Looks like sunshine today, and let me tell you: it’s about time!
My three days in Baja were fantastic, don’t get me wrong. Doug is a kind and generous host and introduced me to a lot of his friends; it just rained nearly the whole time. But that’s okay; there’s always something cool to do in Baja.
Doug’s place, if you recall, is a beachside house on the private beach of La Mision, Mexico, about an hour’s drive south of Tijuana. His community is filled with a variety of neighbors, many of them retirees or folks who decided to have a ‘get-away’ home in their middle years. Not a lot of young folks like myself. Everybody has a story, and everybody is tremendously nice. Since Doug is renovating the kitchen at the house, we ate out a lot. It was really nice to sit down at breakfast and really taste the freshness of the food and enjoy the flavors I had missed.
The company was always good, and as usual I ended up doing more listening than talking. A lot of the folks down in Baja deal in real estate, in some form or fashion, and a lot of talk hovered around properties, or re-design, or market fluctuations. I felt a little out of my element, but it was great to see people so passionate about something they really care about and have a lot of experience with. I got several home tours, and these places really blow me away with their beauty. If only we could all be so lucky.
The rain let up briefly on Wednesday, just as we were packing to leave, and I walked out onto the beach one last time. I walked right up to the water line, closed my eyes, and listened. The thundering sound of the Pacific Ocean coming to rest on the shore soothed me, assured me it would still be here. The softness of the sand beneath my feet comforted me. I know that although the Pacific has no memory, I do…and would see it again soon.
On the way back, Doug mentioned that his car club meets on Wednesday nights and we may be back in time to go out. I nodded enthusiastically at his suggestion and, indeed, we made it back in time. We took his 1971 Chevelle Malibu out, drove to a 50’s style restaurant (complete with roller-skating waitresses) and met with about two dozen or so of his fellow club members for conversation, eats…and for ME, ogling some beautiful cars! One of the gentlemen had a 1961 Chrysler Imperial that really awed me, as I’d never seen an Imperial in person before. The headlights were really interestingly designed and they looked like they had just been stuck on the car, fully separate from the body. The tail fins were tall and mighty. There was also a 1967 Ford Country Squire station wagon, with wood trim, that was quite impressive. It was a great cap to that leg of my journey.
And my new leg starts today. Heading to Anaheim in a few minutes to meet up with some BlizzCon folks and see that part of the metro area before my charity dinner tonight at 6:00. I’m so excited I can hardly keep a thought in my head.
Rhys' Pieces 