From the seashore to the mountain top and back to the sea
Andrew wanted to surprise me on Saturday, June 21, 2025 with a journey to a few of his special places.
Sorry this post is two days late, but the reason is explained at the end. Thanks for reading.
We started out the morning driving towards Malibu on the 405 (funny how Angelenos refer to the interstate only by it numbers and not as Interstate 405 or the 405 expressway or 405 freeway) and after a few changes of expressways, we ended up on the Pacific Coast Highway, or the PCH as the local call it.
It was a beautiful day to drive along the coast and look out over the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly Andrew pulled to the side of the road and said, “We’re here.”
Here was the Neptune’s Net restaurant, a long-time local establishment where generations have enjoyed the seafood fare they offer.
I had the shrimp basket. Excellent.
Patty Ann enjoyed the California surfer vibe, so she stuck around for awhile.
We checked out the beach before Andrew headed out to his second secret spot. We took a winding canyon road up one of the mountainsides. Andrew’s 2015 Ford Focus handled the climb and twists like a LaMans race car.
About five miles up the road we came to a dead stop. A road closed sign blocked our way. We took a few minutes to contemplate our next, decided to go around the sign, and continue on to the top.
Some of the roadway was washed out to one lane, but Andrew maneuvered the obstacles like a champion race car driver.
It was worth it.
We reached the top of the mountain to find beautiful rock formations to climb and look down into the valley and onto the sea. It was beautiful. A great place to be and think without any distractions. I’m so glad Andrew took me here to show me his secret place.
Done exploring the rocks we headed down the canyon road back to the PCH towards Santa Monica not sure it would be open all the way because of all the damage the disastrous fires caused last year.
As we passed through Malibu business district the signs of the fire began to show. Palm tree trucks charred with new frowns sprouting from their top.
Then we started seeing the remains of all the beachfront homes that were burned to their cement foundations. Devastating. Even a few burnt out vehicles remained on the side of the road, waiting to be taking to the scrap yard.
Construction crews were still working on the road, but it was opened all the way to Santa Monica. We traveled through Venice Beach, which looked like it came out of the 60s. Funky little cottages built smack up against each other, painted in bright colors. Looked like a fun place to live, but unfortunately only the extremely rich get to enjoy that town.
Downtown Santa Monica also was a neat town. It looked more like it was a small town in the Midwest than a hip, California beach city.
Andrew dropped me off at the hotel to relax and get ready for another surprise.
After resting for about an hour, Andrew and I walked a couple blocks to Kan Pai Japanese Sushi Bar and Grill. We sat at the corner and ordered from the sushi chef, watching him assemble each dish.
This was the first time I ate authentic sushi. I’ve only had sushi from the grocery store before. It was totally different. I was surprised that the different varieties of raw fish each had their own flavors. Excellent choice for dinner, Andrew. Thank you for providing this old man with a new experience.
We had to walk off that dinner, there was so much. Andrew lives in a neighborhood of well-kept single-family homes and four-story apartment buildings. The weather was perfect, and as we walked past the LAX airport we talked to a young man who was taking photos of the planes as the took off and landed. He had a really long lens. His hobby is to capture on film (digital) the various airlines and the different types of aircraft. He was very interesting to talk to.
I got back to my hotel room around 10 p.m. and was so tired I didn’t feel like writing this blog post. I thought I’d write it on my flights from LAX to Houston and then to Sarasota on Sunday, June 22, 2025, but Southwest had other plans for me.
The plane scheduled for Houston was going to be delayed an hour and that would have made me miss my connection to Sarasota. So they booked me on a flight to Baltimore, with a connection to Tampa. That’s the closest I can get to Sarasota without spending a night in Houston. On rethinking this plan while thousands of feet in the air headed to Baltimore, I should have taken the over-night stay in Houston. Oh, well.
Finally home and getting somewhat back to routine and getting this blog published. Sorry for the delay.
It was such a nice week. Got to spend time with Susan and Michael, and some special time with Andrew.
Last year, while I was in Detroit, Andrew and I went to a bookstore and had lunch together. This was the first time ever we got to spend time alone and talk without the rest of the family around.
On this trip to LA, the second time we spent alone time together, I got to know my nephew even better, without filters of others telling me how great an adult he has grown up to be.
His intelligence, compassion, understanding of life, and easy-going spirit makes me proud to be his uncle. Love you, Andrew.
Blogger’s note: The Substack photo editing function was not working, but I wanted to get this posted, so the photos are not cropped or edited. Sorry.