For those of you wishing to focus on a topic other than the still frightening state budget and…what I posted below…here are the photos I took Saturday afternoon at Topanga State Beach during the big surf that had crowds of surfers and surf watchers jamming the coast.

The music is “La Mer” played by Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli & The Quintet of the Hot Club of France

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(PS: The lacerating news about Lily Burk, and the fact that my own kid is somewhere on some rock face or other on or around Mount Whitney and Mount Russell, and I will likely not hear from him until tonight, has sent me into a nerve-calming spate of YouTube video-making. Since this is my 2nd in 24 hours [The first one was for my Bennington friends.] I now have the uneasy feeling that this video-making thingy is the 2009 version of macramé. But at least when I finish a video I am not tempted to ask anyone to hang it on their wall. And I won’t be giving it to you for your birthday holding a sad-looking pothos plant. So be thankful for small favors.)

UPDATE: Just heard from Mr. Kid who is off both mountains. Whew!