Fun in the Sun at Venice Beach & Malibu
August 10-11, 2005

Following the SCBWI conference, I hung out in L.A. driving all over the place. My friend, Michael D. McCarty (http://www.havemouthwillrunit.com) was performing at the Venice Beach library. Since I was already heading to Venice, it was perfect. I drove to Venice Beach and parked in a paid parking lot. I walked down to the beach and enjoyed dipping my feet in the water.

I have this “thing” for beaches. The beach is absolutely my favorite place in the world. My dream is to retire with a house on the beach, overlooking the water. Wherever I travel, if there is a beach, I have to dip my toes in the water. While in California, I dipped my toes in the Pacific Ocean at six different beaches. I guess the beach is in my blood. I was born in the Philippines, a country of 7,000 islands. Nearly all my life, I lived near the beach – the Philippines, Hawaii, and the southern coast of Spain. When I lived in Spain, I used to ride my bicycle down to the beach and collect shark’s teeth. So now you understand my obsession with beaches. It’s just such a place of awe and beauty. The sound of the sea is so soothing to me.

Anyway, I digress. I explored the Venice Beach walk and saw the famous “Muscle Beach” compound. People were rollerblading, skateboarding, and riding bikes. Street vendors lined the walk selling everything from touristy merchandise to beachwear to art and music. I bought a children’s CD from recording artist Lionel Jean Baptiste, “Reggae for Kids.” I watched a gentleman use a magnifying glass to create art, burning a pattern onto wood. A couple danced to street musicians. It reminded me so much of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

After exploring Venice Beach, I headed to the library to see Michael perform. He is such a lively teller. He had the children and grown-ups from the moment he opened his mouth. He told several stories including “The Very Strange Creature,” a folktale from Zimbabwe. Afterwards, I took pictures of Michael by his car, which is covered all over with bumper stickers of every kind. You should see the people stop to read the bumper stickers!

Don’t laugh at me but I had to go to an Ikea store. In New Orleans, we don’t have Ikea and I just had to see what the store was all about. I drove to Carson and a couple hours eating in their bistro and exploring the store. Ikea, come to New Orleans!!

Later that night, I went to The Bridge, a theater complex on Center Drive in the Howard Hughes Center. It’s an incredible theater with theaters that have “Director’s Seating,” where you can make reservations and sit in leather seats. I watched Sky High, a fun movie about a boy and his super hero powers. Watching the movie made me miss my kids so much! Movies in L.A. aren’t cheap! I paid $11 to watch the movie.

The next day, I decided to explore Malibu. I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway and drove to Malibu. The gorgeous, huge houses are built right into the sides of the mountain! I stopped and dipped my toes in the water at the beach. I met a nice family from Dallas, Texas and watched the boys build a sand castle, challenging the water to wash it out.

That night, I had dinner with Michael and his friend, Ken Frawley. We ate at a Chinese restaurant. Afterwards, I was scheduled to tell stories at the Temple Beth Torah in West Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Community Storytellers. The event was organized by Kathleen Zundell. After 15 minutes of open swapping, I told stories for ½ hour. I performed some hula, told a Kamishibai tale “The Magic Pot,” and ended with “Rockin’ Three Billy Goats.” It was fun. After a short break, there was more open swapping and a West Virginia teller (her name escapes me) wowed me with a Maori story. She used mime and movement to tell her story and was unbelievable. The tellers were all so nice and welcoming. It was a great event.

Michael and I headed back to his house. I had to pack for my trip to Carmel the next day. I was visiting an old classmate and leaving early in the morning. I planned to visit my former 7th and 8th grade English teacher in central California and drive up the Pacific Coast Highway all the way to Carmel. I’ll share more about that trip later…

Until next time…

Warmly,
Dianne de Las Casas