Enjoying Summer

I love living in California. I am very much having the stay-cation month.

So, Monday, I took the Chinese girls and their student partners to Paradise Cove. I hadn't been there in a long, long time, and I had forgotten how nice it was. I didn't have the greatest meal experience the last time I was there, so I was sort of soured on it, but everything was wonderful on Monday, and I left thinking, "I need to come here more often."  I was supposed to go with some of my girlfriends on Saturday, but that didn't pan out, and I was bummed, so today, when Marc got off early, and it was 100 degrees and muggy at home (humid heat sucks - I'll take an Arizona 100 any day, but this Florida style weather...yuck), I said, "Let's have dinner at Paradise Cove."  Yea!  We packed up quickly and set out.

It was like the perfect day. It was like 75 degrees in Malibu. One could almost call it chilly. By nightfall, it would have been. We got the most perfect parking spot, right next to the sand.  It was so late in the day that it wasn't crowded at all. Vinny was so happy to be there. He is such a fish, just like his daddy. Once Vinny got in the water, we almost couldn't drag him out. At one point, he is swimming in it, up to his chest, and I'm hanging out in ankle deep water and he says, "Mommy, why don't you come all the way in with me like you did in Maui? This beach is like Maui!"  I looked at him and said, "Maui was different sweetie, Maui was warm."  Pacific Ocean water is just not warm. Not even on hot days. I think this shocks people who travel here, but I grew up with it, so I was more shocked to learn that there are places where you don't have to freeze to swim.  Anyhow, so Vinny looks up at me, and says, "This water IS warm!" Just goes to show how long he had been in there. (Or how hot it has been at home lately).  When it was time to leave, I had to call him like six times before he finally gave in and came back to us.  (continued below)

Right before the seagull incident. Note said chicken strip. 

Tiana was a bit cranky once we got there, but she got in such a better mood when our food was ready. She had a huge appetite (beach does that to me too). She was on her second chicken strip, when she decided that she didn't want eating to stop her from playing, so she was sitting in the sand and digging with one hand and eating with the other. Then, she stood up all happy and giggling, and these crazy seagulls attacked her for the stupid piece of chicken in her hand. I am not exaggerating... they seriously attacked her. We jumped up and ran to her and of course they ran away, but not before they hurt her hand, the poor thing. She was bleeding in three places, one spot on her palm and two different fingers. One of her fingers was so deep, I couldn't get it to stop bleeding. We actually had to go to the lifeguard for bandaids... and it took two of them! (Bandaids... not lifeguards).

Damn aggressive seagulls. It's because the tourists feed them. Not to be that person (because I welcome tourists, really, I do - I love sharing the beauty of our state)... but I can pick the tourists out from the locals on pretty much any California beach. The tourists are the idiots who leave their open Doritos sitting on their beach blanket. Or much worse - they hand feed the stupid seagulls, then look shocked when they are suddenly mobbed by the entire flock. Paradise cove is a very, very nice beach, which thus attracts a lot of tourists, and we witnessed several of them feeding the seagulls today. Thus, the seagulls at this beach have become these aggressive beasts who have lost their ability to eat naturally and rely on humans for food, and do so in a hunting-style.

Vinny is such a protective brother. He starts chasing them down and yelling at them that he is going to cut their beaks off and other such atrocities. I kind of wanted to laugh. He is so funny.

The lifeguard who repaired T's finger

Anyhow, back to Tiana. So, while the lifeguard is cleaning her bleeding finger and bandaging her up (in a purple bandaid, I might add - the perks of a private beach, I suppose), Tiana is muttering under her breath, "Bad birdie. Bad, bad birdie."  She eventually recovered and went back to eating her french fries (from the safety of Marc's lap this time), but she kept looking at the birds and saying, "Bad birdies." Then, when we were on the way home, I hear, "Bad birdie," and look back and she is just gazing at her finger. I look back at her and she says, "It hurts. Bad birdie." At that point, all I could do is agree, "Yes, bad, bad birdies."  She has continued to lament the "bad birdies" each time she looks at her bandaid, and I imagine it will probably continue until it heals. I guess this was a rather traumatic incident for her.

In spite of the bird incident, it was a beautiful day. We loved eating dinner on this beautiful beach and taking advantage of a late afternoon beach day. I think we are going to try to take advantage of the summer and try to do this (well, probably not Paradise, since it is so expensive) on another Friday in August, like after I get off work. It stays light out so late, there really is no reason one can't hit the beach at 4:30 and stay for several hours. We could always pick up food on the way too.

I love summer so much. Summer is the reason I keep my chin up the rest of the year. Some people, like my grandma, are "Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" type people who need some sort of change to be happy. My grandma basically stays happy in a situation until it isn't "new" any more, and then she wants a change and gets cranky. She gets like, "If I could only live (insert new location), then I'd be happy."   I sort of understand how she feels because I spend much of the year telling myself, "It will be summer again, and then I will be happy," which effectively actually makes me happy just thinking of it. I am always in one of two mental states: thinking about summer or enjoying summer. I plan my summer plans months way in advance, and I look forward to them every day of the Spring. Now it is summer, and I am living those plans, and loving every second of it.

The sun setting over an old Western movie town on the way home.