Back in late June, I booked a few weekend getaways. The first one just ended. It was sweet.
My wife and I headed out Friday afternoon after boarding the dog. (Poor Heidi.)
The drive was a short one, a mere 30 miles to the south. Last year, we discovered that the less known beach communities between San Diego and Los Angeles are quite nice.
Capistrano Beach was our destination: two nights, three days. We stayed in a one bed-room timeshare just across Highway One from the Pacific Ocean. Our room faced the cliff, not the beach, but that was okay. It was quieter and free from the early morning sun.
We were unplugged, sort of. We didn't bring our laptop. We interacted... for days!
That was my plan. Quality time as a couple. Dinners in. Walks on the beach. Cribbage, gin rummy, and conversation. But the reality?
Just as planned! (And I have some pictures to prove it.)
What may amaze those of you unfamiliar with Southern California is how nice the weather is. We had plenty of sunshine and mid-70s. You'll see jacketless people on bikes! Runners in running shorts! On the drive home we took PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). At Laguna's main beach there were sand volleyball games in progress. Drivers had their convertibles open.
The resort we stayed at averages 100% occupancy: year-round.
We missed the Trick-or-Treaters. Oh well. My youngest "child" is 23. The grandkids live in Illinois. What were my options? Stay-at-home and hand out candy to several dozen kids or schedule a week-end Halloween SoCal Getaway?
You know what I did! (And Thanksgiving is just around the corner!)
What a lovely getaway! It must be nice to have that couple time to reconnect and enjoy each other. Southern California looks beautiful. My brother-in-law and his family live in Redondo Beach. We hope to visit there soon someday. I could get used to seeing the beach year round!
ReplyDelete@September: It was a fun time. Each stage in life has its challenges and rewards. Its important to nurture the marriage, because that's the backdrop against which the rest of life's dramas unfold: including raising a family. "Come grow old with me; the best is yet to be." That's how the poet penned it.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds nice!
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the weather thing though...
It's freeeeeeeeeezing here!
@We_the_pieces: It's not quite the Taj Mahal like your trip, but it's more accessible: 30 minutes instead of 30 hours? ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou only say it's freeeeezing here, because you. are. a. So Cal. girl!, said the So Cal boy.
(Just wait til it starts getting down into the high 40's at night, in the dead of our So Cal winter. Double brrrrrrr.) ;-)
"On the drive home we took PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). At Laguna's main beach there were sand volleyball games in progress. Drivers had there convertibles open."
ReplyDeleteIt seriously sounds like something from some TV show set in SoCal. I thought they just showed those things all at once so that us cornpones would know that it was California we were looking at. (Cue "Deliverance" banjo)
Turns out - they're not exaggerating! Does it feel weird, Don, to live inside of a movie set? ;)
Glad you were able to get away and have fun.
@Saphron: TV shows glamorize SoCal a bit, but there is truth to many of the rumors. (Just watch the Rose Parade or Rose Bowl.)
ReplyDeleteIt used to feel weird living inside of a movie set, but I've gotten used to it. Besides, "Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of travel."
Thanks for the comment.