Labor Day on the Beach!

The Shores Hotel sits right on the beach in LaJolla.

Labor Day dawned cloudy with rain and a cold breeze blowing - but that didn't stop us! The hotel was nice enough to set up chairs, umbrella and towels for us on the perfect spot in the sand. We packed up the sunscreen (though I don't think any of us put any on, the sweatshirts and a cooler loaded with libations and nibbles and were ready to sit and watch the idiots who actually got in the freezing (64º) surf (my Atlantic water temp is 84º).

There is this huge kayak and bike shop down the street that does a really booming business.

Literally hundreds of people throughout the day marched down to the beach in their vests and helmets and lined up to take out a sea kayak, mostly for the first time. I don't think they counted on the extremely high surf and big waves caused by a storm all the way off in New Zealand. They piled the beach high with kayaks

and for hours we watched, and giggled, as these newbies headed out....and fell over and out of their kayaks trying to get over the incoming surf...while the kayak company photo person took their picture!

One of the 'oh so California' thing I saw was this father teaching his youngest son to surf.

The entire family was dressed in custom-made wet suits with their own boards. Too cool!

Tobin and Julie worked up their nerve and borrowed our sand-neighbor's kayak. They put on life jackets and headed out into the surf, with me biting my nails and fast and furiously clicking pictures. This, I must admit, is a fabulous shot of them shooting over the last big, incoming wave and making it out and into the calmer ocean waters.

They paddled all the way down to the caves and back before coming back in. I breathed a sigh of relief and we celebrated the end of a great day at the beach - T surrounded by the women who mean the most in his life!

We finished the day at a really great, Mexican family restaurant in Solana Beach where Julie has her condo. We had a great time laughing and reliving the past 4 days filled with fun, family and friends.

Way too early on Tuesday morning, I hugged Tobin and Julie and sent them off to the airport to return home and back to work. I loaded up the Jeep and headed north to spend a few days communing with nature and exploring Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks.

Until next time...