Surfin' and Runnin' Cali-style
8/27 Update: Added photos. :o)
Friday was a fun day in California for my boys. The boys and I rented bikes and biked along the beach between Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier. We had planned to stay at Venice beach to swim and hang out, but Dawn wanted to take us to another beach where she knew her surfing friend would be.
So we head out to that beach, which really was just down the way from Venice Beach. In fact, it might be considered part of Venice Beach. We spread the blanket out, and Dawn goes looking for her friend. Two minutes later, Newt is swinging Dawn around in his arms so happy to see her. Newt is dressed in a short wetsuit unzipped so the torso part is hanging. He's tanned to the max. His hair is shoulder-length golden from the sun. His eyes are sparkling green-blue with red from the salt water.
Dawn's other friend, Crash, is there also. He is just as thrilled to see Dawn. He has long bleach-blond hair and a tan that almost rivals Newt's. Dawn points out her two little cousins, Elijah and Joshua.
Newt and Crash work as surfing teachers. People generally pay for lessons from them, and I have no idea what the going rate is because we didn't pay. Dawn is definitely The Maker of Dreams Come True. It seems as though my boys just need ask, and Dawn made it happen (she has some really good connections).
So, my boys get a few minutes of lessons on the sand to practice the "Pop Up," and then it's into the water. My original plan was to run while they swam in the surf, but now they are the surf. I couldn't let this happen without me there and without photos. Joshua is the first to ride his board...stays on his belly. Elijah goes next on his belly. They both seems to enjoy it.
Elijah is a good student. He will do just what his instructor tells him to do. So on his very next attempt, Crash tells Elijah to stand up. So what does Elijah do? He pops ups and "surfs" for about 2 seconds before crashing into the wave. He gets choked up and looks fairly scared as he spits water out. He doesn't want to surf anymore. He's done it. He stood up. There is no need for him to go again.
Joshua spends the next 20-30 minutes with Newt in the water. He stands on his board many times and crashes many times. Newt was a great teacher - very patient and understanding. Turns out he learned to surf just a few months ago as he is a recent LA transplant from Nashville. I never would have known if Dawn hadn't told me.
After watching them surf, it's run time for me. I ran south along the boardwalk. It was 3:00pm, and the weather was so pleasant. I felt really strong running, and I am sure that is due to the Texas-spring-like temps and low humidity. It might also be due to the lovely scenery. It's not often one runs along the Pacific Ocean. I don't know how far I ran. I just ran 15 minutes down and turned back, but I ran faster coming back. I tried to slow down near the end to make sure I did at least 30 minutes. I think my final time was 29 and change.
That evening, we headed back to Jesse's house to find him waiting for us. He'd arrived from NYC while we were at the beach. Jesse and Dawn went to pick up our delicious dinner of grilled chicken, grilled veggies, and salad. Jesse entertained my kids by teaching both of them (but mostly Joshua) to skateboard. He kindly listen to Elijah play a song on the piano. He patiently listened to both of them play the singing bowls. It's not hard to understand why my boys think Jesse is "awesome" and "really nice."
Dawn had been wanting us to hike where she hikes at least 3 times/week - Runyon Canyon. We packed up the car (the boys, dawn, and I were staying at her apartment the rest of the trip). We head out (sans Jesse) to the canyon and hit tons of traffic. Elijah and Joshua fall asleep. We realize there is no hope of hiking as the sun is setting. We never did get to see her canyon or hike on this trip. It will be something we do next time, I'm sure.
Stay tuned for Saturday...The Best Disney Day Ever. This really was a trip of "ask and ye shall receive." My boys and I wanted Disneyland, and Dawn delivered. She won't take the credit because Jesse rightfully does deserve the Disneyland credit. However, if Dawn didn't take us to California in the first place...
Friday was a fun day in California for my boys. The boys and I rented bikes and biked along the beach between Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier. We had planned to stay at Venice beach to swim and hang out, but Dawn wanted to take us to another beach where she knew her surfing friend would be.
So we head out to that beach, which really was just down the way from Venice Beach. In fact, it might be considered part of Venice Beach. We spread the blanket out, and Dawn goes looking for her friend. Two minutes later, Newt is swinging Dawn around in his arms so happy to see her. Newt is dressed in a short wetsuit unzipped so the torso part is hanging. He's tanned to the max. His hair is shoulder-length golden from the sun. His eyes are sparkling green-blue with red from the salt water.
Dawn's other friend, Crash, is there also. He is just as thrilled to see Dawn. He has long bleach-blond hair and a tan that almost rivals Newt's. Dawn points out her two little cousins, Elijah and Joshua.
Newt and Crash work as surfing teachers. People generally pay for lessons from them, and I have no idea what the going rate is because we didn't pay. Dawn is definitely The Maker of Dreams Come True. It seems as though my boys just need ask, and Dawn made it happen (she has some really good connections).
So, my boys get a few minutes of lessons on the sand to practice the "Pop Up," and then it's into the water. My original plan was to run while they swam in the surf, but now they are the surf. I couldn't let this happen without me there and without photos. Joshua is the first to ride his board...stays on his belly. Elijah goes next on his belly. They both seems to enjoy it.
Elijah is a good student. He will do just what his instructor tells him to do. So on his very next attempt, Crash tells Elijah to stand up. So what does Elijah do? He pops ups and "surfs" for about 2 seconds before crashing into the wave. He gets choked up and looks fairly scared as he spits water out. He doesn't want to surf anymore. He's done it. He stood up. There is no need for him to go again.
Joshua spends the next 20-30 minutes with Newt in the water. He stands on his board many times and crashes many times. Newt was a great teacher - very patient and understanding. Turns out he learned to surf just a few months ago as he is a recent LA transplant from Nashville. I never would have known if Dawn hadn't told me.
After watching them surf, it's run time for me. I ran south along the boardwalk. It was 3:00pm, and the weather was so pleasant. I felt really strong running, and I am sure that is due to the Texas-spring-like temps and low humidity. It might also be due to the lovely scenery. It's not often one runs along the Pacific Ocean. I don't know how far I ran. I just ran 15 minutes down and turned back, but I ran faster coming back. I tried to slow down near the end to make sure I did at least 30 minutes. I think my final time was 29 and change.
That evening, we headed back to Jesse's house to find him waiting for us. He'd arrived from NYC while we were at the beach. Jesse and Dawn went to pick up our delicious dinner of grilled chicken, grilled veggies, and salad. Jesse entertained my kids by teaching both of them (but mostly Joshua) to skateboard. He kindly listen to Elijah play a song on the piano. He patiently listened to both of them play the singing bowls. It's not hard to understand why my boys think Jesse is "awesome" and "really nice."
Dawn had been wanting us to hike where she hikes at least 3 times/week - Runyon Canyon. We packed up the car (the boys, dawn, and I were staying at her apartment the rest of the trip). We head out (sans Jesse) to the canyon and hit tons of traffic. Elijah and Joshua fall asleep. We realize there is no hope of hiking as the sun is setting. We never did get to see her canyon or hike on this trip. It will be something we do next time, I'm sure.
Stay tuned for Saturday...The Best Disney Day Ever. This really was a trip of "ask and ye shall receive." My boys and I wanted Disneyland, and Dawn delivered. She won't take the credit because Jesse rightfully does deserve the Disneyland credit. However, if Dawn didn't take us to California in the first place...
posted by Jessica at
6:06 PM
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