my own pet image of median strip has been a group of us camping in the center of San Vicente Blvd in Santa Monica. Between Brentwood and the beach, two lanes' width of grass and trees calms the passing eye for several miles. as a friend of mine can tell you, San Vicente is great for cyclists, a rarity among L.A. streets. Not many stoplights, so the two lanes of cars each way are quickly past the residential backyards and gone.

so there we are, pitching tents among the trees, a different person's turn each day to tend the campfire and cook the food, with others wandering about climbing trees (building their own treehouses some of them) or sitting telling stories or painting or playing cards or sleeping or whatever. and every so often, someone sees us, gets curious, comes over and accepts a taste of the food, listens to a story, pokes around for a little or a long time, and wanders off again.

That was how it started. For a while now there hasn't been much daily storytelling; some people have been gathering groups together and working in their tents on more elaborate projects, which they present to the outside world upon completion. The fire has burned rather low at times, but so far it's still going. check it out.