Good Solid Clouds
I left the house at 10:30 this morning. The sky was looking like it could either start pouring or clear up in the next hour. The forecast called for a 50% chance of showers during the 11:00 hour. Not a big deal. The water is warm enough now that it won’t bother me much if my bag gets soaked and I don’t keep anything in it that won’t survive.
The air temperature is in the upper 50s and the skies are mostly cloudy. The clouds look really cool. They are large and ominous. It’s not just grey obscurity, these are good solid clouds.
Once I round the final curve on PCH before Selva, the sky seems to open up over the ocean. I can see Catalina Island lying beneath a row of puffy clouds. Most of the water near the coast is covered by clear skies.
I walk down the stairs and the landscaping crew is trimming the shrubs. It smells like rosemary the whole way to the beach. I feel like I see these guys everywhere. They are employed by the Soto Company which I assume has a contract with the city of Dana Point. Every morning when I walk my dog, I see them collecting the trash at Sunset Park by my house. I see their trucks driving all over the city. During the summer months they drive along the beach collecting the trash. I wonder if they draw straws or cast lots or something to see who gets to drive down the beach.
The tide is on its way down but there is still not much beach but enough. Near the spot where I toss my pack, the ground is littered with what looks like some kind of translucent flower petals or maybe trash. Upon closer inspection, they are the remains of about 100 Vuella vuella. The jelly fish like creatures that have been beaching themselves on SoCal shores over the last several weeks. Usually they have a solid blue/grey/black base but these look like just their clear sails that sit on top. Maybe these get shed after they have been beached for a while.
The water feels about the same as it did on Tuesday. It fluctuates between mildly cold and neutral. Compared to recent weeks, that might as well be sultry.
Shortly after passing the line of surf and heading south, I see this big clump of dead bamboo branches. I swim to get closer and see what I think are barnacles beginning to grow on one of it’s arms. I wonder how long it has been floating out here.
I’m enjoying this swim and trying not to pay attention to time or really anything else. As my gaze faces east, I see a mean looking bank of clouds hovering over the houses on the bluff.
When I reach my turnaround point and now face west, it’s like a different day all together. Mostly clear skies outlined by cloud puffs dotted along the horizon.
I keep finding myself veering West and by the time I reach the northern end of the beach, I am significantly further offshore than usual.
My right pinky finger is completely numb. This happens sometimes and it is weird. The water is not that cold.
As I turn south again toward my finish, I plot a course directly aimed at the big modern blockish house where I come to shore. Usually I just point south and then cut in just in front of that house but opt for a more diagonal trajectory today.
I make my way back to my pack and don’t feel a need to towel off or put on another layer. It is still on the mostly cloudy side but I can feel the sun and it feels good.
The Soto Company team is still doing their thing as I head up the stairs. I wonder if they enjoy this scenery or if it is just work. It does look like hard work. Earlier this morning I had to deal with some emails that gave me a less than positive perspective on my own work. Right now I must say I am feeling quite fortunate.
