Why People live in Southern California

When we were preparing to leave Odessa for home service I told my friend Igor, “Why don’t you save some money and come visit us! You will only have to pay for your flight. You can stay with us and we will show you around.” He smiled, shook his head and said, “No thanks, I’ll wait until you return. California is too dangerous. You have earthquakes, fires, floods and high crime.” “Don’t forget the mud slides.” I added and he chuckled. So, “Why do people live in Southern California?” I ask Igor, “I don’t know” he answered in English. I told him why and now I am enjoying experiencing why. It is the weather and only the weather.

Only in Southern California can I work through a 90+ degree day only to enjoy the cool 70 degree breeze in the evening as I sit reading on our porch. I sat on our porch with Julie the other night. It was quite, cool and calm. We were both reading and enjoying the weather. I suddenly realized something. I looked and Julie and said, “If we were in Odessa, we would be the dinner course of 10,000 mosquitoes. There was no buzzing sound to be heard on our porch – only in Southern California.

Last Saturday, my son, father-in-law and I went to the beach early in the morning to save a fire pit so we could have a sixth birthday party for Anya. I swam in the “Quite” Ocean (as it is called in Russian), relaxed on the beach, enjoyed cooking meat over an open fire in the cool of the day, played, roasted marshmallows and enjoyed fellowship in the evening around the fire pit. We did all this with the sound of crashing waves in the background. Throughout the day, as I enjoyed myself, several times I remembered why people live in Southern California. Need I say more?

Here is our little girl enjoying some beach time on her birthday – Happy sixth Aneechka!