I left San Clemente on August 30th. It was a Monday. I woke up early and drove down to the jetty at Oceanside, where I found not-so-excellent waves. Carlsbad wasn’t really any better. The water, however, was probably warmer than it had been all summer, and ridiculously clear. Initially, there was one other guy in the feeble lineup, presumably trying, like myself, to squeeze in a mediocre (but still satisfying) morning session. He soon got out and left me in the company of an enormous lone seal. Later, everyone I told this to would say, “Oh. They can be nasty, you know.” or “Seals attract SHARKS!” But at the moment it seemed pretty incredible. And it was definitely a first for me.
Back in SC, I returned my rental car and shipped some cargo to the right coast. I still had a few hours to kill, and I spent those hours surfing super fun waves with a bunch of enthusiastic, long-haired 12-year-old boys. It didn’t matter that the time I had alloted for packing and showering was fast dwindling; I just didn’t want to get out of the water. When I finally did, I’m sure I looked like a crack head: bloodshot eyes and a blissed out expression on my face.
—
Dearest California,
I think I might be in love with you. I didn’t want to leave you, but it was something I needed to do. Let’s make the best of this separation and reassess our situation in a couple of months.
Yours with unwavering adoration,
CB
Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink 
[…] It was like surfing in a murky, green Jell-O bath. It was awesome. It was shark week. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only bait person in the water. I paddled out next to a group of lively 17-year-old locals who I see a lot. As I stood on the beach watching, four or five of them stroked in, party wave style. Yep, that was where I wanted to be. They were having a grand time jelly bombing each other, dropping in on each other while making animal noises, and, occasionally, pulling airs. I love surfing with teenaged boy gangs–the stoke is infectious. […]