Category: ocean

Second Time Around

Posted in Berkeley, best, Cal, California, cruise, dancing, dating, firsts, flirting, football, gardening, gays, house party, humor, memoir, ocean, online dating, relationships, Santa Cruz, ski patrol, sorority, Stanford, travel, vacation, worst2 Comments

Suzanne needed a date for her Alpha Delta Phi sorority party that was being held off campus at one’f the sister’s parents’ house. She invited a guy from her old high school, Mark. When they got there, Mark knew the physician dad because they’d been on ski patrol together one winter in Tahoe. Mark loved… Continue reading Second Time Around

A Solitary Life

Posted in beach, best, California, dancing, dating, dogs, fog, friends, humor, memoir, Monterey Bay, nature, ocean, outdoors, relationships, thrift store, worst2 Comments

I am at my beach house just two blocks from a beautiful state beach along the Pacific Ocean. People find out I have a house and wonder why I spend most of my time in the Bay Area. It used to be because my kids were there, but now two of them have left, and… Continue reading A Solitary Life

Another Brush with Nature

Posted in California, cell phone, guardian angel, humor, memoir, mountain lion, nature, nine year old, ocean, outdoors, police officer, relationships, summer, worstLeave a comment

My beach town has a state-run conference center in it, with rustic buildings designed by the architect, Julia Morgan. It’s what got me here back in the late 80’s and 90’s, attending a writer’s conference next to the ocean. Over the years. I’ve seen brown state-issued signs posted for mountain lion sightings. I’ve never seen… Continue reading Another Brush with Nature

Daisy Rescue Dog Month #8

Posted in animal adoption, animal rescue, best, California, entitled attitude, escape, humor, memoir, ocean, relationships, vacation, veterinarianLeave a comment

Daisy and I have gained our summer weight – me from wine and ice cream, Daisy from a fuller dish of food twice a day. She looks good. My house is a veritable playground for the two dogs. It looks like toddlers live with me. They have stuffed monkeys, squeak toys, and deflated balls everywhere.… Continue reading Daisy Rescue Dog Month #8

Introvert or Extrovert?

Posted in best, California, dancing, divorce, extrovert, Facebook, family, friends, humor, husband, introvert, joiner, memoir, ocean, relationships, teacher, teaching1 Comment

Most people don’t know it they are an introvert or an extrovert for the first ten or so years of their lives. By the time they get to college, they have figured it out. Is your ideal weekend spent with or without people? Are you an introvert or an extrovert or a combination of both?… Continue reading Introvert or Extrovert?

How Rustic Is It?

Posted in beach, best, boyfriend, California, chorus, dogs, friends of friends, ghosts, hotel, humor, insects, memoir, nature, neighbors, ocean, outdoors, relationships, small town, trees, TV, vacation, WIFI, worstsLeave a comment

I have an old house two blocks from the Pacific Ocean in Monterey County. It’s a long story, but let’s just say that I had a really good divorce lawyer. At any rate, I rent it to friends only, not friends of friends. Here’s why: “What do you mean you have no WIFI?” “There is… Continue reading How Rustic Is It?

More Uses for a Nine Year Old

Posted in best, bribe, California, confidence, firsts, humor, memoir, nature, nine year old, ocean, relationships, reward, seashellsLeave a comment

Another trip to the beach, another weekend with a nine year old. While her mom toiled away at all the things I can no longer do, I got to spend time with a smart but headstrong little girl who rarely eats healthy food. My goal was to get her to learn her times tables. You… Continue reading More Uses for a Nine Year Old