12:30 pm: me, on the beach. a perfect 85 degrees. in one ear, jack johnson, in the other, the ocean. a heineken in one hand, and john irving's latest in the other.
seriously, life doesn't get much better than that.
i spent the day at stinson beach with the littlest bro. (with no talk of sex, THANK GOD!) it was a short hour and 15 minute drive, the hardest part being the treacherous hwy 1. winding, undulating roads twisting and turning through muir winds and along the sea cliffs. beautiful, yes. easy, no. but well worth it. what was even crazier was the number of cyclists sharing the narrow 2 lane road. there is no bike lane. there's barely enough room for 2 cars to pass! and the steepness?? these are some hard core cyclists.
because it was a weekday, there weren't too many people, but enough for some decent people watching. (there were dilfs aplenty. what is it with me spotting with hot 30 something dads lately? they're already TAKEN! where are all the hot 30 something single guys?) i braved the water for a few minutes but damn was it cold! seriously. like nature's ice bath. i remember reading somewhere that the pacific ocean is about 10 degrees colder than the atlantic.
after soaking up sun, we perused the handful of shops in town and settled in for dinner at the sanddollar. where we had the. best. mussels. ever. in. life. seriously. and a caesar salad with real anchovy dressing, clam chowder with more clams than i've ever had in clam chowder and garlic fries. i love eating with the littlest bro because he's a chef, so he too enjoys the food just as much as i do, and we talk about it like we would fine art. we talk about the balance of the sweet shallots and the herbs. we analyze the consistency of the chowder. and the perfect touch the anchovy brings to the caesar dressing that was in no way sour or vinegary. oh and how the bite and snap of fresh shaved parmesean beats grated any day of the week. we ate so much we didn't have room for dessert. except for a bag of sour patch kids for the drive home.
all in all, a super day.
15 comments:
sounds like an awesome day. are you reading "Until I Find You" or is there a newer John Irving book?
The Pacific Ocean was always more difficult to get to and the water was cold - but I guess the scenery is better than the Atlantic. Of course, in Maine this weekend the Atlantic will feel like an ice bath too...should be nice to relieve post-race soreness.
Nice commentary and a beautiful photo!
Good luck in your quest for your first marathon in October!
R2B
That sounds wonderful - were you trying to make me jealous, because you succeeded!
Sounds like a wonderful day spent with your bro! I've never been to the Pacific, but have been to the Atlantic numerous times. I too have heard there is quite a temperature difference!
I love Stinson Beach, and West Marin in general. It's hard to believe such a quaint, pristine area is only an hour from San Francisco. Maybe the weather will stay nice this weekend when MY brother is in town!
And, what is your opinion on Irving's new book? I haven't read it.
hi MPA,
I've enjoyed reading your blog these last couple of weeks ever since I stumbled across it. My favorite recent Stinson experience was running into the ocean after a long trail run. Hydrotherapy for sore legs, and a heck of a lot more fun than an ice bath! I run with a women's running group I thought you might be interested in. We are non-competitive, just out to have fun together, and do trail runs all over the bay area. Of course it doesn't help our challenge of meeting cute single active guys...but I've got another running group that's my go to place for that! Let me know if you're interested in our women's team, or the coed group runs, and I'll send you the info. I'm at: ssyed*at*sonic.net.
Okay, so I officially hate you now....
Just kidding.
But about the water temp, I've grown up near the Gulf of Mexico and on my first trip to California (LA) it was October and 100 degrees outside...but the water felt like a crazy 42...it was nuts!
Glad you had a great day with your bro. Those are the best!
It's those kinds of days that we Californians tend to take for granted, don't we? And you've changed your look again. I like!
When you said our lives are way to parallel, you weren't kidding. First off, I thought I coined the term "DILF," but I guess not. I'm into the forty-something DILFs, a lot of whom are divorced. Just wait ten years. Second, I'm at the beach as well -- Corona in hand, sans brother and John Irving (instead indulged in InStyle).
Wow - that is absolutely beautiful. Can I come and visit?!?
Your photo reminds me of just one of several reasons I'm moving back to California later this summer. What marathon will you be running?
sounds great. how i miss that area!! ahh - muir woods, the beach... enjoy
Nice photo! I want to be on that beach with a Heineken too!
wow... that does sound like a perfect day. DILFs aside. (wink).
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