DWILA (even though it was Santa Monica)

Our little on line community came together today for lunch. Well, some of us were able to meet, while others stayed wherever they stay in the middle of the day and were envious. We are calling this DWILA (Deadwood in Los Angeles) after the infamous DWIDW (no, you have to figure that one out for yourself).

We met at Pedals, a restaurant in Santa Monica that is smack on the ocean. With all our usual consideration, the Los Angeles people took the side of the table with the view of the ocean, leaving those who had traveled from far to crane their necks uncomfortably all afternoon, trying to catch a glimpse of that elusive sand and sea. We're nothing if not aware...

The group is a wonderfully eclectic mix, all female to start. We had people from as far away as New York and Boston; as close as Los Angeles and Manhattan Beach, and a few from the outskirts of this burgeoning city. We were smart to meet in Santa Monica, as it was the hottest day of the season... so far... We hugged and talked and marveled at how much we looked like our postings. We hugged and talked and marveled at how little we looked like our postings. Some people surprised the hell out of me, and others I felt as if I'd already met. Deadwood names? .. hmm..let me see.. Me, bonho, Dusty, Sweet Sophie, the Shriek, Sunday's Child and rskoo. Is that 7?...The surprise of the day was a tall, slender man with a huge camera who approached our table and asked if he could sit down... Don Logan!. Just flew out from Boston for lunch (and the concert tonight, of course). What a treat! It's amazing how familiar these people can be with only typed conversations as introductions. Just as we were leaving, Ahalya and her companion (I say this because, in all the flurry of introductions, I did not get his name or relationship). Ok . that's a lie.... I GOT his name and, concerned with what kind of impression *I* was making, promptly forgot it. Yes, Virginia, it IS all about me....

They went trotting off to nap before the concert tonight and I went home, filled with the joy of clever and warm conversation, and with just a little better knowledge of these people I call friends.