While we were visiting folks in L.A. this weekend the Delta region was hammered with a severe rainstorm - 1.93" in Sacramento in about two hours for example. More than that, the temperature has dropped at least 20°F in the last 24 hours such that tonight's overnight low is expected to be 52. That's three degrees above the 40s! In mid-September in Stockton. Our apartment was a chilly 60° at noon when we got back into town and it only got into the mid-70s all day. Burr...

Anyway, our visit to L.A. was to meet up with the extended ITC crowd and to see off Cecilia as she embarks on her new job in Sydney, Australia (where it will soon be summer -- talk about an Endless Summer!). An enjoyable time was had by all at Uncle Chen's Dim Sum restaurant in Encino and there were lots of babies and small children to keep things lively. Some of us then spent a few hours at Balboa Lake, located in the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area. Peddle boats were rented and ice cream was eaten and an enjoyable Saturday afternoon in L.A. was had. Saturday evening Pete, R3, and Cecilia had good Mexican food and saw a Chinese movie called Hero. Really great film was amazing colors. It's been compared to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but I enjoyed Hero much more. The night was closed by a drink with Sara, her boyfriend, and her roommate. And thus was Cecilia's last night in L.A. had.

Sunday morning, after breakfast at Dinah's in West L.A. (where the menu was too difficult for all of to figure out easily -- even with something like 10 academic degrees between us!), we said farewell to Cecilia and went to Amoeba Records in Hollywood. Because that's what one does on occasions such as this, or whenever one is in L.A. Lunch with Liz the Bridesmaid at Jerry's Famous Deli followed, wherein we happened to share the restaurant with KISS lead singer Paul Stanley and renowned comedian Jerry Seinfeld (just down from Stockton, ironically, where he opened the newly renovated Bob Hope Theatre). Quite an L.A. moment as well.

And then we got on the road north, observed quite a few rainbows and rainbow-like manifestations as we drove through the San Joaquin Valley, and came across the final clouds of the day's rainstorm. I wish I had packed a sweater!