Day 2

Today I am a little bummed, since I spent almost double my stipend... I guess I should have figured out that there were no budget accomodations in Laguna Beach. But since I'm staying with Eel in Los Angeles for the next three nights, I should be able to make up for the expense. It's strange writing down every single thing I spend money on - $1.50 on meters today! - but maybe I should get in the habit of doing it every day, even when I'm no longer on a daily stipend. It really makes me think about purchasing anything extra.

I woke up this morning (alive, not murdered in my sleep, thank goodness) and was disappointed to discover that the coffee machine at the hotel was broken. That meant I could justify buying breakfast at The Longboarder, one of the restaurants I had to research in Oceanside. "I need coffee!" I told Stella, who clearly disapproved and almost refused to guide me to the right address. "... and oatmeal, and fresh fruit to put in the oatmeal." It was delicious.

Next up was Mission San Juan Capistrano, which is on the way to Laguna Beach. They gave me free admission when I flashed my badass press pass, but I wish I had had more time to wander around the mission. I always am fascinated by really old places. I think about all the people whose feet have packed down the dirt on the paths long before mine. I said a prayer in the Serra Chapel (named after Father Serra, who founded the mission in 1776) and thought up some wonderfully flowery adjectives to describe the picturesque courtyard, then figured I'd better keep moving.

Now, unlike most kids of my generation, I never watched Laguna Beach. So I didn't know what to expect from this (in?)famous town. Driving north along the PCH, I crested a hill and saw before me the most magnificent cliff dropping off to a white-sand beach and huge, crashing waves. It was so breathtakingly beautiful! And the town itself is adorable; Ocean and Forest Blvds., which make up the hub of activity, have the feel of downtown Chatham (leave it to me to make a Cape reference). But the people here are much more laid back, since they know they have more than just two or three short months in which to enjoy the beautiful weather.

When I finished researching in Laguna Beach, I decided to move ahead to Newport Beach. Driving down Balboa Peninsula, I was in awe that people actually live there year-round. They live on the beach! Where do they work? Assuming they do work, how do they bring themselves to sit in an office at all? If I lived there, I would have more than a little trouble convincing myself I wasn't on vacation every day.

Then Stella tried to kill me. I asked her how to get back to the mainland and she said, "In 0.2 miles, turn right on Palm Street." So, in 0.2 miles, I turned right on Palm Street... and found myself face-to-face with the ocean (if the ocean had a face), with only a rickety-looking wooden fence protecting me from death-by-drowning-in-a-car. I looked at Stella, stricken at this betrayal. Then she said, "Board ferry." Aha, there was a ferry station nearby. But I was not about to pay whatever exorbitant fee they charged to get to the mainland when I could easily drive there myself. I thought Stella had my back.
We are still having trust issues, that's all I'll say.