Day Six

My friend Shannon and I had planned on doing something special today, something where we really got away and perhaps even pampered ourselves. I had a babysitter all day, and that is what we did. We got away.

We went hiking in Charmlee Canyon, near Malibu. The park was beautiful, high on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, covered in golden grasses that were literally waving in the breeze. The Pacific lay glistening below us, the waves white and the water bluish-green. The sun was shining warmly in a clear sky but the air was cool. Shannon was reminded of Greece. I only had my phone with me, so my pictures aren't too good, but they do capture a bit of the wild beauty of the place.

wild lupine

a Malibu-style cairn that sat in the bottom of a very old cistern

We talked and talked and were quiet, listening to the wind blow through the grasses. We watched lizards, black and prehistoric run across our path. We passed a few people, but for the most part we felt alone.

When we looped back around to our car, we drove down out of the canyon and back on the Pacific Coast Highway. I always feel like listening to the Mamas and the Papas California Dreaming when I drive on the PCH such is its iconic beauty (and, I guess, my own dorkiness).

We pulled into Geoffrey's, an old, traditional restaurant that sits on the bluff in Malibu. Since it's LA, though, we didn't feel under dressed. I ordered a Bloody Mary and Shannon had a glass of red wine. We ate mushroom soup, salad and steamed mussels with french fries. We debated whether Ozzie Osbourne was sitting next to our table but decided that it was Alice Cooper. He didn't look good. 

Then we drove home up the PCH and I dropped Shannon off at home. 

It was a good day, a blessed day.