City of Lost Angels

Flying into Ontario Airport

Flying into Ontario Airport and looking down at the fires burning in the night made my heart ach for the LA Woman. Looking out the window of the jet as we approached the airport I watched the flames dancing in the hills as they fed huge clouds of billowing smoke. This view of a fire was more horrific for me than the distant view of the fire that I had in Bend Oregon earlier in the summer. The fire that I view near Sisters, Oregon appeared as an act of nature and had large white smoke clouds that rose to the air like thunder clouds. This fire in LA looked like a demon devouring the city. The fire licking the bottom of the black smoke could have been a volcano.

When I got off the plane the smoke and soot were so bad that I could hardly open my eyes when I got outside the terminal. The police directing traffic had on dust masks. The shock of going from the clean fresh air of Texas to the extremely smoky air of the San Gabriel Valley was 10 times worse than the last time I was here. I told my dad that the sooner he gets out of LA and living on the Lone Worm Ranch that he will be happier and the air will be healthier. Everywhere that I drove the cars and ground was covered with soot and ash. Soot and ash is falling out of the sky like snowflakes at the Ontario Airport.

I went to visit my childhood home and the second apartment in Long Beach that my wife and I lived in after we were married. I took pictures of the locations and I will post you links to the photos soon. South Central LA has truly been taken over by Hispanics. I drove from downtown out to my old house at 122nd and Main Street and it was all Hispanic where once it was all black. I saw a few blacks in Compton. I went to a park near where my uncle Froncel lived and it was full of Hispanics watching and playing soccer. I watched some games and man they were good.

I am glad that I left LA with my family. Even though I have lots of fond memories seeing LA now with the fires and all the trash everywhere it is like viewing a dead person in a coffin at a funeral. You love the memories but you know that the spirit is gone. Texas on the other hand is surprisingly clean. Even my dad noted that that the streets and highways in Texas are so clean. I had not really noticed it but started to look around and noticed it also. When I came into LA I really noticed trash everywhere. People do not care about this city, it is so big, it is not the LA Woman anymore, and it is the LA Monster.