Without Lifting A Finger

The beaches will close this weekend in Long Beach CA -- COVID has cancelled most of the festivities for the 4th, though I'm sure there will be some private noisemakers. Will make the best of it by walking there over the next couple of days: Bluff to Beach to Pier and back again.  

Most bookstores have gone the way of just about everything else: Poof! Who still remembers Dodd's. Anyway, I'll confess: I eventually started cozying up with my Kindle. Easier. Cheaper. Anyway, brave souls. There's something to be said for community, finding a hard-to-get gem on the musty shelves, holding a real book in your hands. *

                

Kind of a cruise for landlubbers: The Queen Mary. No need to exercise my sea legs. We dined at the Chelsea Chowder House (nice but pricey) and watched the city lights turn on. Took the self-guided tour of the boat ex post facto. *

    

Coming over the bridges from San Pedro (missed a lot of good photos because I was driving) I thought it could be a toxic yellow smoke from somewhere in the harbor. Weirdest thing, but wonderful. ***                                   

Isn't raining this time. The palm wants to be as tall as a building. Waldo says the pizza here is the best in town. 

Photo #1: I think it's the Hotel de Ville. Hardly the best photo, but the sun was out and turned it a white white. I'm on my way home (tgif).         Photo #2: Much harder to figure out (not a famous landmark), but I'm close to home now. Hard to get a good photo because the light is green.           

Been very dry this winter. Had a real cold snap, but nothing compared to back east. Rain but nothing real big yet (hope not because of my patio drains). Very pleasant the last few days. Not much of a sunset tonight (over the lagoon), more like some pink dust scattered by Tinkerbell. By the time I'd gotten to the corner I'd lost sight of Modjeska and her twin (Saddleback is just below the trees).               

On a tip from our waiter (thanks Anon), we walked out along the harbor after dinner and saw the early show (9:00 P.M.): a little band got the crowd hoppin' and then counted down to the blast off. We watched 90% of the fireworks before walking back to our car.