The Stand – Laguna Beach

Our two-week long stay in Laguna Beach will end today when we travel back to the SF Bay Area. For all the bucolic fantasies of life in paradise evoked by images of vineyards and rolling hills of Northern California’s wine country, I’d prefer if it were Guacamole Country. One of the highlights of visiting Laguna Beach is always The Stand – a vegan snack shack at the corner of Thalia St. and PCH that has managed to stay in business for three decades. Almost everything on the menu comes with the option of hummus, guacamole or salsa; beans, rice, pita and a range of vegies are the foundation of all entrees. The food is simple and clean, and I am always struck by the distinct absence of that horrible rotting smell wafting from the refuse area of most “food” establishments. When everything in the trash is made of cellulose, the breakdown emanations are much less offensive. (However the “breakdown emanations” of four teenage boys adjusting to this high-fiber regime have not only been extremely offensive but a source of great pride.)

If ever in Laguna Beach, visit The Stand. You might be inspired to take one afterwards…

Laguna Beach - The Stand

The Stand

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Mannequins of Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach storefronts display some of the strangest mannequins I’ve ever seen. I find the resemblance of tourists to these mannequins uncanny. It is difficult to guess the age of many Orange County women from a frontal view – the bee-stung lips, the deer-in-the-headlights expression, tiny pinched noses, not to mention breasts that might double as mooring buoys if put to the test. Even so, there are some things plastic surgery can’t hide – the stooped figure, hands and feet, profound disappointment and unhappiness; the line between perfection and monstrous begins to blur after a certain point. I am always grateful to encounter a woman who wears her years with dignity and whose facial muscles still allow for a range of expressions, especially expressions of humor. Still a land of beautiful people, many of the Laguna locals seem to have resisted (miraculously) the influence of other Orange County cities.

These mannequins lead a secret life of puppets – one that speaks more of a cultural pandemic than anything else.

All Natural Fibers Mannequin

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea...

I'm not bad. I'm just drawn this way.

High Performance Traction Mannequin

Carotene Poisoning Mannequin

Figurehads in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Mannequins

Lactating Mannequins

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