August 5. One of the jumbled up houses on the boardwalk has spotlights on the roof that illuminate the spray of the incoming waves at night. It is the most spectacular of the houses: cubic glass floors in purple light, pseudo-Greek columns on the first floor, all in the dimensions of one or two living rooms. I imagine what it is like to be condemned to build such a house for many millions of dollars. Here’s the place where you can be that poor slob and still have cool, gentrified neighbors. We walk slowly back up the boardwalk, the fringe of light in front of us and the hill of La Jolla spilling into the sea. We don’t want to leave.