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"
A CALIF. BEACH EXPERIENCE... "
By
Henry Velez
I got up late and, after a bit of puttering about the house, went for my drive to the beach. It was good I decided to go today instead of yesterday since the weather was perfect today.
First I stopped for breakfast over in San Juan Capistrano at a place called Pedro's Tacos. Pretty good food and not expensive at all. I milled about some of the gift and antique shops a bit, stopped in at a country/western bar for all of maybe ten minutes and then hit the road again to the Pacific Coast Highway. I reached the ocean at Dana Point and rode casually up towards the sunset heading north. The sun was slowly fading from it's bright yellow to a warmer shade of orange that seemed to color the entire scene along the sidewalk. It was still about an hour from sunset so I kept driving.
I saw more palm trees than you'd know what to do with and lots of yuppy couples, retired couples and lady shoppers along the sidewalks going from one art gallery to the next cafe' bistro or italian restaurant or another. After clearing Dana Point the highway opened up with a great view of the sun over the ocean. The sky was perfectly clear blue overhead, turning violet behind me, but with just a sliver of thin clouds just over the horizon. As the sun slipped behind the clouds they burst into a spear of fire that stretched across the sky like the rings of saturn. Twisting my way further up the coast I found myself nearing Newport Beach. I turned into a residential area of beach houses, parked, put on my leather jacket and as I stepped out onto the sand there was a light, chilly wind coming from the north. Behind me, to the east, the moon was full and sneaking it's way up into the darkness.
There, on the beach, were perhaps 30 people stretched out along the two miles of coastline in my view. I climbed up one of the empty lifeguard towers and sat back with an unobstructed view of the sunset. It was like the ultimate outdoor theatre! Not one element of it had the taint of human construction to it. This was a scene that could only be born into existence, and it was doing that before my very eyes. Overhead the violet began to take on shades of deep purple and the sun began to just touch the horizon. By now the sun was a burning, bright orange fireball that seemed to flatten as it dipped into the horizon. As the light grew dimmer, the sun became all the more the final spectacle that remained of the day.
Time seemed to accelerate as I could now see the sun quickly vanishing away. It was at this moment I realized that this is how fast the sun and time moves throughout all the day, but only at this moment, and at sunrise, is it there to be measured for the human eye. With only the last little bit of actual sun peeking over the ocean the birds and people had by now become moving silhouettes against the sand. The last glimmer of light stretched out across the ocean that slowly turned from marine to blue and then to grey. Finally, with no chance of rising from its spot, the sun dissappeared quietly under the ocean. I noticed that each and every seagull was making it's way from the northern end of the beach to fly in front of me where they were convening by the hundreds on the sand perhaps 200 yards to my left. There they seemed to chatter amongst themselves taking safety in their group for the night.
Venus was shining brightly now even though it lay at the warm end of the residue sunlight's glow overhead. I jumped from the lifeguard shack, shook the sand from my pants and began to walk towards the shore. As I got there the sand hardened where it was freshly being wetted by the lazy waves that rolled in. I began walking north staying as close as I could to the water's edge. Every so often I had to step away, but then I would step in closer once again as though it were my companion on this short trek. After about a mile I stopped to pick up a seashell, thinking perhaps to bring it back with me as a reminder. I examined the shell and it still bore a very rough texture to it. After a moment's ponderance I tossed it into the waves where it could be rolled and softened by the sand's polishing for perhaps another 100 years or so.
Turning around I could see a dark fog rolling in like a giant, silent monster that ate up the shoreline as it advanced towards me. I walked towards it in order to return to my car hoping I'd not get lost. As I walked back towards the street from the sand the lights were now on in the various living rooms of the beach houses, all with wide, panoramic windows to take in the spectacle I'd driven so far to see. The people inside walked about their business in thier homes for it was simply the end of yet another day here on the beachfront. I took a long last look at the stars over the beach before sadly turning slowly away.
The rest of my evening was pretty much a standard evening of urban freeway driving as I continued north rather than take the mountainous return by which I'd come over the Ortega highway. In the daytime it is a challenging drive snaking through the mountains offering brief fantastic views of the lake below. In the evening it was more like a gamble to make your way down alive. So instead I headed towards Los Angeles and from there took the asphalt path that lead me back to my door. Walking in I found one message on my answering machine, my buddy asking me to call for some advice on an issue. I threw a chicken patty on the stove, talked out her situation and then plopped myself here to tap this out.
All in all, a quiet, pensive day. But that was the plan from the get-go, so all went well. Saw the heavens do it's closing exit thang, and lived to tell about it. As Al Pacino once said, "Every day above ground is a good day." I tend to agree.
Henry Velez / ~EnricoSuave
Copyright 1999; all rights reserved.
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