June 2nd: Getting settled in Encinitas, California

Having moved into my new home I am very happy to live here. CO#19 is of course a concern but this area is fortunately not a hot bed. People in this area are pretty good about wearing masks and social distancing, even on the street. Masks are required in all stores.

Shortly after I arrived in Encinitas, I made one of my signature dinners per Wendy's request. Its fun to barbecue in her back yard under the Giant Bird of Paradise plants. Its a really enjoyable back yard.




The dinner turned out great if I do say so myself.



 BBQ chicken thighs, asparagus and fried mushrooms.

Steve, Matt, Wendy Linda & Rebecca

We've shared many fun dinners over the years. Rebecca's favorite is lobster. I ran across this picture from 2016 and decided to include it. It just didn't get any better than sitting outside enjoying a lobster dinner together.








I've started a morning routine of a little stretching and then power walking to the beach or around the neighborhood. Both the beach and the neighborhood are so enjoyable to walk around that I usually go for well over an hour.

Stairs to Swami's Beach

10 minute downhill walk to the ocean, Swami's Beach

To get to the  beach it's a downhill walk. It ends at a very long set of stairs. They lead down to Swami's beach.







I try to time the stairs so I am not close to others and once on the beach, if I go at low tide, I can easily stay a good distance away from others.

View from the top of the
stairs looking southwest

View from the top of the
stairs looking northwest

The views from the top of the stairs are incredible. You can see, from the picture looking northwest, why the stairs provide great exercise, especially coming back up.

Pelicans flying in formation

Egret

Once I'm on the beach, during low tide, its fun to walk along the bottom of the cliffs. At high tide the beach is under water. There are a lot of birds, especially the ever present flocks of pelicans flying in formation.

Its nice to see Egrets, just like

those in Florida.

Raised coral with tidal pools

My favorite part of the walk is the tidal pools. This raised coral bed is under water at high tide.

When the tide drops, water is trapped in the little pools in the coral. There are always anemones, barnacles, a variety of shellfish, hermit crabs, colorful algae and sometimes little fish.

Tidal pool anemones

Moonlight Beach stairs

If I am feeling ambitious, I walk past Moonlight Beach to another set of stairs. They are not quite as rigorous as Swami's but still a good workout going up and then back down. If I do the full route it takes about an hour and a half. The power walking turns into just walking as I climb the hill back home.

Technology equipment overload

I've been sorting thru things I brought with me from the boat. I decided to gather up all the electronics stuff under Linda's desktop. I know some haven't seen the light of day in quite a while and some are just extras. Matt and Wendy helped me sort it all out.










Speaking of Matt and Wendy, they found a very comfortable used chair for me to use on my balcony. It was a little rusty and black,which would get pretty hot in the sun. We ordered some vinyl paint and the chair turned out great.

It just fits next to a no longer used air conditioner that makes a nice little table. I plan to make a flat cover so it really works as a table.

I went to the local plant place and asked what type of plant would attract hummingbirds. I love watching them. They told me what to buy and they are starting to find it. I've seen several and expect to see more.

I hope to be able to sit in my chair reading and looking up when I hear their wings fluttering. I've seen a few but not from my chair. I've tried to get a video but no luck yet. Maybe in a future blog.



So... I am feeling settled. I spend a lot of time during the day at Matt and Wendy's. Its fun cooking for someone other than just me, and Matt and/or Wendy clean up. They continue to educate me on technology. I enjoy knowing I have learned a lot. I'm also having fun working on some artistic projects with Wendy. The next blog will cover some of those projects. The evenings I spend with Rebecca via Facetime. We just talk and/or watch a TV show together. Technology is wonderful.