"...the best time to be at the Bungalow is when the sun drips into the ocean at the end of the day." ~ Brent Bolthouse

If it hadn't been for security at the door checking ID's (yes, he was kind enough to ask for mine)...
we could have been walking into the private beach bungalow of a friend... 

filled with sounds of music and merrymaking.

As the blue sky gives way to...

hues of purple,
 the patio becomes surrounded by strings of twinkle,
that seem to attract the masses,
like moths to a front porch light.  

Meanwhile...
in between the performance of nature...
the creative snack offerings at The Bungalow provided the photo of the week.
I mean...

don't you think.

Definitely one of my new faves in Santa Monica, and I have to agree with the owner...
his little bungalow is a great place to be when the sun goes down.
One of those spectacular moments you realize...

and is best when shared with family.

Happy Thursday.

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. " ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright,Pavarotti, My Own Story

Other than being overwhelmed by the many choices...

Los Angeles never disappoints on the food front 
and we are never at a loss for some place new.

An early celebration of 'the editor's' birthday led us to begin our evening standing in line for gourmet hotdogs...

and a large selection of imported beers. 

Not being a beer drinker...

 I made my choice by the glass it is served in.

A girl needs her standards.

Next stop...

dessert.

And...

since we could not choose between two VERY worthy choices...

we watched them whip up a few experiments...

 at Ice Cream Lab...

and then moseyed on down to Sprinkles 

where your choice of ice cream can be scooped into the cutest red velvet cone... 

as you read Thomas Jefferson's own recipe for ice cream

 circling around the ceiling.

Of course,

Sprinkles is best known for its cupcakes...

which are now available 24 hours a day in the cupcake ATM machine next door.

Instant birthday cake!

Fun times with the youngsters!

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

“Southern California is the land of crazy crimes.” ~ Don Carpenter, From a Distant Place

There must be a high number of criminals who have discovered a creative way to escape from the police...

 disguised as surfers riding the waves to freedom.

Its the best explanation I could come up with for this...

waiting at the end of the pier overlooking the beach.

In fact, I have concocted an entire short film around this scenario.

Meanwhile, as you are pondering on that one...

and formulating your own conclusions...

have a wonderful weekend.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

Because of the location of 'the editor's' home in Santa Monica...

Main Street, and its varied offerings... 

pop-up store to help youth unemployment

is usually where most of my free time is spent.

However,

this trip, our dinner at the fabulous Gjelina (where it was too cool to take photos without embarrassing the youngsters)

 and a nightcap at The Other Room (where the bouncer asked for my I.D. and is now my new favorite person) 

reintroduced me to Abbot Kinney Boulevard in nearby Venice, CA.

Such a happening place, 

and the provider of my contribution to

this week's theme.

This shop is full of random details, new and old, and I would love to be lost in there for awhile. 

Unfortunately,

Bountiful

window shopping was the only option at that hour.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

"I went to art school for fine art and then I started doing performance art, and then I started making fun of performance art, and it turned into comedy." ~ Mary Lynn Rajskub

While visiting 'the editor' and his wife was the main objective in CA...

Ren Man and I had plenty of time to explore during their working hours.
 Walking the beach from Venice to Santa Monica, you are drawn to some interesting characters.

For example,
this time around we came across Snake Man...

who entertained the crowd while balancing on a ladder, 
grasping two snakes...
each moving back and forth like a belly dancer.
All while interacting with the passersby gathering around him.

Ren Man walked towards the guys tip jar and my gasp brought laughter to those around me because I must have been the only one standing there that thought the snakes were actually real.

I am not sure if this is considered performance art...
 but there is definitely some serious multi-tasking going on...
even without the fear of being bitten by snakes.

Happy Tuesday!

"If you ever plan to motor west Travel my way, the highway that's the best. Get your kicks on Route 66!" ~ Bobby Troup

Hello March!

So good to see you again.

Currently in NYC celebrating 'the foodies' birthday month, I head  back to Aberdeen tonight where the daffodils are taking center stage and by the end of this week there will be 12 hours of daylight.

WooHoo!

Meanwhile, last week you were left standing on the Santa Monica pier at the end of Route 66...

the Mother Road.

Of course, Ren Man spent some time in The Last Stop Shop buying some post cards and chatting with the shop attendant.

It seems, many tourist to the USA fly into Chicago where they rent either a car or a motorcycle and spend two weeks driving the 2448 miles across America...

where THIS is their 'full stop'.

Not a bad idea for a vacation.

Which mode of transportation would you choose...

car or motorcycle?

Happy Monday.