For a week now I have been trying to think of what to say about my recent trip to Crystal Cove Beach Cottages in Newport Beach, CA.
I'm still at a loss for words. Perhaps because this trip was never intended as a grand adventure.
Here's what it was:
It was a soulful getaway.
It was a restful bit of relaxation and indulgence.
And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Four nights, five days of going to sleep when I felt like it. Napping when I cared to. Rolling out of bed and going directly to the deck that adjoined the room and lounging on an adironak chair while reading book after book after book... Soaking up hours of sunshine. Exisiting in a state of quasi-narcolepsy.
The most adventurous thing I did each day was to leave Crystal Cove and it's perfect 1940's-esque confines and go with my vacation-roommate to eat breakfast at a bakery, or lunch at Cafe Rio or Rubys. And one day I drove her to downtown Huntington beach so she could shop while I read a book (I hate shopping). But for the rest of each day, we lazed, and lounged and lunched on leftovers and loved every minute of the day!
At least once each day I padded barefoot down the paved street, down a steep staircase and onto the sand-lined street below, past the beachcomber restaurant and a line of freshly restored cottages (as in just opened the day before) to the golden sands, deep blue waters and deafening silence of the crashing waves on the beach.
There was a pattern to the day, in the life of the beach, I observed. In the mornings, the sounds of children playing and people laughing were king on the beach, over the gulls and waves. But around dinner time, the people faded away. Then the residents of the cottages could be seen walking solo, slowly down the stretches of sand. After dark, a flashlight here or there illuminated small patches of beach, their owners searching for sand crabs and sea-life. But mostly, after dark, all was peace and thunderous waves where the sea met the earth, trying to beat it back and reclaim it for it's own.
And I know now, again, why I was always meant to live by the ocean, for the peace it speaks to my soul. And I know now why I don't live now by the ocean, for nothing else matters when I'm there.
But someday.
Someday I'll walk the expanse, smooth, wet sand enveloping my feet, waves drowning out every care and I'll be there to stay.
The sea will have reclaimed me.
I'm still at a loss for words. Perhaps because this trip was never intended as a grand adventure.
Here's what it was:
It was a soulful getaway.
It was a restful bit of relaxation and indulgence.
And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Four nights, five days of going to sleep when I felt like it. Napping when I cared to. Rolling out of bed and going directly to the deck that adjoined the room and lounging on an adironak chair while reading book after book after book... Soaking up hours of sunshine. Exisiting in a state of quasi-narcolepsy.
The most adventurous thing I did each day was to leave Crystal Cove and it's perfect 1940's-esque confines and go with my vacation-roommate to eat breakfast at a bakery, or lunch at Cafe Rio or Rubys. And one day I drove her to downtown Huntington beach so she could shop while I read a book (I hate shopping). But for the rest of each day, we lazed, and lounged and lunched on leftovers and loved every minute of the day!
At least once each day I padded barefoot down the paved street, down a steep staircase and onto the sand-lined street below, past the beachcomber restaurant and a line of freshly restored cottages (as in just opened the day before) to the golden sands, deep blue waters and deafening silence of the crashing waves on the beach.
There was a pattern to the day, in the life of the beach, I observed. In the mornings, the sounds of children playing and people laughing were king on the beach, over the gulls and waves. But around dinner time, the people faded away. Then the residents of the cottages could be seen walking solo, slowly down the stretches of sand. After dark, a flashlight here or there illuminated small patches of beach, their owners searching for sand crabs and sea-life. But mostly, after dark, all was peace and thunderous waves where the sea met the earth, trying to beat it back and reclaim it for it's own.
And I know now, again, why I was always meant to live by the ocean, for the peace it speaks to my soul. And I know now why I don't live now by the ocean, for nothing else matters when I'm there.
But someday.
Someday I'll walk the expanse, smooth, wet sand enveloping my feet, waves drowning out every care and I'll be there to stay.
The sea will have reclaimed me.
Wow. You make me want to go to the beach. RIGHT. NOW! :) Glad you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteUh, wow! That picture is stunning! Just sayin. LOVE it. Gol, you make me so jealous, you're so freaking talented, and you do so much! Heart you.
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