December 10, 2004
05
The Slab of the Berlin Wall Reagan presidential Library notice the lovely drawings on it. This was the side that faced West Berlin. The other side of the wall is bare concrete, and faced East Berlin. Today the side that faced totalitarianism, and lack of free expression faces outward towards the seas and the world. I liked this concept very much
An all day visit was too much for Mom and for me. On Friday I needed to get myself situated in a new hotel, so was gone the early afternoon. I got back for dinner and stayed a bit after that. This was hardened into a routine by the weeks end. I would show up in early afternoon 1-3 and stay till 7 this seemed to work the best.
In my free time I explored the are and visited with friends. I so enjoyed that. I didn't see as many people as I hoped but that is ok...
On Friday I drove around the old neighborhood. Saw my little house and felt good about how the people were taking care of it. That evening I visited with my friends Ed and Helen Atkinson in Long Beach. I really enjoyed that time...
Saturday I left to have lunch and went to Little India... See
this great article on this delightful cultural area. I was on a mission... There is no good Indian food on the Big Island. If a local reader sees this and knows of a place email me, I will forever be in your debt. I was headed to my favorite "B" rated, hole in the wall, Indian food feeding trough... (the county of LA has a rating system that is letters A= all right B= be careful C= well, you know, there are six legged patrons among the two legged and avoid this one...)Ambala Dhaba. They usually have an A but slipped recently... The owner recognized me and after a good hearty hug sat me down for a huge feed. It was grand...
Sunday morning I was going to go to my old church but I had a real need to just be alone so I made the one hour drive in the pouring rain to Simi Valley to the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. It was well worth the drive. The exhibits were lovely and I had the place nearly to myself, so the docents were at my elbow much of the time. On a personal level they were very supportive when I shared my story of why I was in LA. Many had known the President or had family members struggling with debilitating illness, and were encouraging.
