Winter in L.A.

Winter is my favorite season in LA. The coolness provides a change of season but not so much that it feels cold. Jeans and cotton sweaters rather than summer’s t-shirt and flip flops. But still we get the 80 degree (27 Celsius) days as often as we get the cooler ones, so we still get to enjoy summer . . . even if it’s Christmas day.

But the real gifts come from the dazzling scenery that emerges from behind the haze. The sky is bluer, the clouds whiter, the mountains full of reds, greens, browns, and golds. You can see the sun reflecting off the ocean from 20 miles away. Some days Catalina island is perfectly silhouetted against the orange Pacific sunset.

The air is also much cleaner. Winter is our rainy season, and that rain scrubs all the dust (and smog) so all that’s left is the beautiful California sunshine the Beach Boys sang about. Good stuff.