Pizza and Memories of Pizza

I left the house at about 1:00 this afternoon. Surfline.com has been down for the past few hours and I feel like I’m flying blind. The beach was fogging up around 8ish this morning and was starting to clear a little later. So who knows what I’m driving to right now. I feel pretty confident that I will not be disappointed.

It is sunny and warm and things get hazy as I approach the beach but it’s certainly clear enough. When I get to the parking lot I can see the sun shining on all of the things I’d like it to shine on. Tree trimmers are working the pine trees near the top shower and by the funicular depot.

Lifeguard station has upgraded the water temperature to 68 from yesterday’s 67. I didn’t swim yesterday but I was here playing in the water with my son and it felt pretty darn warm. The 67 had me worried that maybe the lifeguard is suffering from a rare skin condition that prevents his or her ability to feel the warmth in the water.

I start the swim just a little further up the beach today to avoid a crowd standing in the water where I normally start. The water feels great, but there are a few cold spots here and there. Throughout much of the swim, I can almost feel the cold of the water just a couple feet beneath me, but I’m protected in the very top layer that is kissed by the sun’s warmth. My arms from the elbow to my fingers feel the cooler water as they reach the deepest angle of the stroke.

Everything is great out here. The surf is practically flat and the surface of the water is not necessarily smooth but it’s not too rough either. The afternoon light illuminates the brown face of the cliffs at the end of the Dana Point Headlands. I let my mind settle into the warm water. I’m breathing out the day’s anxiety and reaching out with trust in every stroke. I’m moving forward in faith that I am going to get to where I need to get - both in and out of the water.

I reach the south end of the beach and then turn around and start to drift westward. I’m not sure why but it seems like there has been a stronger than usual current these last couple of months right here between the headlands and the asphalt road. Today, again, it feels like it just takes forever to get past that last 40 million dollar house before the wooden boardwalk. Maybe by the time I pass it, I can actually afford it. Probably not unless there has been some wild and unforeseen movement in the markets affecting my meager portfolio. Who knows, maybe a division of my employer just announced it has developed software that can cure cancer. I don’t know how that would work, but that’s probably why I’m not working on that project.

I’m getting super hungry. I have not eaten yet today and I find my thoughts drifting often to pizza and memories of pizza. I think of the better pizzas I have eaten lately. I think of my favorite childhood pizza chain, Straw Hat, in San Juan that no longer exists and that I would probably think is just mediocre today.

Oh my god, I still have not passed that house. Am I swimming in place? I wonder if I could eat that house, how much would just a single bite cost? Maybe more than I have in my checking account right now. I start to angle myself more sharply toward the shore because I feel so far away and I don’t seem to be getting closer.

Soon I do seem to be making some progress. The shore looks like it is getting closer and I’m now well into the ocean front block of Niguel Shores estates. I see a buoy ahead. Hmm. Looks tasty. Round like a pizza. I saw this buoy from the parking lot yesterday. Odd, because there have not been any buoys out here for about a week. The jr. lifeguards have sadly left.

Even though it means adjusting course and heading out west again, I feel that I must investigate. That buoy could be gone tomorrow and I’d just never forgive myself for not paying my respects. I was close to begin with and I reach it in just a couple minutes. Oh, it’s Big Bertha. She used to be positioned close to the shore near the bathrooms. I wonder why she moved out here and how long she will be staying.

I’m close to the northern end of the swim and finish it up pretty quickly. This last bit goes at a faster pace than the last half hour, or was it 2 hours, that just transpired. Still, hungry or not, it’s great to be out here.

I head back up the stairs and the tree trimmers are now putting the remains of the trimmings through a chipper which is creating a lot of noise and a good bit of dust right around the shower and my car. After rinsing off I try to get to my keys and get in the car quickly to avoid having pine debris attached to my body. I look at my pics and realize that this was a 90 minute swim which is almost 50% longer than usual. There is a salad waiting for me at home and who knows? Maybe I’ll follow that up with pizza not long after that.