travel blogger

I had the opportunity in late September to go back to Los Angeles for work.  I decided to stay an extra day, rent a car and have an adventure.

One of the neatest places I’ve ever been that touches my heart is Laguna Beach.  My husband and I go to California once a year, and we’ve made it there a few times.  I’d always wanted to stay at a certain hotel that we would eat dinner at, La Casa Del Camino.

They have a roof top restaurant with an amazing view, The Roof Top Lounge.

Just outside, there are great areas for beach front views to welcome in the morning sunrise.  I’d decide to get up super early, sit on a bench and breathe in the beauty.  I’d remembered that they had many hummingbirds flying around the plant life on the coast.  Since hummingbirds are one of my favorite things on earth…I spent an hour trying to photograph them. (Note to self…you need to go buy new camera lenses.)

I photograph for myself.  To have something to feel the beauty after I’m gone.

There was a man sitting on my bench before I got there.  I was probably bothering him with all my photos of the birds. He was bothering me by being on my bench, but I ignored the loud silence as we shared our sunrise separately together.  He obviously had depth to have gotten out of bed so early in the cold, to enjoy the early morning. Was he depressed, divorced, broke, unemployed, unhappy….what was his story, I’d wondered as I clicked away at the tiny birds. Most people at least say hello or smile so his silence was bothering me.

Later, imagine my horror when he sits alone in the breakfast area near me at the hotel. He must surely think I’m a kooky, lone traveler. Ten minutes into my breakfast, a scruffy woman comes in from the hotel above us. As she makes her way to his table, I got it.  They were on a romantic jaunt.  Looked to be married for about 10 years, and they’d probably had sex for the first time in 6 months the night before. She appeared to be totally thrilled with life, he looked to be mildly content. I absolutely love people watching.  I assume she was getting freshened up and putting on her favorite mom jeans, while he was pondering the meaning of life on the sunrise Laguna bench.

The terrible part of my beautiful morning in Laguna…is that I was alone.  I missed my husband so much that it was depressing.  I’d wanted to share this beautiful day with him.  So while I enjoyed my $800 day of independence in Laguna, it really made me appreciate that I have a loved one to share my life with.

I love being alone to think, or read or work on my varied projects… but it was a weird day of escape because I saw couples everywhere and I realized that it would have been super depressing if I didn’t have someone.

I was awake most of the night reading and waiting for the early morning. I was only going to have one shot at sunrise and didn’t want to miss it.

I ate breakfast alone with couples all around me.  Although Laguna is amazing, I was so excited to get home and see my husband who drives me insane and talks to much, constantly invading my space and always turning on every tv in the house , unaware he disturbs the beautiful silence that previously exists before he barrels through the door.

While I got to be an adult, and drive down the California freeway in totally insane traffic I might ad) I missed my freeways and my terrible Houston drivers.  I figured out that Houston traffic is not so bad after all. All in all, it was a good day to reflect and be thankful.

Laguna is amazing and were I to ever buy a lottery ticket and win, one of my homes would be there. In the meantime, I will settle for a quick California jaunt here and there through life to breathe in the beauty. I just need to take my best friend with me next time!

-SDS

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