An AA Hand Was There

I'D recently moved to the Monterey Peninsula in California, where the scenery along the coast is very spectacular. High rocks rise from the swirling water along the shore, covered with flocks of cormorants and gulls perched in amiable companionship beside seals sunning themselves on the rocky ledges. Sea otters cavort among the breakers, while overhead long lines of pelicans solemnly flap their way over the water. The sea itself is ever-changing in color, from palest green to aquamarine to deepest blue, as one's eyes sweep out towards the horizon. Here one is surrounded by beauty and the majesty of nature so far removed from the sordid aspects of city life: its dirt and poverty, its skid rows, and its desperate search for "happiness."