Will Somebody Pinch Me?

We have spent the past week training for our first workamping gig in the San Diego area.  Picture this, we are sitting outside at a picnic table, warm sun on our backs, cool breeze gently moving the pages in our manual, and the ocean in our peripheral vision (more so if we are not paying attention to our instructor).  How could anyone possibly use the word “work” in a sentence describing this?  But yes, this is the job we have signed up for, camp host at San Elijo State Beach.  Oh, the agony of it all!

Our friends Bill and Lisa, who have spent many a year at this place, are passionate about the preservation of the California State Beaches, which has been a concern due to governmental funding issues.  They helped to set up the non-profit Friends of Cardiff & Carlsbad State Beaches for just this purpose, of which Bill is a founding board member.

Yesterday was a short day for training, so back to our rig and a quick change into something more comfy and we are off to the beach for some exercise.  There is so much to see on this stretch of sandy beach, from the surfers at Swami Beach, an area we are told holds the best surfing in California, the dolphins and whales we catch a glimpse of occasionally, the multitude of shore birds searching for tasty little morsels, children busily building sand castles, young and older lovers strolling together, and joggers effortlessly moving (how I wish my jogging was) along the beach.

It is wonderful to start down the beach, then take one of the many long staircases up to street level (which are also great for strengthening your legs), to wander along the sidewalks of Encinitas, window shopping, while I wind my way back home.  There are so many interesting shops and restaurants, that if we are not careful, we could do some real damage here.

Back home, a little more exercise, clean up and I scurry off to do some grocery shopping.  Trader Joe’s is just a couple of miles from where we are staying, as is Whole Foods, Sprouts, and a few other interesting looking groceries.

As I return home, walking up to the RV I hear some great tunes wafting out from the windows.  Terry has figured out how to fix our DVD player and has the Eagles Farewell Tour playing.  This day just continues to get better!

I quickly put the groceries away and after some chopping and dicing, get the pasta sauce simmering.  Terry puts himself in charge of the drinks and hands me my glass.  Ah, the aroma of a glass of good red (which I have not had in my hands for a while) is quite intoxicating.  The song Love Will Keep Us Alive begins to play and I am such a sucker for all of Timothy B’s music!  I look at my husband and motion for him.  He complies, because that’s what he does (sometimes) and we dance. Shame on you!  You thought this was going to be a post tagged for mature eyes only, didn’t you?  Nothing like the Eagles, the ocean, and a California sunset to get you into the mood to dance.  And I would say this is true whether you have a partner with you or not.

After dinner, with a nearly full moon to guide us and the pounding surf as our symphony, we strolled down the beach to round out a most enchanting day.  Love truly will keep us alive, wouldn’t you say?

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