Santa Maria

Santa Maria, California, my home for about 10 years before coming to Santa Barbara, is back on the map again. I was there this past weekend to visit family, and yesterday, I drove past the courthouse to check out what had been setup. At that time, not many people had moved in, aside from some news crews.

Members of the community are renting out rooms in their homes at outrageous prices to die-hard Jackson fans who want to be near the courthouse. A local attorney, whose law office is right across the street from the courthouse and has the only nearby building with a flat roof, has rented out portions of the roof to 4 or 5 different news crews. And it was a little surreal to see a stand dedicated to CNN and Larry King Live. It's all a little too overwhelming for a modest town such as Santa Maria. Imagine the OJ Simpson trial in Mayberry... Okay, maybe Santa Maria is not that modest!

We'll see if I know anyone who ends up on the jury. :)