First Santa Anas of Season

Started about 3am this morning. At least that's when I first noticed them. Pretty stiff -- discovered a downed tree at the neighborhood park down at the corner. (Leafless, it looks like it had died a while ago. Although I run by it every morning, I hadn't noticed.)

Still at the moment. Beautiful day. Warm, dry, staticky. Hotel California weather. You either love it or hate it. Joan Didion's essay I've always thought the best literary treatment. (Funny today to think this first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post.)

It's the reason why I find it so difficult to imagine living anywhere else. Visited my dad this afternoon and could see Catalina offshore from the hills 50 miles away.

A current photo of the Huntington Beach doesn't quite capture the spirit:



Looks like a short-lived Santa Ana.