Staying Stationary This Summer In Southern California

For months I've been dreaming about taking some time off for a little European vacation but I just never seemed to get around to organizing it.
June is finally here and now I have something planned every week for the next month so I just can't get away.
Maybe, just maybe, if I get my act together I can get my dream vacation organized for August.

I would fly here
then visit my brother who lives in a house on the ocean near here and enjoy the warm weather, the beach and the fino

then fly here to visit a couple of friends

then revisit one of my favorite cities

and one of my favorite small towns for the pretty lake view and some hiking

then rent a car and drive through the country side to this city for a little history

which is on the way to this city to see old friends

then continue south to this beach resort for the flight back home

But the dark side of travel has been on my mind a lot lately with the Air France disaster last week. I've been reminded...again...that flying is not without risk.

On my first trip to Europe, 30 years ago, I received that dreaded phone informing me that my mother's boyfriend was on American Airlines flight 191 which crashed at O'Hare. At the time it was the worst airline disaster in US History.

Twenty two years later, my dear friend was on American Airlines flight 11, and we all know what happened to that plane on September 11, 2001.

Storms, mechanical failures, terrorism...there's always something that can go wrong.

So for right now I'm OK with staying stationary with my feet on the ground for the next month or so in Los Angeles. It may not be as sunny as Cadiz, as happening as Hamburg, as beautiful as Evian les Bain, as historical as Avignon or as charming as Provence...

but it feels safe.