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Monday, December 7, 2009

Sunday (sort of)

On Saturday, when Andy returned home from his 6 day work week, he promptly aided in my extrication from home. As quickly as I was able, I sealed myself alone into the van and hauled ass to the beach.  My intent:  to take pictures of the Xmas decorations and the wonderfully cloudy sunset .

Garland wrapped light posts.

Easy Parking.  Score. Wind (I love wind).  Colorful sky. Aaaah.  Crisp SoCal winter air.  Nothing better.  Incoming Tide. So chill.  Brand new Canon Powershot loaded with fresh batteries and ready to go.  Stoked.  NOT.  You must be kidding me.  No freaking  memory card in camera.  Grunt. Curse. Sigh.  I  almost let this ruin the relief of my escape and the wonder of our beach this time of year.  Almost.  Then,  NOTE TO SELF: the pictures, themselves, are not your mission.  Taking the time to be still and appreciate the varied architecture and lighting of these homes against the darkening sea and sky, I noticed that on this night, to me, even the refinery in El Segundo was a sight for sore eyes.  Not just because I was away from my home but because the fire and emissions make beautiful colors at dusk.  It seems that without some space and the occasional minute to myself I cannot see much of what is right in front of me.  So, it took a minute,  but I got there.

I wrapped up this nearly ruined (mocking dramatic tone) photo-less getaway with a not-so-impulsive jaunt to Salvation Army where I cruised the books and t-shirts, another favorite pastime: moving at my own pace and following my thoughts to completion while looking at things of particular interest to ME.

The following day, I seized Andy's gracious rain-check  to return to the beach for my pictures.  I need reminders of the place I live and love AND rarely experience in this short stint of early parenting.  We ALL benefit from my having meaningful breaks.  I am glad I could do this for my family. (Me feeling smug and an urge to wink.  In real life, I do not wink).

Taking full advantage of Andy's generosity, I returned to what I had seen but been unable to photograph the evening before. I think it was even better.  Seeing it twice was certainly nice.

  A seriously feel good store, beautifully decorated.(It would feel even better if I could afford to shop there:)
Anyone out there that can tell me how to do captions?  probably power point, huh?

8 comments:

  1. It looks really lovely down there. A stroll among colored lights and beautifully decorated store fronts sounds like just the thing!

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  2. Oh wow, what a beautiful evening you had yourself there!!!
    Good for you. I'm "not" jealous AT ALL!!!! LOL

    Seriously, that's awsome. Sounds totally like something I would do if I wasn't stuck in the middle of the freezing, bald-ass prairies.

    Beautiful pics, btw. You have a good eye, for sure !!!
    I chinook you ♥

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  3. Worth waiting for! Love that picture! Everything this time of year is so lovely, dressed up in lights and decorations.

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  4. And yesterday and last night in the rain, even more magnificent, right here in our own neighborhood.

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  5. Cool pictures.. I would love to live closer to the beach.

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  6. Have I ever told you how much I like your writing? Because I like it very much. You don't need a camera for me to see the images.

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  7. Oh How gorgeous! If I posted pics of my neighborhood right now all you would do is shiver! Sleet, rain and snow. UG.

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  8. Man jealousy! The beach is so beautiful and the holiday at the beach is just so wonderful. I am so glad you got some time to yourself - and twice. That rocks. Great pics of a great place!

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