It doesn't seem like it could be Friday already.  Don't you know how a little vacation throws off your routine and mixes everything up in your mind?  Coming back home can be a combination of "oh, it's good to be home" and "wow, I can't believe vacation is over already and I'm back to the old grind".  I try not to think of regular life as a grind because it's the life we have and we better feel better about it than that or what are we really doing anyway?  But between you and me, it is great to be home but it sure is cool to be away from everything doing something new and exciting. 

We stayed in a funky little bed and breakfast that was right on the boardwalk.  It only had 10 rooms and during the day, if no one was staying in a room, they would leave the door open and you could go in and see if maybe you might like to stay in that room on your next visit.  They were all different, very charming and old fashioned with big old brass beds or poster beds and antique (looking) chests and armoires (yes, I know what that is).  They each had a little fireplace.  Our room had a huge canopy over the bed, like a lace parachute which was fun to sleep under. 

Unfortunately the traditional joys of sleeping right on the ocean are somewhat negated by what is between you and the ocean.  Let's see, there is the boardwalk where every Tom, Dick and Harry hangs out at all hours, often being quite loud and inebriated (yes, I know what that is).  The sound carries right into your room.  And then when things finally settle down, the maintenance crew arrives around 5 am with their gold lights flashing which makes you feel you are about to be arrested.  They chat amongst themselves under your window as they park their trucks in the metered parking lot which is also between you and the ocean. 

We had a corner room featuring a lovely view of the 24 hour donut shop from the non-ocean side.  The littlest Dutch boy slept on a roll away bed.  Well, he tried but his butt hung down to the floor so the next night he tried sleeping on it like a couch but said he felt he was in prison so in the middle of the night he threw all the blankets and pillows on the floor and tried sleeping there.  He was a good sport about it because he will do anything to get to the ocean and hear it and smell it and go in it.  He put on his wetsuit and rode the waves on his boogey board, a surf board and using his own body.  We could hardly get him out he loves it so much. 

I don't like to swim in the ocean but I took a really long walk early in the morning.  I saw at least 20 dolphins right off the shore, swimming and bobbing and splashing and playing.  And there were the big birds with the funny bills and the huge wings.  They would take off flying, slowly at first and then gaining speed, until they spotted what they wanted in the water and would fold their wings and dive straight down really fast.  Those fish probably didn't know what hit them.  I wondered if they got their fish every time or if sometimes the fish got away. 

Me and Nicky and Butterfly Bear sat on the deep windowsill and watched the comings and goings all day long.  The cool breeze was so refreshing but the humidity made my fur a little sticky.  Oh, well.  It has dried out now that I am home in the desert.  Actually I think it happened when we drove across the desert.  What a shock to go from 72 degrees to 107 degrees in such a short time.  I never get used to that.

So it's best when you are feeling a little out of synch to go to a movie.  That's what I did.  Only in the middle of the movie, a mouse crawled up right up on me in the dark.  I remained pretty calm though and moved over to another seat.  But it came up close to me again.  So we moved far away to another row.  We told the manager about it but he wasn't that surprised, saying the whole shopping mall was infested with mice for some reason.  Yes, he said, we are having a problem with that.  At least he gave us free passes to the next movie.  But he didn't actually instill us with confidence that they are handling the problem.  Who would have thought you would have to worry about mice in the theatre?

But then they have to call somewhere home, don't they?  Do you think they will be relocated?  Maybe to the boardwalk in Newport Beach, California.

GR