California Dreamin'

California. For 38 million people it’s home – a place to love or hate, to be proud of or frustrated by. But thanks to Al Jolson ,Hollywood, television and dozens of pop songs, it’s an almost mythical place for hundreds of millions more. California’s the place where you go to make your fortune, to become famous, to start a new life; the place where the sun always shines, the palm trees sway in the warm breeze, all the girls are beautiful, all the men are handsome and parties are never-ending. A child of the 60’s, I’d been one of those hundreds of millions, spending hours listening to the Beach Boys and Joni Mitchell and dreaming of peace, love, beaches, surfing and sunshine. (This seems ironic since I spent my teenage years in Jamaica. But Hollywood’s influence is strong so, like many, I longed for the wonderland I’d never seen and took for granted the paradise I knew.)
 The dream held firm throughout all the news stories of smog, earthquakes and freeway gridlock as well as my later amused understanding, after I moved to France, that living in a place is different from imagining it or even visiting it. Many of my friends pictured my life in Paris as 365 days a year of romance, gourmet food and museums, totally dismissing from their minds any idea of such mundane things as work, chores and other aspects of daily life.
 Finding a new cousin under such unusual circumstances was exciting. I’d have gone to visit her no matter where she lived. But there was an added thrill in knowing I would be visiting her and her family in CALIFORNIA.

Sometimes reality disappoints. But, in this case, it actually exceeded my expectations. I was met at the airport by two smiling people in bright LA Angels shirts and taken to a comfortable, spacious home that reminded me of a combination of all the homes I’d seen on TV shows plus our home in Jamaica. The next day, I met three generations of smiling, healthily tanned cousins – just the way California cousins should look – for a combination Father’s Day celebration and early birthday party for me. My cousin Morgan was working that day so couldn’t come to the party. But since she has a cake-making business, she sent along a sample of her work for us all to enjoy. My memories of that day are somewhat fuzzy, due to jet-lag, but I have photographic proof that I enjoyed myself.

During the next few days, I met the various members of the family on their home ground. I was able to thank Morgan in person for the delicious cake as well as admire the view from her parents’ home.

I enjoyed her aunt's view, too.

Her uncle was working but that gave me an opportunity few people can boast of. (And, since, fortunately,there were no fires at the time of our visit, it was relaxed and pleasant .)

For a whole week, skies were blue and temperatures were balmy. I enjoyed the company, feasted my eyes and found everything both familiar and hard to believe. California itself seemed determined to show me that all those movies and TV shows and songs had not lied. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.