Back in California (cue the crickets...)

After peacing out of New York, a short stay in San Francisco with this kook...

Coopie giving the death stare at a San Francisco park

...made it temporarily okay that I was not in Europe anymore. I've missed him!!

I am still living in denial  about being back home. I cannot shake the impression that I am only here on vacation and will be going home to Germany. Not going to happen! I live in California I live in California I live in California. Ahhh, I still can't seem to swallow that.

San Francisco's Velo Rouge, hub of delicious pizza, espresso and levitating bicycles

View of the city from the park

Free, self-cleaning public bathroom
(pictured: Paul, Tiffany and Cooper)

A bridge (not the Golden one...)

 

I had forgotten about San Francisco's bipolar, sunny/freezing/sunny weather. In this city, summer seems to prefer certain areas and completely ignore others. Oh well. Big Sur was waiting, where my Grandma put me up for the night before I made my way further down the coast.

View from my Grandma's guest house, the Hawk's Nest

The windy, turn-y, cliff-y ride home this morning. I always have nightmares about falling over the side of one of those cliffs. Maybe you can't tell from here, but it's a long way down!!

Finally, at noon today, I arrived back in San Luis Obispo. My hometown. It's a strange homecoming, as my dad's side of the family is in Los Angeles at my cousin's wedding. So I am just sort of wandering the San Luis streets by myself, feeling like I am walking through a sunny, flowery dream. I have absolutely nothing to do but hang around. I am currently sitting on my sister's porch, accompanied only by this stinky beast:

"Pepper, I'm back!" "Feed me."

My sister is in town because she has to work, so when she gets off this evening we are going to go "out" together. (While I was gone, she had the audacity of turning 21 without me.)

Of course, going out in San Luis is silly because all the bars close at 2 a.m (which after Germany seems utterly ridiculous). So the bar scene is really intense, with everyone in a big rush to get hammied before last call.

Oh well, out here in California we have the house party to make up for it. Sort of.

Do I really live here?? Can I go back to Germany now??