The Parking Lot 11-30-10

Most parking lots are just big lots with lots of cars parked fender to fender, nose to nose. But some are places where things happen - meetings, exchanges, conversations... who knows what! The lot at my favorite Starbuck's is one of the latter. There is an El Pollo Loco sharing the lot which backs up onto Anaheim Lakes which is a popular place for locals to fish off the banks - I don't know what they catch, I've never seen anyone catch anything! I drive to the fence , park and drink my coffee while I watch the birds, there are always rafts of seagulls and sometimes more interesting species.

If Corky is with me I have to go to the drive-thru window and be greeted by one of these guys (or gals) in the red aprons. I'd rather go inside so I can doctor my latte with a little milk if it is too bitter, but they won't let Corky in! They used to give treats out to dogs at the drive-thru, but after the business about harmful ingredients in some dog treats the corporate office put a stop to it. Now I always carry treats because Corky doesn't understand about corporate edicts.

Bicyle clubs need rendezvous at the beginning and end of a ride, and sometimes a few stops along the way. The support vehicles park way back in the lot and set up tables with water and snacks for the riders. This club does work for charity, but I didn't quite understand who they were or what they do. Their van is easy to pick out in its bright paint - and the bikes on the top!

This is one of our resident Ospreys. There are several man-made osprey nesting platforms at the less visited end of the lake and the birds go fishing anywhere they like. They are raptors who pull fish from the water to eat. Quite fascinating in this very populated area.

It is hard to see the top line on this license plate frame (click to enlarge), but it is the best of three images I took. The next best view would be if I reclined on the parking lot pavement, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get up without help! And surely not in time to keep someone from running over me.

As for the 'exchanging' - this is the lot where I meet the Poodle Parents when they need to drop off or pick up Corky; convenient for both of us and convenient for others. There is a lady who takes care of her daughter's dog when the daughter travels, so they meet here to do the "exchange". I frequently see children being exchanged by (presumably divorced) parents - it doesn't always go smoothly. Sometimes there are small groups of scouts going off or returning from a camping trip. And then there are the exchanges of kisses! One could, I suppose, write a novel about adventures in the Starbuck's parking lot - no violence, no gratuitous sex. It would never sell.

Out to Lunch! 08-03-10

Out to Lunch. Ladies who Lunch. Let's have Lunch. It has become a meal that I enjoy eating out. Usually, if I know I am going to eat lunch out, I skip breakfast and plan a light supper. I have gotten into the habit of lunching out if I have an early 'doctoring' appointment - best to go fasting, just in case a visit to the vampire is required. But even if it is a dental appointment or a session with the physical therapist, I generally plan to eat brunch, or lunch, out.

This is the Kimmie's cafe on Glassell St. near the Circle of Orange (called a roundabout or traffic circle in some parts of the country/world) in the Historic Downtown area of the City of Orange. It is just down the street from "Paris in a Cup" where both the Book Group and the Victorian Tea Society ladies enjoyed tea recently. The original Kimmie's Cafe is near the Fullerton Airport and the second location, the one I have frequently most in the past few years, is on Brea Blvd in Brea. Since this location in Orange opened several months (maybe a year?) ago, Kimmie (a real person) has opened another, larger place in Anaheim/Yorba Linda near the Kaiser Permanente facility. Maybe she is building an empire! At any rate, I have always been pleased with the simple food and the attentive service, so I go back and also tell my friends about it. One day this past week I visited the vampire and then enjoyed blueberry pancakes w/scrambled eggs and bacon. It was delicious and I enjoyed people watching from my table in the front window. If I ever knew just when I would be done doctoring I would invite someone to meet me and we could get caught up with each other's news over brunch.

Just one door away on the corner of Glassell and Almond is Orange Cycle, a business that has held its own for many years. I don't know when they built and decorated this building, but I vividly remember the first time I saw it. I wondered what bells with weird clappers had to do with bicycles! But, after some contemplation, it dawned on me that these were bicyclists depicted from above! I suppose if I ever watched bicycle races I would have understood immediately.

I think whoever designed it was very clever and I always enjoy looking at such a great graphic. I adore the red bike (attached to the pillar) with the whitewalls - waaay kewl. It would have made someone king of the hill in the 50s.

I probably should have said in yesterday's post that I am the one holding the two doggies. I sometimes forget that people are so accustomed to seeing me in a hat that they don't always recognize me without one. One day I took my hat off in a workshop because I was so overheated and a friend of some 20+ years looked at me and said, "My God, I wouldn't have know it was you - I have never seen you without a hat." So, if I want to be incognito I just need to not wear a hat, no need to put a brown bag over my head!