Day 14-Biden says the pandemic is over

Cappy’s Cafe…packed…service terrible, food GREAT!!

Set up beach camp near Sea Legs Bar…

Nick’s Restaurant…the food is amazing!!!

10/2/22. Sunday

-8:30-9:30-I make coffee in the hotel room then take my shower. Lotion and full make-up. I put my bathing suit on under my clothes. All of our beach gear is already in the SUV.

-9:30-10:00-B. and I drive to Crappys, in Newport Beach and it. Is. completely. jammed. I’m dismayed to see that one of their employees is a parking attendant so our plan to park here and walk to the beach is thwarted. I’m still traumatized by the pandemic and I hate eating in crowded restaurants but I have no choice today - everyone is packed in like sardines and the outdoor patio area is full, plus it’s kind of cold outside.

10:00-12:00-We wait 20 minutes for a table, surrounded by people in the lobby who are also waiting and breathing on me. The service is terrible, but my breakfast quesadilla and mimosa are quite good!! I have leftovers so I’m happy about that.

12:00-1:00-B. and I leave and return to Huntington Beach to see if we can find beach parking. We check one parking lot after another before finally settling on paid parking with a $1.00 senior discount.

1:00-5:00 - We set up “beach camp” near Sealegs, a beach bar. This is the last day of the season for Line Dancing and the different line dances go on and on at the bar the entire time we’re there, with some announcer calling out moves over a microphone; it’s irritating. I order a mimosa. The air show is still in full swing but this stretch of beach is much less crowded because you can’t see the planes; you can only hear them.

-It’s cold and so windy here that B.’s industrial Tommy Bahama beach umbrella blows half-way down the beach and we don’t even know it because we’re talking with our back to the umbrella. A few guys who are running a barbecue grill run down the beach to retrieve it.

It is sooo cold, that I have to put on a sweater and yoga pants over my bathing suit. I leave them on the entire time. B. goes in the water and I instantly fall asleep on the beach blanket, still in my clothes.

-At about 3:30, B. returns from the bar with another round of mimosas. I drink mine and go back to sleep.

4:30-5:30-B. wakes me up because we have 5:30 reservations at Nicks. We leave, return to the room, change, then drive straight to Nicks. No time to shower and I’m an absolute mess.

5:30-7:30-Nicks is an exceptional restaurant. I order the chicken, mashed potato, and biscuit and two glasses of champagne. Do we split dessert? I can’t remember. The food is amazing!

8:00–8:30 - We return to our hotel.

8:30-10:00-Nighttime routine. Bed.