It’s a beautitul day here in my little beach town, NW of Los Angeles. And here in the neighborhoods a couple of miles from the beach, it’s quiet. The sprinklers are going across the street. Serene.

But just about a mile away, the town is armpit deep in visitors from all over southern California; indeed, the world. Traffic is nasty. The arguably beautiful people have swarmed the starbucks. The trashcans overflow. The ground around the public seating areas is littered with cigarette butts, so that we feel as if walking about in a giant ashtray.

Welcome, welcome. Happy labor day. Enjoy the sunshine and the cool sea spray. (Inadvertent rhyme.) God bless your families, your kids and your motorhomes. Have a wonderful day. Then get out.