It is a beautiful day in Santa Monica (what a surprise).

I’m sitting here drinking Arnold Palmer Half & Half Iced Tea Lemonade, taking a break from an illustration job. It’s Sunday, and it’s Easter, but I need to work because it’s a big job, my deadline is Tuesday, and I didn’t bring my scanner down here to California with me so a big part of the day tomorrow is going to be about going to a copy shop or something to get the drawings scanned, and then coloring them tomorrow night.

The place I’m staying at belongs to a movie director who is on vacation.  He’s in the Academy so his place is loaded with Academy screeners of tons of movies I want to see.  Score!

This is the front of the house I’m livin’ in. The stairs up to the door are just below the lower border, going up and to the left:

When I first moved in, this book was one of the first things I saw. A photography book by Michael Madsen, with one of the most recognizable building facades from home on the cover???

Kickin’ it on the 3rd Street Promenade. 3rd Street is closed to cars for a three block stretch where it’s a pedestrian-only area with shops all along it on both sides like a regular street, except with fountains and newstands in the middle of it.

I love all of the old signs on the buildings down there, juxtaposed with the ultra-modern architecture beside and across the street from them.

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Interesting buildings? You would make them more interesting with rigid foam insulation…

The Santa Monica pier!  I rode that Ferris Wheel with Elayne the one night I had in L.A. before I got on the ship back in November!

This Bay Street is a little bit different than the one in Toronto, which is all about the skyscrapers and business people!

I went to the church in this picture for Sunday Service today. I don’t know anything about what denominations mean, I just saw a church in the neighborhood and went to it. It was a Methodist Episcopal church and it was one of those ones like in the movies where everyone sings almost everything they say and the congregation gets super into it, shouting and putting their hands in the air. Almost everyone in the little church came up to me before or after the service to say hello and ask me where I’m from. One of the ushers told me that the church welcomes me with open arms, and gave me an egg for Easter!

On my way out I was offered a lollipop and when I picked a blue one, I noticed that it was in the shape of a cross. I wasn’t too sure what to think about that, but my confusion at it did not stop me from eating it.

Tags: adventures, blog, church, easter, life, los angeles, me, memories, photos, pics, pictures, random, santa monica, scenery, travel, venice beach