I’m just starting to dig a little deeper . We’ve been here 3 months and we really know nothing about this place . There is something in the background that you sense is bubbling away . Celebrity is here , you can’t see it and it doesn’t get mentioned but a self contained sanctuary like Hermosa Beach has a magnetism . You just know there are people in the Hollywood game that are bunkered down here . After digging into a couple of websites this is just a few nit bits that I found . Did you know that the surfing boardshorts that are the world over started here?Very weird . Every 2nd day I walk 300 m out the back of our place into a small little industrial area where I’ve discovered some grimy old shacks that are a collection of surfboard shapers and assorted surf industry types.. These guys make boards for some big surf companies and have been here for over 30 years unchanged . There’s some old heads that are entrenched in the history of Californian surf folklore.These guys don’t look like they’ve showered for weeks but the clientele that drives in and out of this place is littered with porsches , mercs and people that think they’re important ..This is where surf legend and shaper Greig Noll1st started . ‘Da Bull ‘as he’s known was the man that introduced the Malibu to Australia during the 1956 Olympics. He was also a pioneer of big wave surfing ,notably Waimea Bay.You’ve got legendary hard arse bands Blackflag , Pennywise and the Descendants that cut there teeth here . That is impressive . Henry Rollins has a weekly column in one the local papers . Professional skateboarders and sports stars are littered through here . Jason Acura from Jack Ass fame is one . Then the celebrities :Rachel Hunter , Jimmy Kimmel,Jack Black, and another 20 or more that I’ve found that you guys may know but over here everyone knows.Jay Leno has a weekly slot at the local comedy club that is 400 m from our place .Theres a celebrity plastic surgeon(the guy off ‘blotched’ reality fame) that has a clinic straight up from our place . This joint is small , it wouldn’t be a quarter of the size of Mornington but it’s packed with talent and a self assuredness that knows it punches above its weight . The list of names that is connected to this place is spectacular but no one talks about it . There’s more to investigate but it’s not talked about . Don’t worry i’l find some stuff , might even expand Howies hard hitting interviews to someone important .           Hmmmmm yep , i’l get one of Tex’s mates.   Ps.     I fucked up in a big way.I actually got talking to an old shaper . Skip Engblom. I asked if I could do a quick 2 minute interview on video ,he said sure. I couldn’t as I’m out of storage . No big deal .    WRONG!!  I looked this guy up and he’s fuckn royalty . Heath Ledger plays him in Lords Of Dog Town and I’ve blown the golden moment .   Farkin technology .

Just to put some perspective on things . This house below is where I’l often surf out the front of . Just this morning I used it as marker for where I wanted to be taking off from . I knew the prices were high but this is even a surprise to me . There are many homes that are better than this along the strip. That’s the thing about Hermosa Beach , there is extreme wealth thrown into the mix . People are drawn to show off along this stretch of path that is known as ‘the strand’. You’ll often see parties and the ‘beautiful people’ entertaining out the front . I understand why they hold such gravitas after seeing the above advertisement .Prices of property get cheaper the further back from the beach you travel . This place below is the cheapest I could find . Don’t be fooled by the photo as the dwelling for sale is a unit .Thats what I’ve noticed . Realestate agents are everywhere . You can understand why as you can make a years wages and some off just one sale . Realtors is what you call them here and in HermosaBesch they are surely at saturation point . There’s serious money to be made but the competition is extreme . Hmmmm , could I do it ?    Dunno

Gotta love Betsy DeVo , Trumps education secretary . She stated that it would be a good idea to arm students in schools in Wyoming for the need to possibly defend themselves from grizzlies . Hilarious but sadly this is what the Presidents advisor to education actually said . I’m just a dumb caulker from Australia but suddenly I’ve gained confidence in my ability to see reason . 18 states in the US allow teachers to be armed , as long as they’ve got permission from the principle . Fair enough I say as teachers don’t have emotional problems like the rest of us . I see a bomb ticking away here . Don’t you? Donald Trump Jnr wants to expediate laws to deregulate the use of silencers. Wtf! Love it . I can now creep up and rob late night premises and pop a few rounds off and no one will hear. Illogical ,only its true . Gun violence is something you quickly get desensitised to . California is a bipolar state in this regard . You’ve got a left leaning majority that sees gun control as one of they’re ’causes’ but a gang and crime culture that thrives on shootings . I’ve been here 3 months and seen multiple news stories but I stil get transfixed with the ‘active shooter’ school drill. We live in an area that seems sanctuary to this , but drive 10 miles inland  and it’s real . Give me more time and i’l develop a good reason why ? But right now all I can say is it is can’t be real . 

Ok it’s here and the kids are on holidays.Ive been talking to the local surfers and shapers before summer arrived and they assured me the surf will fade . There is less swell and often you get swell from the South which bypasses the region .I thought that they might of been a bit precious as I’d always found something , even on the smallest of days . It seems they don’t like surfing a shore break , so I’d often be out alone catching some little rippers before they hit the sand .As a consequence I’ve lost 2 fins but it’s been worth it . Now there’s been a shift , the swell has considerably weakened and the bigger surf coming from the South only just touches us and when it does , like today , it’s practically unrideable as it breaks too fast and shuts down .Its a major frustration when you’re bored and you need an outlet . There’s still a lot of summer left and I have a growing fear that long flat spells will be the norm . There’s a lot of things I don’t like about LA but I do love being so close to the ocean .The Pacific Ocean in California. If you told me we’d move to a surf coastal town I would of been thinking of Queensland or NSW but here ? I would of told you you we’re dreaming .Apart from our PalmSprings sojourn we’ve been swimming or surfing almost everyday .I am homesick in a big way but there is something that I really like about this type of lifestyle . We’l settle back in Australia but  will it be back in Mornington? The boys and  I are developing a taste for the climate and the ocean . You can walk most days and always see something . Zoom in on the previous photo and look out into the water past the boy . 

1. Ok ,the summer camp is not as it sounds .The kids here go on holidays from approximately June 20 and return at the end of August . ‘Camps ‘ as they’re  known here are big business. You are bombarded with an expectation that you will put your kids into numerous camps over the break . Of course each camp comes with a cost and that’s not surprising . The camp is what we call a clinic , except it will go from a Monday to Friday for a few hours each day . Disappointing, as I was hoping that it would be proper camping and they’d disappear for the week .Anyway you’ve got every sport covered except Aussie rules and cricket . Nothing new there . Bottom line is you’re expected to work, get your kids to numerous camps and pay well in excess of a grand to keep them occupied.   There’s a feel of ‘keeping up with the jones’ when asked what camps you’re kids are doing ?.This is another American pastime that we don’t do in Australia . It’s not a bad thing . A built up area like LA needs it .Australia ? No , we’ve got room to move and who cares about a summer camp .I will say this , lifesaving is big here . They call it junior guards. Most of Tex’s class mates do it . I love it . Monday to Friday for 6 weeks the kids train , race , lifesave and get very fit in the ocean . It’s the thing . The kids must prove themselves with tryouts ( a time trial We’re you’ve got to swim 100m in 2min 30 , tread water for 5 mins and swim under water for 10m)They are gone most of the day ,hang out together and the boys and girls mix . Perfect .I just wish Tex had done it .Living in the southbay most kids are dammed smart and are expected to stay healthy. Obesity …. not here .gotta love the comradrie and the localism this creates 

Dropped Tex off at skate camp today. I got a rare park along a shaded street that is always busy when it comes to parking . Parking is free along this stretch which is unusual for this council . It won’t last .As on closer inspection these cars have been here a while . As I walked past one of these parked cars I noticed an attractive woman seemingly adjusting her outfit . Her car was full of all her belongings . She was living out of her car . As I walked along a number of these cars seemed to be filled with personal belongings . It dawned on me that this little stretch was where some desperate people call home in the short term . I know this happens in Australia , even in Mornington but there was something different and disturbing about that woman .It looked like she was going to work and she also had an older man ( possibly her father?)in the car . It draws you back to that conclusion that you’re never far from being in the gutter over here . There’s know way you’d of picked it with this woman unless you’d seen her in her car . It gets back to what we know , and that is Australia really is a lucky country. The US has a system that’s lean and mean and unfortunately a lot of good people are going to do it hard . I know I don’t know her circumstance for it may be her own fault but it still shocked me that even in the little bubble of Hermosa Beach you’ve got a ‘desperate class’. Yes there’s a lot of homeless people in the states and I’ve tried my best to look the other way but today made me feel ashamed . 

I’m going into dangerous territory today . Some of you are going to declare me racist after this post and maybe you’re right . At what point in making a plain observation about one group should I be outed? Anyway LA is a very multicultural city and I’m fine with that . Hispanics,black,white,Korean ,Pacific Islander ,Korean and Pacific Asian are the predominate people that I’ve come up with ,I’m sure I’ve missed some . Anyway on our recent weekend to PalmSprings I noticed some things from one group of people that ring a familiar tune. On our fashion outlet shopping venture the glamour brands Gucci , Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and any brand associated with status was dominated by the Asian persuasion. I understand it’s origin and their need to acquire them , but it’s the fervour and the lack of awareness to be cordial that can be confronting. I’m happy to leave them have it . When getting lunch at the cafe at this precinct it  was difficult getting a seat . Emma ordered while Tex and I circled waiting for a table to become free . We may have been the only Anglos in the place . Ha! , I see a family vacate almost right in front , so I approach and put my hand on the table and nod and they smile and nod and we accept that the table is now ours. Wtf! I look up and some Asian woman has reached over from the table on the other side of a barrier adorned with pot plants and declared that she is going to reserve it for another family . Incredible front ! Of course I’m a softcock and back off in total shock and shake my head with a smile The fear of confrontation and it not looking good from my end leads me to retreat . I take the high ground and justify to myself that I won’t fight over a table with an Asian family for i would look like a racist bully . Anyway another table becomes available and I’m left to smoulder quietly while I eat my burger .Finally we end up in the Assics store . I’d been waiting a while as this is the only place I was really interested  in buying anything . After inching closer to deciding that I’d buy a certain running shoe  I looked out the corner of my eye and declared to Emma and the kids I’m out of here.A poor little Asian boy was getting his back rubbed as he vomited on the floor . No urgency to clean or declare the need for a bucket or towel . Just get it all out 1st, while the rest of the family shops. Ok this last case could’ve happened to anyone but it was the straw that broke the camels back . Ok it’s dumb of me to go there but enough on the excuses on cultural differences. Yep I’ve done it now . I’ve just rowed myself to an island surrounded in shit . It’s just what I saw , that’s all .  Ps Tex has  a couple of friends that are Asian and you couldn’t say a bad thing about them . 

As I’ve said before Hermosa is almost famous for its bubble . Crime is almost non existent. It’s a very self contained safe environment. There is reluctance to get out and see other parts of LA when you can walk to nice beaches ,excellent cafes and bars . Below is The Killer Shrimp on the strand . This joint pumps later on Sunday.Of course there’s places to see like Hollywood and Santa Monica but we’ve done it on our ‘once in a lifetime Holliday ‘ 2 years ago . We will check them out , but it’s best to do so on the other side of the summer season.Any trip into the jungle takes planning and effort , this is one place you don’t want to get lost and land in the wrong suburb. And don’t break down there whatever you do. Getting back to crime ,there is continuous advice to lock everything down . Every bike is padlocked and if there’s one business I’d like is the local locksmith shop . It will always be busy .At out place we recently got a complaint about hanging our wetsuits to dry off the balcony. Apparently it is unsightly and unbecoming of our apartment block.(You see them on every 2nd balcony).I protested and was told to hang it in the shower .I was quick to reply, ‘that doesn’t work ‘.I was told to hang it off the back stair balustrade like others do . I said , do you think it’s safe there ? The property manager shrugged her shoulders and said , ‘Troy we’ve had a complaint ‘. Of course I said nothing and nodded my head , when in reality my little angry guy who I keep well and truly locked down was trying to jump out and scream , ‘fuck you we pay a fortune to live here and i’l hang the wetsuit wherever i fucking like ‘, Now I’ve drawn this out , but you guys know what happens next . Some miserable fucker has crept up the back stairs and pinched the most expensive wetsuit of my collection .  Yep there is a bubble but some *+*+ has pricked mine.

1st of all , a beautiful day today, again. Surfing in boardshorts at 9am ain’t too bad . I’m starting to get board rash, yep it’s tough. Ok , I’m running out of shit to write so I’ve come come with an idea to run some hard hitting interviews with the locals . 

Loading the videos to my Facebook ….

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1st of all we got in our seat to watch Despicable Me 3 at 1105 for a 1115 start, 1136 and we finally start . Of course I’m hungry but I thought I could hang on . Now I’m eating lollies for lunch . Ok enough whinging. …………….Pedestrian crossings are everywhere along the coast. All good on face value , but there’s an etiquette to being the pedestrian.You must step out from behind parked cars and cross without hesitation . Once you’ve made the car lock his breaks up you should slow down to a shuffle and stop midway to give your balls a good scratch , stretch the front leg and check your phone . Not joking kiddies, pedestrians take their goddam time and are comfortable in not acknowledging your effort to spot them at the last second . Ok some do thankyou but as a general rule they don’t give a shit unless they’re  stuck under your back tyres.The Californians can be a bit lazy on the indicators. Perfect ,cause I’ve got great mind reading abilities .Bike riders don’t have to wear a helmet once18. I like this as a head my size  needs a specially made helmet .Id end up looking like R2D2 on wheels .Also the attitude of the bicyclist must be universal and not just isolated to the Lycra loving fuckwits who think beach rd is ‘theirs’. May I point out you havn’t got airbags.   Orevwa kiddies that’s it for now .