MONTROSE DAY

Well, I think, WELL, it's been QUITE SOME EXCITING TRIP to California this time: The Tonight Show to watch Jack Rebney and Ben Steinbauer, the L.A. premiere of "Do It Again," where my kind friends clapped as my name went by in the movie credits, and then FINALLY to see the "Winnebago Man" movie last night, with the great pleasure of meeting and chatting with producer Joel Heller (the latter two events on my docket to write about in detail at home this week). But what also made the trip so special was the chance to hang out with my old friends and their kids and do normal, non-touristy stuff like the giant pool yesterday, eating at all their favorite Mexican restaurants, sitting at their house in the morning chatting over bacon, coffee, and blueberry pancakes, and feeling a cool, gentle breeze from the open window come over me in the morning as I began to wake.

My post tonight as I sit here on my Virgin America flight back to Seattle is just a few photos from our visit to Montrose, CA. this afternoon. It's a smaller town, part of the metro Glendale area, very quiet and a little like time had stopped there a bit, which is cool. It was a nice flipside to being on Sunset Strip last night. Also, says Wiki, "noted burlesque queen, dancer and actress, Virginia Bell, whose 48-inch (1,200 mm) bust was legendary during the 50s and 60s, was born in Montrose in 1932." I didn't see her, but I bet she was out and about somewhere being mam-alicious.

Our first stop in Montrose was at La Cabanita for lunch, and MAN, it was some good Mexican food. Everything we had was excellent, including this MASSIVE fresh mango margarita. My god, look at it.

The kids talked and played with their parents iPhones and ate two rounds of chips, while the grown-ups talked and told the kids not to eat so many chips.

I like restaurants that have a "Celebrity Wall." Do celebrities always walk around with 8x10 headshots to autograph whenever they go out to eat or shop or go to the dentist? I think they do.

Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky, time for your close-up!

After lunch, we walked a few blocks up to Montrose's main drag for their Sunday Farmer's Market. Look! A goat! I think it was meant to be petted, but I am not sure. Perhaps Nala was destined for some delicious soup.

I rummaged around and found a Simpsons t-shirt for Mr12 for FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS.

The likelihood you will see me at any Comic Con, ever? 0.0. Bite it, geeks.

Then off to Tom's Toys, a big but very cool toy store. There are so many captions one could make for this picture.

I've never seen a ride-on gorilla before. This wouldn't scare the children small enough to use it? I dunno. It looks like it would rip your arm off to me.

Look! Packaged lion-cheetah giraffe take down! Or some interspecies orgy, I don't know.

Know your bovine. REAL well. It's kind of Terminator Cow, huh?

So many choices, so little chance of convincing me to buy them. MissSeven ended up with a pink stuffed giraffe which she fell asleep on in the plane 2 minutes before landing.

And then there's the local lingerie store, Faye's. This is about as far from Frederick's of Hollywood as it's possible to be. Faye's seemingly stocks only nightwear designed to say, "IT'S ALL OVER FOR ME, AND YOU OVER THERE TOO." I love the mannequins here. Look at the faces. It's like they are two evil twins doomed to fight over the same nightgown for eternity.

I think these two evil twins are discussing the particulars of their respective boyfriends. The one on the left clearly has the superior mate.

After a couple more stops for an iced chai and some frozen yogurt for the kids, it was time to pack up and leave for LAX. What a grand California trip. Thank you to all my friends, new and old, for making it so great.