One of the things that always strikes me about driving around California is the mix of wealth and poverty that exists side by side everywhere you look.  Driving through Oxnard you can see some small strip mall with tiny stores in buildings that look like they're falling apart, with BMW part in front of it.  Then next door you'll see a huge shopping area with brand new super stores and old beat up jalopies parked in the lot.  Granted this happens everywhere in the country, and yet it seemed much more pronounced in California.  In most other places, you have neighborhoods that are run down, while others are in great shape.  In California, there is at least a little bit of run down something everywhere you look.

The entire scene is intensified by the fact that except for the fruit groves, California always looks like it's dying.  It's called the Golden State for a reason... and it's not because of the gold rush.  When explorers first saw California, there was so much dead grass and vegetation around, that the land looked golden.  Even during a good rain year, the summers are always in a drought condition.  Nicer homes look worn down simply by the fact that their yards are dying.  Front lawns that have gravel, ivy or dirt instead of grass aren't uncommon.  $800,000 houses with particle board and vernier cabinets, MDF railings, and drafty windows are considered good homes.

I love my family, and I love vacationing out in California.  I was there for almost two weeks, and it was gorgeous weather every single day.  But when I look around at everything that surrounds me out there, I have to wonder if sun is worth the price.  Because when it boils right down to it... that's about the only thing that California offers people compared to other states.  Sometimes I think that people who live out there have forgotten about that.