February 8, 2005; San Diego

Dean and Betty have a winter place there and it just so happened that Bill and Ronna were on their way through at the same time. Dean and Betty are Bill's parents, and all friends of the family from back in Iowa. Bill came out to Colorado after the crash and stuck around for a week to help Adam, mom, and I sort things out afterwards.

Ronna talked Bill and I to walk along the shore and pick up sand dollars with her. Again, I was astonished as what passes for an activity out here. The closest thing to sand dollars in Iowa is picking up litter as part of a highway adoption progam. In San Diego, the sunset is a phenomenon everybody can take part in, back home it is for those hoping to get laid. For a moment I thought that all the sand and sun must get under the collective skin and mellow people out. After driving in San Diego, I had to nix that theory.

In the days to come, staying at Dean and Betty's will give me a little more insight into The Art of Mooching.