When we woke up this morning we couldn’t see anything. Not the house next door or across the street. Not the ocean or the hills. Nothing. Just socked in. Spring here is like that a lot. It’s a lot like San Diego in that it is overcast till noon and then it clears up. Temps are in the high 60s and low 70s.

Today I told Greg I wanted to avoid lots of hills. It is impossible to avoid all of them, unless you walk on the beach. Beaches are closed. So we took the path of least hills and it was lovely.

Like I said, the beaches are closed. I took some photos of the lonely Playa Los Cerritos where ordinarily you find lots of surfing and hanging out going on. Our friend, Juan (Paisa) is the volunteer lifeguard and he gives surf lessons. He’s usually busy. All quiet now. He and his wife and son are such good people. Here they are during better times.

Couldn’t avoid a hill going home. I don’t know why I was feeling so anti-hill-climbing today, but that’s the way it goes.

Here’s more from up high overlooking the neighborhood.

Time to get home for breakfast. I don’t know about you, but I would love to eat a meal that someone else cooks. Here’s to a happy day today, as we learn more about how to navigate life during a pandemic. Stay safe. Be gentle with yourself.

I spread my wings to catch the updraft. Soaring higher at this vantage point I spy fish who seem to be waiting for me to pluck them from their watery world. I swoop lower now and with one smooth pass that tasty prize is mine. Throwing my head back I swallow. 

This happy day brings a bounty of surprises. 

What is it like to be me? 

I feel the wind on my face as I float to my next stop. You probably feel a little jealous, don’t you? You wish you could fly; fly with the help of your wings and go up as high as the mountain on the horizon. 

Like I do.

Never give up. It can all be yours if you practice the right moves. Open up. Feel the power of the cool breeze as it lifts you. The aerodynamics might seem tricky at first, but if I can do it, so can you.

I’m never lonely flying above the earth looking down at all the commotion that I cannot hear. It’s a little chilly up here sometimes, but that’s what feathers are for. I have a nice down coat to keep me warm as I fly higher, gliding on the ethers going above the clouds.  Free. Alone. Thinking only of my heartbeat and the sound of my breath, I make my way to wherever I want to go. 

Once more I spread my wings to catch the draft of air that helps me reach the highest tree on the mountain top. 

From my perch the view is long and wide. In the life of my design there are no limits. 

I feel your skepticism because you believe in limits. You are proud to be a realist. For you, things are the way they are.

Not for me though. For you see I am a modern day Don Quixote. 

I am a dreamer. 

And nothing gets in the way of a dreamer. Because for a dreamer there are no limits. Ever. 

Fifty years ago (I was 23 and living in Ocean Beach, CA) was the first Earth Day. Such a great gift to Earth. We finally started thinking about doing things in an earth friendly way, working to clean up and stop polluting. I am reminded that it was Nixon who created the EPA and signed a (bipartisan) Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act.

With the way things have gone with the current president (I refuse to use that a**hole’s name), we have gone backward. He says climate change is a hoax.

According to the news, on the eve of this year’s anniversary, POTUS directed his administration to work on a financial aid plan for the oil and gas industry, which has been hit hard by global shutdowns to address the pandemic.

WHAT? The oil and gas industry? Are you kidding me?

However, on the bright side, it looks like the pandemic is helping our Mother Earth. Have you seen all the glorious photos all around the globe showing less of the bad stuff and more of the good stuff? It’s amazing; at least for the moment.

We have our proof, folks.

Maybe when we can get back to a more normal way of living we will keep things in proper perspective. Let’s try. Let Earth win.

Every morning we take our dog, isabela, on a walk. Usually we go across the street to the beach, but lately we have been venturing into the hills. It’s peaceful in the morning, and as we walk, pumping our legs up the hills, getting our heart rates up, and listening to the sounds of the birds and the ocean in the background, there is a peace that comes over us.

The pandemic has changed everyone’s lives, and some of it is teaching us about ourselves and putting things into perspective. But some of it is just difficult. Taking a walk and being in the moment is healthy for us.

We have it so easy compared to most people. Our lives are not that different except that we are finding ourselves even more engaged with our community’s response to the pandemic. Mask making, donating more money to the food bank and to people who are providing cleaning supplies to those in need. And believe me, there are many in need here.

Today we focused on enjoying the morning with our dog. It seemed enough.

The ocean has such an allure.

When the waves crash onto the rocks and send the spray up, it thrills me. I may be easy to please.

Walking home and seeing the house from the back side is so different now that the studio and the wall are there.

And if the walk wasn’t enough, we get home to these beauties.