Los Angeles. I've had a love affair with her since the moment we met, a romance that's coming up on seven years now. And while my love for her will never diminish, there's no denying the passion isn't what it once was. It might not be very gentlemanly of me to admit, but her flaws are really starting to bother me. Smog, noise pollution, road rage, officer-involved shootings on my front doorstep, the list goes on and on. In the end, I try to overlook these faults because I love her.

The Santa Ynez Valley is my mistress. I cheat on Los Angeles with her. She doesn't have the flaws that Los Angeles does. She spoils me with her endless blue skies and clear open roads. She pampers me with her soothing silence and lack of police brutality. The Santa Ynez Valley is quite possibly my favorite place on earth. More and more I find myself wondering what my life would be like living with her instead.

But I can not leave LA. That wouldn't be practical. We have too much history together. Besides, what if I left her only to find out Santa Ynez and I really have nothing in common? And what would happen when I started to notice her flaws?

Ah, she couldn't possibly have any flaws.








Yikes!!! My mistress is dangerous!