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We’ve had a series of storms here this week. It’s been really windy and rainy, but nothing too remarkable. Except for the tornado that turned over a boat in the harbor, and another that flipped a (non-occupied) minivan.

When we first moved here, our swimming pool area flooded, but so far it hasn’t been that bad for us. Here are pictures from that past winter:

I’m not sure how long this weather is supposed to last, maybe we’ll get more flooding again this time. But so far we’ve been OK.

Yesterday before the rain started I drove over to Long Beach to take pictures. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going to go, and I ended up in the neighborhood where my doctor’s office is. I’ve always wanted to walk around there with a camera. When I got there it was lunch time so I stopped at a little Taco place where you can get tacos for a dollar. While waiting at a table inside the little restaurant, I noticed that not only did the windows of the building have bars on them, but the cooking area with the cash register was also barred. Like a little prison cell inside the place. That was my first clue maybe I wasn’t in a great area.

I mean, it’s obvious my doctor’s office isn’t in a great area when you first get there. But this was a little worse than I thought.

I gobbled down my tacos (so yummy) and walked down the block. I saw an old drug store I wanted to get a picture of, but I noticed someone in an upstairs window staring outside with his arms crossed, and I thought, that guy might not be too happy if I start taking pictures of him. Second clue.

As I kept walking down the street, I noticed people in shop windows with their noses practically pressed to the glass, looking outside. There were a couple cop cars on a side street across the street from where I was and the cops were on the corner talking to two men. I couldn’t tell what was going on but it didn’t look like anything major. But people were like crawling out of the woodwork to see what was going on. Third clue.

Then I realized the only graffiti I’d seen was a gang graffiti tag. Duh. Totally must be a gang neighborhood.

So I kept walking down to the next light, snapping pictures of buildings, then crossed the street. There was an empty lot that someone had turned into a garden. It was all fenced and gated off, but from the way some of the planter boxes were decorated, it was obviously something kids were involved in. I thought that was neat. It was also right next to where the cops were. As I walked by them they didn’t glance at me. But I looked across the street and there were people standing in doorways all up the street watching whatever the cops were doing.

Totally reminded me of when we lived in a gang neighborhood and they’d pull someone over on our street. Everyone in the neighborhood would go out on their porches to watch as they surrounded the car with their guns drawn and had the driver exit the car slowly with his hands in view.

Haven’t finished off the rolls of film, so I haven’t developed the pictures yet. I’ll post a few when I do.

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