Nightglow Window

A Beautiful Day

I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of steady rain, and it was still coming down this morning – the first measurable trace of rain in July for years and we got four-tenths of an inch!

It was family reunion time down in La Jolla today as Janet and Creed, their six children, and their babysitter took up residence in this incredible beachfront rental house. They will be here for the next ten days and there’s just something so cool about this time of year.

Sure, it’s great to catch up with my sister and her family, but it’s also a great opportunity for us all to reconnect. I simply don’t see my brother and his family often enough.

Heck, I barely see my dad enough.

What makes it really special is to watch our children hang out with their cousins – especially now that they're getting older. I think they really enjoy each other's company and it brings back many memories of fun times with my own cousins growing up.

So we drove down to La Jolla Shores, near the Scripps pier, at around noon after a very lazy and unproductive morning.

Janet's husband Creed was already at the racetrack, where he spends most of his days this time of year. Del Mar is a great big deal for him, but no worries. Because unlike in years past, absolutely missing today was the stress from my sister that sometimes comes along for a ride on these vacations.

With her babysitter Kelly -- who flew down from Anchorage with the family -- everything was taken care of and everyone was happy. It made a huge difference.

Christy, Janet, Conner (Janet’s oldest son), and I talked for a long while as Sydney, Hannah, Gregory, Garrett, Liam, and Marian went down to the beach for a swim with Kelly.

Then my brother showed up with his family and soon Matthew, Mark, and I were surfing out front – albeit for just a short time. My mint green boardshorts are just too big now and they kept sliding down to my knees on every wave. Since the Surf Diva Campers were crawling all over the lineup (La Jolla Shores is where that famous girls surfing camp is based), I decided it was time to come in before I exposed myself any more (or lost my shorts altogether).

So I hung out and talked to my dad and Jennifer and Janet and Christy. They were very complimentary about the weight I lost, which was great. I need to learn how to take a compliment better however.

Mark and his family are staying at a nearby hotel in Torrey Pines, so when they ducked out at 6 p.m. for a while to check in, Christy and I went for a long walk north up the beach, beneath the pier, across the tidepools, down the wide expanse of sand south of Black’s, and finally to the Black’s goat trail.

It was really nice. Dozens of paragliders soared overhead as the sun began to go golden. The water is incredibly warm – like 78 degrees – and we walked ankle deep and talked about my crazy family. But when we got back to the tidepools, she gracefully bounded ahead, skipping across the jagged and wobbly rocks easily while I tried to keep up as best I could.

The kids are totally hitting it off when we return and dinner has already been prepared, so I sit back down outside with my Dad until Mark and his family get back. Creed arrives at around 7:15 p.m. with lots of long stories about how he missed big winnings “by a nose.”

Same as it ever was.

Dinner was incredible and the conversation remarkably even-keeled and stress free. Our family has a way of getting carried away when we’re all together, but we avoided that trap nicely tonight.

So it was a beautiful day, inexpertly described here, but I'm pooped and just want to go to bed now.

Goodnight.