Warmth

This weekend I returned to the land of fragrant citrus coves, ever-fresh avocados, and turquoise ocean coves. My previously sun-hungry body is happy-happy-happy. I now realize that Washington is so cold and gray because Southern California is using up all the available sun. While much of the US is experiencing unprecedented cold spells, we've been enjoying a long string of glowing, 80-degree days. To my friends in Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Maine, Denmark, Antarctica, and Russia etc.: I wish I could bottle up some of this shining glory and send it to you.

Since I returned to Orange County, I've been filling my days with some of my favorite, southern California activities — hiking, family-style dinner with friends, laying on the beach. One of the highlights was a weekend picnic with friends on the bluffs overlooking Laguna beach.

We munched on pineapple and turkey wraps before heading to the tide pools, where a few of us decided it would be a good idea to walk across the barnacle-studded rocks barefoot. It was not a good idea. We will be taking a trip to Walmart to purchase water socks before our next tide pool adventure.

But boy, braving those barnacles was worth it. The pools were teeming with critters — fish, starfish, and even some squid which were too shy to come into plain view.

My reflection in the water is making it hard to see the critters, but they're there!

Also, somehow I've managed to master the middle-aged tourist look. All I need is a fanny pack, folks:

I love watching the ocean ripple and churn. Water blows my mind; it's just so unexpected.

It grabs the light and sends it shooting in every direction, sometimes splitting it into ribbons of color.

It undulates, rising and falling like a single organism, and then, when it hits the rocks, bursts into millions of frothy white droplets.

When we try to scoop it into the palms of our hands it won't be held, and it wears away rocks too heavy for humans to hold.

The ocean never ceases to reawaken in me jaw-dropping awe at God's unimaginably wild imagination.

After several hours of fun, Mr. Sun slipped toward the horizon and eased himself into the ocean to take a cool bath after a long day of work, so we packed up our stuff and headed to the car.

Minutes after we'd hopped onto the Pacific Coast Highway, God must've had a hankering for cotton candy, because he spun gobs of it across the sky. I was tempted to reach out the window for a handful.

 It was a very sweet end to a glorious day.


© by scj


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