i’ve had some delightful moments the past month or so and just haven’t taken the time to set it into words. maybe i’ve been working with too many words weekly at work. maybe the lack of light is leaving me lackluster. maybe the anticipation of alliteration just wasn’t alluring enough.

so.

at the end of september and early october, i headed to palm springs, california to present at a national conference. the conference was meh. my presentation was decent. i was in the middle of a head cold. but it was california and hot and i was two hours from the ocean and how could i not take advantage of that? the good news was that it was cheaper for me to rent a car and drive to san diego to fly out rather than leave from palm springs. so, that’s what i did.

along the way, i drove up and over a mountain via switchbacks. i watched the desert turn into shrubby, low-growth foliage. i basked in the sunshine. i saw no cacti. i started to see palm trees. i glimpsed the ocean. and then there i was.

i spent friday night in dana point, which is the home of lesley fightmaster. i found a super 8 right across the highway from the ocean and public beach and paid for the ocean-view room with a balcony.

after checking in and a brief nap, i changed and walked a block, crossed a busy 4-lane road, then up and over a railroad track, and landed on the beach, set up shop on the sand, and sat for an hour.

after that, i went to a mediocre restaurant that was actually just a bar with appetizers, sat on their “patio” with the car noise whizzing past. the view was fantastic tho.

then back to my balcony room, where i sat as the sun set over the ocean, highlighting the palm trees and surfer vans and young girls dancing with flashlights and a gathering around a fire.

then i doordashed some chocolate cake, ate it in bed (and made a mess), and was asleep by 9:30.

the next day i drove down the coast to san diego, stopping at a fantastic little coffee shop before leaving dana point, where i had the best meal of the week (a lox, cream cheese, avocado, and greens sandwich on multigrain bread). the trip to the airport took a couple hours since i bypassed the freeway to drive through small coastal towns to keep the ocean in view as long as possible, stopping a couple times to put my feet in the sand and surf in my ears. the town of carlsbad would be one i’d like to return to someday.

then it was time to board an airplane, and we swung out over the ocean before turning around and heading inland toward the most land-locked piece of real estate the continent has to offer.

i wouldn’t mind being a beach bum.

but then i come back to lakes and leaves and the promise of seasons.