There's Something in the Air at Topanga

One of my fave spots in LA is Topanga Beach. It's easy to access and a great place to plop down and watch the waves and sunset. This afternoon I took my son and daughter down there for a pleasant beach dinner picnic and to enjoy the last days of Summer. The perfect spot perched on a mini dune right at the foot of the water with waveriders right out in front - aaahh, what bliss! The light just right, the sun going down behind Malibu mountains, and long riding 'rights' for those lucky surfers (dang, didn't bring my board!)

Now that I've set the mood, I can begin my rant. What is up with Los Angeles County beaches? Could the bathrooms at this beach be anymore disgusting? Could I possibly smell more human stench in the air? I was completely appalled to take my newly potty-trained son to the restrooms at Topanga. One out of four toilets were functioning. One was non-stop flushing and I could see the trail of polluting water trickling down to the water - lovely! How hard is it for the county of LA to get it's (excuse my French!) shit together and maintain these beach restrooms so that our ocean doesn't get polluted in the process? I know for a fact that this tiny beach does not get nearly as much traffic as Will Rodgers (with its sparkling new bathrooms), yet the restrooms look like they haven't seen a janitor in months. Why did I pay $7 for parking? You'd think that and my tax dollars would help pay for some toilet paper and a mop. And that's not the end of it. When we got back to our car in the parking lot, the stench in the air was almost toxic. There was a huge pool of raw waste water sewage sitting in the center of the parking lot. I have no idea where it came from and it wasn't there an hour earlier. I'm so happy I paid 7 bucks to smell that.

Yes, I know this blog is suppose to be about fashion and other frivolous things, but I also like to include my favorite causes, one being our Oceans. Enough of my ranting, it's time to get to my final point. I want to remind everybody that Heal the Bay's Coastal Cleanup Day is just around the corner - Saturday, September 15th to be exact. I plan to be down at Topanga with my family to help clean up one of our favorite beach spots. We all can't count on the city or our politicians to maintain our beaches so I guess it's up to us - all the beachgoers, surfers, and sunset watchers, we all need to pitch in and keep our beaches clean so our oceans have a fighting chance. Let's hope the city will send out a crew to clean up those non-functioning toilets too! Learn more about Heal the Bay's Coastal Cleanup Day at their web site, www.healthebay.org.

Now back to more light-hearted fashion-related topics...