The ocean and serendipity
Aug. 18th, 2019 08:10 am I'm really going to regret not being able to attach pictures today, as a big portion of what we did yesterday was take the metro to Santa Monica Pier.
The Pier is very much a tourist destination spot, particularly on a Saturday afternoon. But, the metro ride was a straight shot from our hotel to the Pier. Because![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rachelmanija suggested it, Mason and I bought a fresh fruit cup with all the toppings from a street vendor by the Pier. Delicious! Ours had mango, jicama, watermelon, and pineapple. It was topped with fresh-sqeezed lime, chili spices of some kind, and a sauce that was also spicy. We munched on that as we explored the Pier.
You'll see from my photos, when I finally get them loaded, that Santa Monica Pier has an amusement park on it. It's smallish and kid-oriented, and reminded me of St. Paul's Como Town. The crowd was nearly shoulder to shoulder there, so Mason and I pealed off for the beach as soon as possible.
The thing is, Mason has loved the ocean from a distance since he was very small. He used to watch Blue Planet on repeat, and when he was in kindergarten and people did that thing where they asked, "What do YOU want to be when you grow-up?" He would unhestatingly say, "Marine biologist." So seeing the ocean, in-person, for the very first time was, as Joe Biden once said, "A big, f*cking deal."
But, instead of the squee I expected, Mason was very subdued. What he wanted to do was just sit on the beach and put his hands in the sand and watch the waves. It reminded me, in fact, of all the adventures we would go on when he was a toddler, where I would want to run to the next thing, but he would stop for hours to examine a single plant or sit by a river. Shawn and I were texting and she kept writing, "Is he putting his feet in the water?" And, I kept having to say, "No, he's digging in the sand, like he used to when he was three, and he just wants to BE here."
And it was perfect.
For myself, I spent my time with my toes in the waves. I can totally understand why there is a beach culture here, because even at this crowded, commercial beach, I could feel the elemental majesty of the Pacific.
I also got sunburned because I forgot to buy sunscreen.
As we headed back to the Pier proper, we passed some people who had their hands in the waves and were giggling up a storm. I asked them what they'd found, and they showed us how to scoop up a handful of sand and watch the sand crabs wiggle out with each passing wave. That was super cool. Later, Mason leaned in to me and said, "Remember the sand crabs? There was a whole thing about them on Blue Planet."
That kind of made the trip complete for me.
Before leaving the Pier, we stopped at "Soda Jerks" and Mason got a grape phosphate and I got a lemonade/ice tea mix. There is also a very rinky-dink aqarium there that's run by a local conservation group dedicated to protecting Santa Monica's beaches and wildlife. Not hugely worth it, but we were happy to contribute ten bucks to the conservators.
A metro ride later, we were ensconced back in our hotel. Mason face planted on the bed for a nap and I made arrangements to hang out with Maureen McHugh and Bob Yeager. Turns out, they live within WALKING DISTANCE from our hotel. I only found out because I posted a picture of our interdimensional hotel to Facebook and Bob commented "We live rght there!"
So after a decent nap, we walked to Maureen's house. It was cool to explore our immediate neighborhood, too. I got to have more, "Is that JASMINE just growing there??!!" *sniff* ""Holy crap, that IS jasmine!!!" moments. Maureen and Bob live in this adorable bungalow with a back garden full of orange, lemon, and fig trees. I enthused a lot about California flora.
Of course, I know Maureen from her days as a SF/F writer. Bob and I became fast friends at a WorldCON in Chicago. I can't remember all the details--maybe it was an organized outing to the Field Museum? Maybe we just had a random meet-up like you sometime do at cons, where someone is looking for company on an explore, but all I really remember as a fact is that Bob and I tore through the Field like nerdy 12-year olds on crack. After that, we were probably soul bonded on some level.
After seeing their house, which has, of course, some kind of nifty Hollywood backstory involving the directors who used to stay there when Culver City was Studio lots for things like "Logan's Heros" and "The Little Rascals," we walked to a Mexican fusion place and had an amazing dinner and conversation.
Bob really wants to take Mason and I to the Museum of Jurrasic Technogy today, so a full report to follow!
The Pier is very much a tourist destination spot, particularly on a Saturday afternoon. But, the metro ride was a straight shot from our hotel to the Pier. Because
rachelmanija suggested it, Mason and I bought a fresh fruit cup with all the toppings from a street vendor by the Pier. Delicious! Ours had mango, jicama, watermelon, and pineapple. It was topped with fresh-sqeezed lime, chili spices of some kind, and a sauce that was also spicy. We munched on that as we explored the Pier.You'll see from my photos, when I finally get them loaded, that Santa Monica Pier has an amusement park on it. It's smallish and kid-oriented, and reminded me of St. Paul's Como Town. The crowd was nearly shoulder to shoulder there, so Mason and I pealed off for the beach as soon as possible.
The thing is, Mason has loved the ocean from a distance since he was very small. He used to watch Blue Planet on repeat, and when he was in kindergarten and people did that thing where they asked, "What do YOU want to be when you grow-up?" He would unhestatingly say, "Marine biologist." So seeing the ocean, in-person, for the very first time was, as Joe Biden once said, "A big, f*cking deal."
But, instead of the squee I expected, Mason was very subdued. What he wanted to do was just sit on the beach and put his hands in the sand and watch the waves. It reminded me, in fact, of all the adventures we would go on when he was a toddler, where I would want to run to the next thing, but he would stop for hours to examine a single plant or sit by a river. Shawn and I were texting and she kept writing, "Is he putting his feet in the water?" And, I kept having to say, "No, he's digging in the sand, like he used to when he was three, and he just wants to BE here."
And it was perfect.
For myself, I spent my time with my toes in the waves. I can totally understand why there is a beach culture here, because even at this crowded, commercial beach, I could feel the elemental majesty of the Pacific.
I also got sunburned because I forgot to buy sunscreen.
As we headed back to the Pier proper, we passed some people who had their hands in the waves and were giggling up a storm. I asked them what they'd found, and they showed us how to scoop up a handful of sand and watch the sand crabs wiggle out with each passing wave. That was super cool. Later, Mason leaned in to me and said, "Remember the sand crabs? There was a whole thing about them on Blue Planet."
That kind of made the trip complete for me.
Before leaving the Pier, we stopped at "Soda Jerks" and Mason got a grape phosphate and I got a lemonade/ice tea mix. There is also a very rinky-dink aqarium there that's run by a local conservation group dedicated to protecting Santa Monica's beaches and wildlife. Not hugely worth it, but we were happy to contribute ten bucks to the conservators.
A metro ride later, we were ensconced back in our hotel. Mason face planted on the bed for a nap and I made arrangements to hang out with Maureen McHugh and Bob Yeager. Turns out, they live within WALKING DISTANCE from our hotel. I only found out because I posted a picture of our interdimensional hotel to Facebook and Bob commented "We live rght there!"
So after a decent nap, we walked to Maureen's house. It was cool to explore our immediate neighborhood, too. I got to have more, "Is that JASMINE just growing there??!!" *sniff* ""Holy crap, that IS jasmine!!!" moments. Maureen and Bob live in this adorable bungalow with a back garden full of orange, lemon, and fig trees. I enthused a lot about California flora.
Of course, I know Maureen from her days as a SF/F writer. Bob and I became fast friends at a WorldCON in Chicago. I can't remember all the details--maybe it was an organized outing to the Field Museum? Maybe we just had a random meet-up like you sometime do at cons, where someone is looking for company on an explore, but all I really remember as a fact is that Bob and I tore through the Field like nerdy 12-year olds on crack. After that, we were probably soul bonded on some level.
After seeing their house, which has, of course, some kind of nifty Hollywood backstory involving the directors who used to stay there when Culver City was Studio lots for things like "Logan's Heros" and "The Little Rascals," we walked to a Mexican fusion place and had an amazing dinner and conversation.
Bob really wants to take Mason and I to the Museum of Jurrasic Technogy today, so a full report to follow!