Malibu

Malibu -- the very name is exotic and conjures up images of well-secluded beach houses and movie stars gliding about incognito. I had a few hours before the party and decided to take a drive north up the coast, on the Pacific Coast Highway. I had never been to Malibu and, after driving all this way, I just had to see the ocean. I found access to the shore from a stairway that went down from the road. The pic is of cormorants and pelikans hanging out on a rock; the other pic is facing north. Malibu and the surrounding area are really beautiful. Part of it is on a narrow strip of land that runs between the shore and the cliffs, the rest is perched on the hillside. I passed the campus of Pepperdine University with its rather spectacular view of the ocean. Returning, I drove through Malibu Canyon Road, a dramatic, narrow winding road through arid, rugged mountains. Coming out the other side the vegetation changed again (California is like that), becoming lush and green. There was plenty of grass here, as well as many eucalyptus trees. California may be enchantingly beautiful, but that is not enough to entice me to live here and deal with its many problems.