Day 25 - LA County Dept. of Health mandates indoor masking

At Ventura County Beach today…

8/10/21. Tuesday

8:00-8:15 – Awake. I’m exhausted, but I drag myself out of bed to say good morning to the animal.

8:15-8:45 – Downstairs and the dog is asleep on the couch.  She wags her tail slightly when she sees me come downstairs, but that’s the extent of her greeting. I have to rub her tummy four times this morning and then coax and cajole her to come outside with me.  She’s as out-of-it as I am. Outside, and I wait for her to go potty.  Return inside and cheese for her while I make my coffee.

Kitchen duty and I pack my lunch bag with the tofu bowl I purchased yesterday, some carrots and hummus, apple slices, and almond butter. L. brought back chocolate covered marshmallows and graham crackers from Trader Joes yesterday, so I add some of those, too.

L. has work this morning so we talk in the kitchen for a little bit before she leaves.

I post today’s content for my Summer Class at College No. 2 and send an email to the publisher’s liaison regarding my Core Class textbook at College No. 1. I can’t seem to load the Inquizitive software into my Canvas shell for the 13th edition that the publisher is forcing us to use and I need P.’s help. I’m very anxious about it - this class starts next Thursday so I don’t have a lot of time to repair this glitch.

8:45-10:00 – Shower. Lotion. I put on my bathing suit and the new Lulu Lemon shorts L. gave me.

10:00 – 11:00 - B. arrives and we drive to Ventura for a day at the beach, but NOT Harbor Cove this time.  B. wants to ride some waves today.

11:00 – 6:00 – At the beach and we set up shop. It’s so funny, but there are 3 sets of what appear to be lifeguard camps going on – little ones, tweens, and teenagers – and then B. and I. That’s it. There are kids on either side of us and they are running up and down the beach and doing workouts, before finally entering the water and learning drills. It’s actually interesting to watch and great to see kids out of the house, getting fresh air and socializing, while learning a skill.

I eat some of my tofu bowl since I didn’t have breakfast.

B. waits until the kids and staff break for lunch, then heads into the ocean.  He’s the only one there.  Clearly, on a Tuesday, this is the place to go.  It’s cloudy and a little chilly, so I put on my yoga pants and sweatshirt and take a nap on the beach blanket.

B. eats his sandwich and reads his book while I’m sleeping.  When I wake up, I eat more of my tofu.  We BYOB so we crack open the alcohol.  It’s prosecco-in-a-can for me (as usual), but B. brought a very tasty Mai Tai-in-a-can with a warm rum base. I have a few sips – it’s quite tasty.

Kids and staff come back from lunch and jump in the water for more drills. There must be 100 kids here, all of them happy and enjoying themselves. Nice to see…

At 3:30, it looks like camp is over for the day, and everyone leaves.  B. goes back in the water and body surfs and I collect several large rocks that I can add to my flower bed at home.

We’re not ready to leave – it’s so hot at home – so we hang out until around 6:00.

6:00-7:00 – Driving. Back to our sh- -ty lives.

7:00 – 7:45 - At my house and I show B. the trellises that Gustavo welded and my new garage floor! Then, we change and drive to the Marriott Hotel so we can redeem the $50 gift card that B. received for attending the San Diego timeshare tour last month.

7:45 – 8:45 – We arrive at The Bistro inside the Marriott and order at the counter.  The menu contains approximately 10 items but, hey, everything’s free because B. has a gift card.  B. gets the bacon-avocado quesadillas and I get the penne-vege pasta and we order a round of drinks.  The food is surprisingly good!!  Especially, B.’s quesadilla!  B.’s out-of-pocket cost is $2.36. We’re the only customers in the restaurant.  Overall, it’s a great evening out.

8:45-11:00 – Return to my house and Cocktail Hour!!! B. and I watch the last two episodes of Bosch. I’ve already seen these episodes, but the series is so good I don’t mind watching again.  I make it through one episode, but fall asleep for the second. B. leaves.

11:00-12:00 – Nighttime routine. Bed.