So we tend to take the Pacific Ocean for granted. And the sunshine, for that matter. We’re constantly getting messages on the answering machine that are some variation of "…well, I’m sure you’re out enjoying the California sunshine [while we tramp through the sludge of Midwestern winter]…" Meanwhile, we’re sitting in the dark at the cinema or negotiating the crowds at Trader Joe’s for groceries. But today was different. Today we went to the beach.
We went to the only beach in LA county that welcomes dogs, (and apparently, Karate Kids? [excuse the pop-up, click to their Locations page and scroll down]), Leo Carrillo State Beach, well north of Malibu. It took a while to get there, mainly because I decided to take Bob past one of the schools where I’ve been teaching on the border of Ventura county, and from there we had to wind our way (amongst some crazy hard-core bicyclists) through the hills to the coast. It was really hot by the time we finished our picnic, and when we went for a walk in the wet sand, Gordon, normally averse to any water not found in his drinking bowl, plopped right down in a receding wave to cool off! Poor bugger was panting nonstop like the obese creature we adopted last summer!
The highlight of the afternoon – well, it definitely wasn’t my lame attempt to fly a kite. It happened when we were loafing and reading (and wishing we had a beach umbrella in the worst way). I re-started The Whale Rider, this time for good (maybe sitting by the Pacific helped me connect to Kahu’s story). I was just getting into it when a couple of soggy 10-year-olds trotted by and greeted our overheated pooch. Before I knew what was happening they were showing me the strange little crustaceans they’d dug up and smuggled away in the mini-environment of sturdy plastic cups filled with sand and water. They prattled on about the creatures, telling and showing me how they burrow and play dead and look! here’s a baby and do you want to hold one and feel how it tickles you? The boy proceeded to blow my mind by engaging me in an intelligent conversation about The Whale Rider story! He told me how much he liked the movie, but it sure was sad and made him cry(!!) Reluctantly we parted ways – they ran off to picnic with their families and I returned to my reading, humbled by their enthusiasm and wisdom.