So here we are in sunny Santa Cruz.
Yes, damn it, it is sunny - not what I was hoping for but it'll have to do, ya know?
Actually it hasn't been bad - except for the sunburn I got out at the Santa Cruz Flea Market yesterday. Beach sun is different than Sacramento sun.
It is cleaner and crisper and infused with the wonderful essence of ocean and sand and rubber surf gear.
Kim and I are staying at her parents' place which is just a hop and jump (as opposed to a hop, skip and a jump) from the beach. Actually you can see the beach from the living room windows. The place overlooks a parking lot where all the surfers come and park their VW vans and then change into wetsuits.
This is what it looks like from through the sliding glass doors:


Sorry, I tried to get a shot of a surfer stripped down to his birthday suit, but the timing wasn't right....
So far while we've been down here we've done a lot of sitting around (watching Trading Spaces, Anna Nicole, Osbournes, etc), reading, walking on the beach, eating and, as I said, shopping.
We tackled the shopping yesterday. In addition to the flea market we hit up some vintage clothing stores and thrift stores. I didn't find much at the latter but I did want to share some of my finds from the brutally-hot flea market.
This is my favorite score - only $3



They're space age!
Eye Protection at its best!!!!
Aren't they snazzy?

I also got this really cool Japanese pencil set for $1.


What's so special about it you ask?
Well, you can't really see it in the photo, but in the lower left-hand corner (beneath the small photo of the bee - at least I think that's a bee) it reads:

"Friend ship imporves.
and abates miserry,
and diving our griet.."

When I find out what "diving our griet" is, I will be a much happier - no make that less misserable - person.

Anyway, today's schedule includes plenty of food and sitting around plus, believe it or not, studying.
Yep. Studying.
And maybe a few more attempts to snap a picture of some surfer booty...