Weary or Not

Harbor, Oceanside, California

A port is a delightful place of rest for a soul weary of life's battles.  (Charles Baudelaire)

At first glance, there is nothing weary about this little harbor area on a sunny morning.  Aromas of coffee emerge from seaside restaurants, padding feet clap briskly on the sidewalk, sunbeams reflect off the water.  

Maybe though, as Baudelaire suggested, it is the port itself that is the antidote for world-weariness.  Perhaps the disenchantments of the coffee-brewers, joggers and ocean-gazers simply disappeared, for a time, when they arrived at the little port.

The wonder cure, right there at the ocean's edge ...

The Fine Art of Listening

Salt Creek Park, Dana Point, CA

Soothing wisps of music float tranquilly toward me on the salty sea air.  To my left, and up the pathway, the Ritz Carlton Hotel gleams brightly beneath its palm trees.  To my right, a walking and jogging trail weaves gracefully through this public park and beach area.  But here, the gentle melodies hold my attention like glue.

Who is this guitarist who plays something classical -- by Albeniz, I think.  Is he a visitor from a faraway place, who couldn't resist the opportunity to deliver his music to, and commune with, the sea?  Is he a musician?  A composer? A captain of industry on a brief retreat from the big city?  

One could ask, between songs.  But that would risk breaking the mood, the charm, of the moment and the setting.  And so, I simply listen ... 

Beautiful Wordlessness

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Sometimes even those of us who love words must pause, surrounded by beauty that leaves us speechless.

Even these tourists seem to be lost in contemplation as they ride through the flower fields.  Wordless ...

Pacific Surflining for Beginners

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner near San Clemente, CA

Train travel, so well-known and widely used in most of the world, has become somewhat of a rarity in the United States it seems.  Train passengers, however, are not an endangered species.  From an observational standpoint, they are clearly filled with life and vibrant personality.

Or maybe it is just that the liveliness of the species is so well-displayed on certain routes.  In certain environments.  On a train trip that sends passengers gliding near the ocean, on a sunny day or better yet at sunset as the golden orb sinks into the western sky, who can resist the magnetic attraction of the Pacific Ocean views.  

Passengers raise their heads and leave nose prints on the windows, pointing out ocean-misted sights to their companions -- sometimes even to perfect strangers.  Could it be that, at least now and then, the handheld white screen has met its match?