The way he described it, I imagined cliffs overlooking the beach, upon which I could take a brisk walk, therefore fulfilling my exercise quota for the day. However, when I arrived, I found no such cliffs. Rather, I found no way to mount these cliffs, to then take a brisk walk, and fulfill my exercise quota for the day. I called and he clarified that the walk was to be taken on the beach itself, and onto the rocks where there are tidepools. I was a little annoyed because a beach walk would not fulfill my exercise quota for the day.
Contemplating this dilemma, I built this:
That made me feel better.
Then I found this rock....
...and that made me feel better too. And, yes, I somehow managed to get the surfer smack dab in the center of the hole. Smack dab? Where did that saying come from? Somebody tell me.
I also saw a bunch of sea stars, which is exciting even though I see them all the time at the Seymour Center. Seeing them in the wild is just so much cooler.
Okay, but then things really started to happen. Another fellow tidepooler came up to me and said, "There's a seal pup over there!" and pointed to a nearby rock. I asked him the basics--how close can I get, can I touch it, can I take it, etc... Then I made my way over and saw this:
...Is that not the cutest thing you have ever, ever, ever seen? It was absolutely amazing. I got within five feet of the little guy, probably a lot closer than I should have. But I just couldn't help it! It would look up at me and wiggle and yawn, and then look up again, as if he wanted to make sure I was still there.
At the same time as I gawked over the ridiculous cuteness, I was also very terrified of its mother coming and biting my head off. So while I absolutely considered petting the pup ("This might be the only chance I get, ever!!!") I decided to keep my distance. I settled on neurotically glancing at the water every three seconds while still inching my way closer, ignoring the cold sea water at my ankles.
Here's a little piece of the magic (pardon the profanity--I was momentarily concerned that the pup wanted to eat me):
What an experience. Is there a lesson to be learned? Sure there is. For someone who likes plans and predictability, today was an example of things not going my way but turning out way better than was imaginable. I embraced the rupture in my day, accepted that I might not fulfill my exercise quota of the day (a big deal, for anyone who knows me), and enjoyed myself anyway.
The other lesson: seal pups are the new kitten.
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