Final Days of Summer

I've been wanting to go to the beach just because for about 2 years now. Yeah, yeah, we went to Jamaica and all that, but I mean a classic, spontaneous trip to the beach in Southern CA. Finally, today Beau and I went to Santa Monica and spent the day with the sand and surf. This was my final day to really do something like this before "law school lock down" as I like to call it. We got up at a decent time, packed a picnic, put on our swimsuits, and traveled to the sea.

Tuesdays are the day to go. Barely anyone there, easy parking, and prime real estate at the shore. We laid out our blankets and put up our umbrella just south of the pier and relaxed for about 2 hours. California beaches are like nothing else, the sun beats down on you but the cool misty breeze creates a field around you that keeps you constantly comfortable. Being the albino that I am, I lathered on the sunscreen and hid under the umbrella, occasionally letting a limb peek out. Of course, I paid for what small solar contact I had since I am now burned on the back of my knees of all places.

The water was ice cold, but we walked along the shore for a bit, following a line of flayed clam shells that looked so amazingly like butterfly wings. They were all the colors of the rainbow, variegated, and looked as if they were in flight along the length of the tide. The strangest thing was that, as we were collecting a few unique specimens, we spotted a real butterfly wing in the wet sand.

The day just felt healthy. I need to do it more often. But, for now, it's school and hard work. The beach will always be there.