the sky for both.

    i lived on Los Feliz blvd for a while...could see Hollywood sign across the street...used to hike up into griffith park...
    memories of a lifetime ago. had to get out of there. too much plastic...in too many ways...

    the windmills...kind of alien...
    (like a lot of stuff out there...)

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  2. yeah, plastic SKINNY aliens!!
    I don't think I could take too much of that smog, but the hills around would be nice for hiking.
    It would be nice to have a flying truck in California!

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  3. I want to move there even more now, thanks! Green, Festus, I wish they all could be California GIRLS!

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  4. As always, like Geography 101

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  5. But with no clouds or actual facts!!

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  6. Hey Tumbleweed, your journeys thus far are simply amazing.I just saw the pics of the truck with a load of logs in the front window, and then the story ending with the ugly baby statute relieving its little self! What a spectrum! Truly enjoy following you and himself-thank you:) k9whskrs

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  7. Thanks k9whskrs! It's an adventure out here, that's for sure. Thanks for riding along! :0)

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