50. El Porto - Break in the January Rain

After previously blogging about how very little it rains in the greater Los Angeles area, this winter has pelted more rain in the last five days than almost the last five years.

A trip to my closest beach, El Porto in Manhattan Beach, found me lucky to see how the rain has effected that beach during about an hour of dry and sunny.

Even though it was only about two hours until low tide, the water reach was still quite high on the beach.  The sand was very hard and compact.  Much of the beach was covered with a dark something making the sand look dirty (noticeable in the photo below and the accompanying video).

The waves were all over the place.  In many spots the water on the shore looked as if it had a large amount of soap dumped into it leaving soap-looking bubbles on the sand.

BTW did I mention how windy it was?  You can really hear it in the video, not to mention that it's a bit funny looking seeing some of those soap-looking bubbles being blown around the beach.

The most noticeable change from less than a week ago when the winter waves had the beach and water generously peppered with surfers (see the photo below taken six days previous to this blog post)...not a surfer to be sight seen.

From the news reports on T.V. I was expecting much worse (not that I am complaining).  As I stepped into my car to leave, the rain started again.  How lucky am I?

More rain is on the way.  Please stay dry and safe people.

38. December Rain

On Monday, December 7, 2009 I awoke to rain.  As I mention in my October 14th post, seeing rain in L.A. is a sightseeing event in and of itself.  This particular morning was even more of an event since it included continuous rain with the kind of dark clouds which made it seem like it is still night out when it is day.  Not that I feel I had anything planned, but the rain had me feeling like there was no way I was leaving my "crib" all day.

Or so I thought.  Despite all the weather reports at around 3 PM the sun was out and it looked like the rain was done.  Thank you.  Now I didn't need to find my umbrella.  Thank you.  Now I would go to Manhattan Beach Pier to see what the rain and wind may be doing to the beach and waves.  Thank you.  Now I would get to see how Manhattan Beach decked its so-called "halls" for the holidays.  Also, I noted signage advising Manhattan Beach would be having a holiday Fireworks Festival at the pier Wednesday, December 16th from 4 to 7 PM.

As I drove down Manhattan Beach Boulevard toward the pier with the Guns n Roses song, November Rain, playing on my favorite radio station, KLOS, most of the signs of rain were already drying...but the wind.  Whooooo!!!

As you watch the included video, you will get a sense of the winds effects.  I did think the waves would be larger.  On the other hand, the setting sun and clouds (which are rarely found in the L.A. sky) display just about took my breath away.

The Universe also gave me an additional gift for my effort.  During my excursion the electricity went out at home for almost an hour.  Instead of being home handicapped by no electricity, I was out enjoying the painted sky at the Manhattan Beach Pier.  Thank you.

11. Okay, It's Not A Destination

I'm talking...wait...scratch that!  I'm writing about rain.  Never would have guessed it.

One of the things I love about Southern California is that you may expect to awake just about every morning to the beautiful rays of the sun flowing through your window...just another beautiful day in South L.A.

Except for the winter of 2004-2005 (my first winter back) which rained so much people got rain in their homes, there has been little rain to speak of.  I was a little surprised when I checked this California Rainfall Chart to see L.A. got nine inches of rain last year.  Why?  It sounds like they overstated compared to what I remember experiencing.  Any whooooo...

To me at this point rain may not be a destination, but it sure seems like it is an event.  I never thought I'd see the day when I was so surprised to see raindrops that I felt like I had to do a double take to make sure it really was rain.  I never expected as my normal inclination is to stay out of the rain, now that it shows up so infrequently all I want to do is stand out in it and feel the experience.

It makes me ponder some too...something I refer to as mind cuisine (a take on food for thought)...how I can get so caught up in my own life and my own surroundings that I don't give much thought to other people's weather.  What really made me think about this is how much I really do expect it to be sunny and fabulous everyday.  So, when someone I know calls and says it is raining or snowing, I realize I almost forgot such weather exists.

Of course, then I might snap out of it and remind myself there are most likely more empowering things for my mind to ponder.  Or not.  After all this is all part of the SoCal experience.


Note to readers: The video is proof it did rain October 13, 2009 in my neighborhood, especially since I don't have any CGI abilities or know anyone who does.  I heard the first rain at 10 am and it lasted for only a minute.  Not enough time to grab my camera and film it.  About an hour later it was raining again. What I would consider a normal rain.  By 2 PM it had already stopped.  I had plans to do something else and then decided from reading some of the postings on Facebook that I might want to check out what the beach looks like after a rain.  I drove to El Porto where not much seemed different except it was overcast and I did see a few puddles here and there that hadn't yet dried up.

As I write this (10/14/09) it is raining again and has been for a while.  I find it interesting that of all of Southern California it seems like the South Bay area is the most blessed weather wise.  Last night the news was full of bad weather this and evacuation that because of the rain and we'd barely had any.  Or the fires are here and the mud slides are there or whatever it is.  If I didn't hear it on the news, I wouldn't know it based on my experience of life in the South Bay.  Even earth quakes.  I believe I'd already been living in the South Bay for over three years before I felt one.  It lasted for only a few seconds and barely made a dent on the Richter Scale.  Instead of being panicked, I was more about was that really an earth quake and excited to experience it.

Let me be clear to my readers and the Universe, this is not me complaining.  I am elated.  I love that where I live seems to be so very, very safe.  Maybe it is my many years of living in Minnesota and North Dakota where weather is a constant topic that to move some where that weather seems to be such a non-factor...and maybe I don't have to figure it out.  Did I ever think of that?  Never mind.