Home at last

Our plane landed around 6:30 this morning, and we got home (with puppy in tow!) around 8:15. I checked my email and went to bed around 9AM and took a 3 hr nap. We are both so tired, and it's not helping that we're sick. It's good to be home, but I already miss the sunshine.

We had a nice last day in California. We left Palm Springs just before noon, had lunch on the way back to San Diego, and arrived at a Mission Beach in San Diego around 3PM. It was neat being at an authentic California beach.

They had a paved boardwalk for people to rollerblade and bike ride - just like in all the movies based in California:

There were surfers and kite surfers at the beach. I've wanted to try kite surfing since the first time I saw someone do it a few years ago in Nahant. I wouldn't have been physically able to do it then, but now I'd love to try. I'm afraid of going out too far, falling into the water and being attacked by a shark, but sometimes the fear makes the experience more fun. :)

I have some kind of heat rash or sun poisoning or something. I have bumps on my forearms, legs, and forehead. You can see them a little in this picture:

A nice stranger offered to take a picture of me and Darcy at the beach:

Here is a picture of the beach. I thought it was nice, but it didn't seem as charming as the beaches I visit in New England (Cape Cod, Ogunquit, etc...), or as beautiful as the beaches in South Florida:
After spending time on the beach, we checked out some of the beach side shops and went for an ice cream. It was fun, but the area we visited was a little bit rough around the edges. I think it's a big party spot for tourists.

For dinner, we went to an Australian restaurant in San Diego. It was fantastic. Everything in the restaurant was imported from Australia, and all the foods and beverages are Aussie favorites. We weren't that hungry, so we just split two appetizers - a mini pizza and prawn spring rolls. Both servings were very small compared to appetizers you'll find in most US restaurants, but they were just the right size, and very tasty.

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One of the comedians we saw in Palm Springs was a funny British comic. She was talking about how when Americans get fat, they get FAT - like cartoon fat. She wasn't being mean - her point was that the culture here creates overindulgence, from the constant commercials advertising foods to the portion sizes, to the overall culture of instant gratification. She's right - we get bigger here than people get in other countries and we've gone from having 15% of the population as obese in 1980 to 30% of the population obese in this decade. In under 30 years, we've doubled our rate of obesity. Obviously - this has got to stop. It's not that easy though...

I'm hoping as we continue to become a nation that wastes less, we will continue to move in the direction of consuming less, in all areas of consumption. It is healthier, more fiscally sound, and less wasteful.

I had a mask partner with me on the plane today:

It is hard to wear, but worth it. I'm probably going to wear one on all flights because it seems to be the only thing that keeps me from getting sick on planes. I bet in the years to come, more and more people will do the same. It's hideous, but it works.

I'm taking today to rest, but I'm starting up my yoga again tomorrow morning, and I'm looking forward to it!