Different Setting, but the Spirit’s the Same: Thanks

On a balmy Thanksgiving Day, the shores of Southern California drew pilgrims (from Oaxaca) and Indians (from Delhi), lovers and lonely hearts, along with overstuffed amblers and the usual roller-bladers.

Marguerite MacIntyre and Steven Agila arrived at Venice Beach about 1 p.m. with part of their Thanksgiving meal in a picnic basket: an artichoke dip, rolls, cucumber salad and tarts made of leeks, pears and cheese that MacIntyre had prepared. There was a turkey at home, but they would eat that later.

The couple staked out a quiet spot off the boardwalk, spread out a comforter, kissed and sipped champagne. Then Agila produced a small box with a ribbon on it. Inside was a yellow diamond set between two smaller white diamonds.

“Marguerite MacIntyre, will you marry me?” asked Agila, 36.

Taken aback, MacIntyre burst into tears, then laughter.

“You did say yes, didn’t you?” Agila asked.

“Yes,” said MacIntyre, a budding actress who demurred when asked her age.

“I thought, ‘What better time to do it than on Thanksgiving,’ ” Agila said moments later; it’s MacIntyre’s favorite holiday. “We are thankful for so many things.”

Just north, in Santa Monica, a homeless man sat alone on a bench, staring into the sun from behind a yellowing wide-brimmed hat. His mountain bike, with his possessions attached on a small trailer, was parked nearby.

“I woke up blessed this morning with good weather and a safe place to sleep,” said 35-year-old Dave Andresen, a Midwesterner who came west about four years ago. He has no family here, he said, and thought he might go to a church later for a meal. For the moment, he said, “I’m just waiting for the sunset.”

At the water’s edge, a dozen members of the Ortiz family gathered with friends over ham sandwiches, carrots and jalapenos pickled in vinegar, and a sack of apples.

Recent arrivals from Oaxaca, Mexico, five of the clan had found cleaning work at a tanning salon on Sunset Boulevard, and savored a rare day off soaking up some rays of their own.

“We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico, and I don’t really know what it means,” 23-year-old Natanal Ortiz said in Spanish. “I think it’s like Christmas, but earlier.”

In any case, he said, “We’re grateful to be here with our families with a free day away from stress and work.”

Just down the beach, Satinder Bhalla, a 29-year-old Loma Linda resident originally from Delhi, India, sat on a blanket with his wife and child, his parents and two relatives visiting from Toronto.

Bhalla, who arrived in Los Angeles five years ago, was also a bit hazy on the holiday’s origins, but embraced its spirit. “We understand it’s a family get-together where people come from far away to be together,” Bhalla said.

Next to him, his mother sat in a gold sari and orange scarf, cutting radishes and red onions for a curried chickpea dish being served on paper plates with puri, Indian bread. “Instead of sitting at home eating turkey, we’re here,” Bhalla said.

Up the coast at Malibu Bluff Park above the Pacific, Junaid Khan, 35, his wife, three young children and some relatives had a picnic on the grass.

Enjoying the sunny weather, they talked about the turkey dinner they would have later.

“You do the turkey thing because it’s part of the holiday, no matter what religion, country or culture you come from,” said Khan, who is originally from Pakistan but has lived in California for two years.

“I’ve lived in many places, but Thanksgiving is the only holiday for everybody,” he said.

Back on Venice Beach, MacIntyre and Agila watched the sun sink in the sky.

Agila, who confessed to having been too nervous to sleep Wednesday night, rested his head on his fiance’s lap. She stroked his hair.

“You’re relieved aren’t you?” MacIntyre asked.

“Now it’s nice to just let go and be thankful,” Agila answered.

Times staff writers Andrew Blankstein, Zeke Minaya and Richard Winton contributed to this report.