December 1998, Capitola, California

The nearby town of Capitola, which sports a beautiful Christmas sprinkling of lights.

It's also touristy, but without the haughty arrogance of Santa Cruz. Capitola is sort of a commodity art community, but the people smile and seem interested in sharing their times with you.

The Paradise Sushi bar is a wonderful place to nibble delightful new tastes in sushi (I didn't know there were so many ways to enjoy macadamia nuts in sushi) including the fire-hot roll, which I passed on when the guy next to me turned several shades of crimson.