Clogtown: Sofia Of Heredia, Richfield's Sister City!

I was walking to the Richfield Farmer's Market last weekend, and decided to cut through what we kids used to call Memorial Park (with the water slide that cut up half of Richfield), and is now called Heredia Park. It's the little park behind the Richfield Cop Shop/City Hall, and I had no idea when its name as changed - or why.

Then I saw a bronze statue of a little immigrant girl soccer player called Sofia. The only piece of public art in the park and it's of a child from another country making their way in Richfield. I was delighted, surprised, and honestly, a bit relieved - that Richfield holds such reverence for our immigrant neighbors, and chose to celebrate them in this lovely way.

The work is accompanied by a poem from Guillermo Hernandez , also the sculptor, from what I learned is Richfield's sister/peace city, Heredia, Costa Rica - since 1991! They even have a "Boulevard Richfield" in that town! I had no idea. But I'm super proud of my hometown, recognizing that we are a country of immigrants, and it is something to be celebrated. Excellent.

Pura Vida Sofia!

Guerilla In The Mist

Today was one of those days when Dogtown is Fogtown ... and that's when my friend Edgar from Costa Rica was coming for his first visit to California ever. It was not at all the stereotypical bright sunshine and blue skies kind of day that those who have only ever seen Venice on t.v. or in movies have come to expect. You could barely SEE the water from the Boardwalk, but you knew it was there.

The good thing about Venice is that it's cool no matter what the weather. We walked the Boardwalk, as you must, and I was happy to see the fog hadn't dampened any spirits. The street performers and vendors - and their attendant crowds -  were still out in force. I particularly liked this guerilla Venice sculpture put up by a creative soul down there. We ducked into Hinano's to show the Costa Rican boy a true Venice experience, and by the time we came back outside, the sun had peeked through very far off over the ocean's horizon, turning the water all silvery. The beauty is always there ... sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it ... and then it's even more worth it. Good life lessons ... for a Pura Vida!