Thank you for taking me with you walking, eating, even on the balancing act of a migraine. Your writings remind me of what’s important and feelings I’ve hidden away.
Hi Sabrina - 100 subscribers is a fantastic milestone - congratulations!! And I loved this entry! So glad that your migraine dissipated on a shorter schedule than it might have, AND that you were able to celebrate with the ever popular Dungeness Crab - mmmm!!
Looking forward to other beautiful west coast photos...the Carmel beach shot was so lovely. Oh and also an Alfred Hitchcock walk in SF....how intriguing is that! Goes on my “want to do” list for sure.
Thanks so much Martha! It was a joy to feel human again AND to eat crab :). You and John would love the tours when you visit SF. Here is the place that offers so many interesting walking tours, with brilliant guides: https://sfcityguides.org/
Sabrina, congratulations on your milestone - you're awesome! Well, you were already awesome, but what a lovely number to reach!
Loved this post APART FROM of course the migraine - I was just thinking 'a day and a half??? Is that how long those things LAST?' when you told me that they can last THREE DAYS! You have my deepest sympathy - that must be absolutely horrid. So grateful not to be afflicted by migraines.
Oh the crab! The travel! The memories! The pictures! What a fantastic post. Did I mention awesome? Well, you are. xxx
Rebecca- you are SO kind, and have been from almost my very first post here. Thank you so much for being such a kind and responsive reader. It means the world to me. And one of these days, we will actually meet! Maybe go for a wander and share a peanut butter and marmalade sandwich 🤣 ❤️❤️❤️
Awwwww! And awwwwww again! Fingers crossed to have the chance for that peanut butter date on my next trip 'overseas' to your beautiful island, Sabrina!
Wasn't that cove amazing?? No swimming allowed as it is a nature preserve, and my goodness the water is very cold. But it would be dreamy, I agree, if it was allowed and the temperatures allowed non-wetsuit swimming! The coves of Point Lobos are all enchanting. I have been going there since I was a child and it is a magical place.
That's really interesting. We are allowed to swim in our National Park spaces. But that said, I doubt anyone would swim in the vicinity of seals as that normally means sharks... Just wondering too, what the water temp is in winter?
You are right about the sharks! Here is what I learned about the water temperature: “Water temperature in Point Lobos today is 56.1°F. [13.4 C] Based on our historical data over a period of ten years, the warmest water in this day in Point Lobos was recorded in 2015 and was 57.4°F, and the coldest was recorded in 2008 at 52.5°F. Sea water temperature in Point Lobos is expected to drop to 54.5°F in the next 10 days. January average water temperature in Point Lobos is 54.7°F, the minimum temperature is 51.3°F, and the maximum is 59°F.
Throughout the year, the water temperature in Point Lobos does not rise above 68°F and therefore is not suitable for comfortable swimming.”
Thank you! I've been reading about coldwater immersion with the intention (ha!) of upping the amount of winter swimming I do this year. Our coldest winter water is between 10-12 Celsius so that'll do it and I just know I'll have to wear wetsuit, gloves and booties but whatever it takes to immerse, it's such a thrill!
This week, my other half is away at an international conference, so I might have a week of quiet evening music and writing. It's a hot week coming up (25's-30's), so I may be salty-tired and that makes for ease of couch-crashing in the evenings. By the way, summer water is 20-21 Celsius. Nice and refreshing.
I'm so glad you're having such a wonderful trip. Take care.
CONGRATULATIONS on 100 subscribers! That's a huge milestone. I'm very proud of you.
You wrote another wonderful post and one that, of course, I can easily relate to. I had a similar sensation in Marin when I visited before Christmas. It was so easy, comfortable and familiar. I never got lost driving, I went on favorite hikes, I took immense pleasure in seeing families enjoying the beach on a sunny day at Tennessee Valley, and I indulged in tremendous salads. I stayed with a beloved friend whom I've known since UC David. Even the rainy grim days followed by a day of springlike sunshine made me think, oh yeah, this is the way it used to be. Something really comforting about being "home" even though where I am now is home and I wouldn't be anywhere else.
Sorry to hear about those darn migraines! I hope you got it over with at the beginning of the trip and that's the last of it!
Many thanks Andrea! Thanks for being a loyal reader and commentator!
Our beloved Marin is a wonderful place and one of these days I shall get back there. Thankfully the rest of California brings me joy too, so happy to get there for any amount of time, to most places.
I'm glad your home state helped heal your migraines sooner. Would love to know how you can sign up for a Hitchcock tour in San Francisco. My mom would point our the "Vertigo" house on the corner of Lombard and Jones when we would visit our grandparents. In the picture below, the greenish building was where they lived and the car in the driveway was probably my grandfather's!
Thanks Virginia! The Hitchcock tours are free and are offered through the SF City Guides several days a week: https://sfcityguides.org/. How great that you got to see that house many times in your childhood!
“Shared cultural familiarity.” This is such a great description for the phenomenon of feeling like one is Home! And learning about and understanding others’ contexts for their views is endlessly fascinating to me as well!
I haven’t been on Substack as often in the last couple of months, so I have some catching up to do! As always, I love your photos and the one with the sandpipers is very special. Isn’t it frustrating that a camera lens can’t capture what our eyes see?
Thanks Patti! Slow and steady, as they say! I'm so glad you enjoy both home and the interesting people we meet when we are away. It's such a blessing to be able to spend time in other places and enjoy all of it. The beach is my happy place no matter what continent I am on! We just walked on Ventura Beach for an hour and the morning's frustrations all blew away!
Thanks so much Erin! I'm not a fast grower 🤣🤣. And yes, life is always better on non-migraine days. Hope YOU don't suffer too often since you seem to know what I am talking about.
I don't get them too much anymore, thankfully. I've heard it's better to grow slowly with a dedicated readership than to go viral and potentially sacrifice connection for numbers. That's the motto I'm sticking to anyway, as a member of the slow but steady camp!
Congratulations 100 subscribers +!
Thank you for taking me with you walking, eating, even on the balancing act of a migraine. Your writings remind me of what’s important and feelings I’ve hidden away.
That is such a lovely compliment and it makes my heart sing. Thank you so much Amy- I am so glad you're reading!
Hi Sabrina - 100 subscribers is a fantastic milestone - congratulations!! And I loved this entry! So glad that your migraine dissipated on a shorter schedule than it might have, AND that you were able to celebrate with the ever popular Dungeness Crab - mmmm!!
Looking forward to other beautiful west coast photos...the Carmel beach shot was so lovely. Oh and also an Alfred Hitchcock walk in SF....how intriguing is that! Goes on my “want to do” list for sure.
Thanks so much Martha! It was a joy to feel human again AND to eat crab :). You and John would love the tours when you visit SF. Here is the place that offers so many interesting walking tours, with brilliant guides: https://sfcityguides.org/
Wonderful! Thanks for the link!
Sabrina, congratulations on your milestone - you're awesome! Well, you were already awesome, but what a lovely number to reach!
Loved this post APART FROM of course the migraine - I was just thinking 'a day and a half??? Is that how long those things LAST?' when you told me that they can last THREE DAYS! You have my deepest sympathy - that must be absolutely horrid. So grateful not to be afflicted by migraines.
Oh the crab! The travel! The memories! The pictures! What a fantastic post. Did I mention awesome? Well, you are. xxx
Rebecca- you are SO kind, and have been from almost my very first post here. Thank you so much for being such a kind and responsive reader. It means the world to me. And one of these days, we will actually meet! Maybe go for a wander and share a peanut butter and marmalade sandwich 🤣 ❤️❤️❤️
Awwwww! And awwwwww again! Fingers crossed to have the chance for that peanut butter date on my next trip 'overseas' to your beautiful island, Sabrina!
I feel for you with the migraines. My daughter is also a sufferer. She has wafers she has to take and then she has to sleep things off.
I've had focal migraines (no pain at all) which are a bit unnerving but I take a drug called Betahistadine and they disappear in under 30 minutes.
And finally - oh that cove at Carmel! Love love love. I can just imagine swimming there...
Safe travels.
Wasn't that cove amazing?? No swimming allowed as it is a nature preserve, and my goodness the water is very cold. But it would be dreamy, I agree, if it was allowed and the temperatures allowed non-wetsuit swimming! The coves of Point Lobos are all enchanting. I have been going there since I was a child and it is a magical place.
That's really interesting. We are allowed to swim in our National Park spaces. But that said, I doubt anyone would swim in the vicinity of seals as that normally means sharks... Just wondering too, what the water temp is in winter?
You are right about the sharks! Here is what I learned about the water temperature: “Water temperature in Point Lobos today is 56.1°F. [13.4 C] Based on our historical data over a period of ten years, the warmest water in this day in Point Lobos was recorded in 2015 and was 57.4°F, and the coldest was recorded in 2008 at 52.5°F. Sea water temperature in Point Lobos is expected to drop to 54.5°F in the next 10 days. January average water temperature in Point Lobos is 54.7°F, the minimum temperature is 51.3°F, and the maximum is 59°F.
Throughout the year, the water temperature in Point Lobos does not rise above 68°F and therefore is not suitable for comfortable swimming.”
We are getting lots of reading done!
Thank you! I've been reading about coldwater immersion with the intention (ha!) of upping the amount of winter swimming I do this year. Our coldest winter water is between 10-12 Celsius so that'll do it and I just know I'll have to wear wetsuit, gloves and booties but whatever it takes to immerse, it's such a thrill!
This week, my other half is away at an international conference, so I might have a week of quiet evening music and writing. It's a hot week coming up (25's-30's), so I may be salty-tired and that makes for ease of couch-crashing in the evenings. By the way, summer water is 20-21 Celsius. Nice and refreshing.
I'm so glad you're having such a wonderful trip. Take care.
20-21 C sounds divine!
CONGRATULATIONS on 100 subscribers! That's a huge milestone. I'm very proud of you.
You wrote another wonderful post and one that, of course, I can easily relate to. I had a similar sensation in Marin when I visited before Christmas. It was so easy, comfortable and familiar. I never got lost driving, I went on favorite hikes, I took immense pleasure in seeing families enjoying the beach on a sunny day at Tennessee Valley, and I indulged in tremendous salads. I stayed with a beloved friend whom I've known since UC David. Even the rainy grim days followed by a day of springlike sunshine made me think, oh yeah, this is the way it used to be. Something really comforting about being "home" even though where I am now is home and I wouldn't be anywhere else.
Sorry to hear about those darn migraines! I hope you got it over with at the beginning of the trip and that's the last of it!
Thanks again for such a lovely post.
Many thanks Andrea! Thanks for being a loyal reader and commentator!
Our beloved Marin is a wonderful place and one of these days I shall get back there. Thankfully the rest of California brings me joy too, so happy to get there for any amount of time, to most places.
I'm glad your home state helped heal your migraines sooner. Would love to know how you can sign up for a Hitchcock tour in San Francisco. My mom would point our the "Vertigo" house on the corner of Lombard and Jones when we would visit our grandparents. In the picture below, the greenish building was where they lived and the car in the driveway was probably my grandfather's!
https://the.hitchcock.zone/1000/45/0512.jpg
Thanks Virginia! The Hitchcock tours are free and are offered through the SF City Guides several days a week: https://sfcityguides.org/. How great that you got to see that house many times in your childhood!
Congratulations on 100 subscribers!
“Shared cultural familiarity.” This is such a great description for the phenomenon of feeling like one is Home! And learning about and understanding others’ contexts for their views is endlessly fascinating to me as well!
I haven’t been on Substack as often in the last couple of months, so I have some catching up to do! As always, I love your photos and the one with the sandpipers is very special. Isn’t it frustrating that a camera lens can’t capture what our eyes see?
Thanks Patti! Slow and steady, as they say! I'm so glad you enjoy both home and the interesting people we meet when we are away. It's such a blessing to be able to spend time in other places and enjoy all of it. The beach is my happy place no matter what continent I am on! We just walked on Ventura Beach for an hour and the morning's frustrations all blew away!
Migraines are horrid things. Congratulations on your 100+ subscribers!
Thanks so much Erin! I'm not a fast grower 🤣🤣. And yes, life is always better on non-migraine days. Hope YOU don't suffer too often since you seem to know what I am talking about.
I don't get them too much anymore, thankfully. I've heard it's better to grow slowly with a dedicated readership than to go viral and potentially sacrifice connection for numbers. That's the motto I'm sticking to anyway, as a member of the slow but steady camp!