Malibu morning picture of the day - Friday, August 8, 2014

Good Friday morning to all of you. Here's how we're starting the weekend on the coast...

... yeah, yeah, I know, right? Another grey-white, nearly horizonless morning.

I said I was going to throw up an afternoon pic yesterday for comparison, but I do have that pesky "working for a living" stuff getting in my way. I'll try again today.

Here's another view--not that it matters. You can see the surf breaking down on Surfrider Beach in the lower left. It's very consistent I'm told, which is probably why it gained many adherents as a place to play.

For those of you who tuned into my telling of Weaver Girl and Cow Boy last week, I'm going to say I never liked the cowherd very much in the original story. He's a sneaky opportunist who doesn't mind coasting off his girlfriend/wife's talent, skill, and family legacy. And then I realized that's why a lot of women don't like the main female characters in the "damsel in distress" stories. And then I decided it's just plain human to want to be a little lazy and wouldn't it be nice if someone showed up in your life who could make it just a little easier?

By the way, I did leave out the fact that they had a son and a daughter during their Earth-side marital interlude. You see the kids in the graphic depiction on the left; Cowsie is there also, reconstituted with the skin back on her body, but never over-analyze fairy tales. I was focusing on their relationship. (And for those who are paying attention to allusions, it's no coincidence that the heroine of my Qing Dynasty romance is a 7th princess.) I am so glad I was not born in a Manchu-dominant culture--the men's hairstyles are appalling (however useful they may be when wielding a sharp weapon on horseback).

I came across an online news story about a grocer in Nanjing who dresses peaches in lingerie to give as a Qixi ("Chinese Valentine's Day") gift. For those of you who enjoy stone fruit more than you thought you ought to, you now know why.

I'd need a girlfriend with a pretty wicked sense humor to give that to (but I'd have reservations lined up for the tasting menu dinner at Spago Beverly Hills as well)--guys if you want to give something to your lady to talk about with her friends afterward, I highly recommend that (the dinner), but plan on spending a few dollars...

Have a great weekend.

Love,
Pops