I had a small giggle thinking about the little kids that materialize at your feet.

I was in a cafe once and one cute little guy (probably approx 3-4 years old) reached out toward my crutches from where he was sitting with his parents. He wasn't close enough to grab them, so it remained an amusing observation!!
I'm glad to be in CA as well, although the rain can sometimes be something to watch out for. The store entrances can be quite wet both immediately outside and inside, as can the bottom of the crutch.
As I got more mobile, I did try the one crutch and push cart thing. . .it was hard. I actually switched to the one crutch and hand basket. It limited what I could buy, but that was a good thing considering that I needed to take what I bought up to my apartment later on.

I'm definitely looking forward to being crutch free. I've been testing the waters a little bit without the crutches (ie to the dumpster from my apartmnet and back with a light box). . .getting there slowly.
All the best to you all!