12:34 a.m. - 2004-12-31
Disneyland, part three
On the Thursday, the third day we were in California, we went to the beach. It was glorious, and warm, and beautiful, and we rented bikes and rode along the boardwalk and I felt like I was in a movie. Sure, it took two hours on kind of scary public transit to get there, and we had to walk for ages to get there, because apparently it was beyond anyone that we wouldn’t have a car, but once we got there it was totally worth it. We had ice cream and swam in the ocean and taunted the waves and lay in the sunshine and read fabulous books, and it was so fantastic.
Less fantastic was the sunburn I got in my cleavage and on the tops of my thighs, right under my butt. But I was determined not to let that ruin my day, and I found a store right by the hotel that sold aloe vera, which saved my life. Going to the bathroom was a bit painful, since the burn was right where the seat was, but I survived.
Our adventures on public transit meant we had to transfer along the way, and much to our glee we found a Barnes and Noble at the transfer stop. We wandered around in there for hours, picking up books that weren’t out in Canada yet and basically ignoring each other as we found things to appeal to each of us, only occasionally tracking the other down to exclaim over something.
Outside the bookstore, right by the bus stop, was this huge old tree with these gigantic roots that created this perfect little seats. We stretched out in the sunshine, settling in among the roots of the trees and reading our new books as we waited for the bus. I finished up my book that I’d brought with me – The Red Tent – and immediately foisted it on the Raisin. (Man, that was a great book.) We lounged in the sun while we waited, and I think we were almost disappointed to see the bus arrive, it was so beautiful under that tree.
We rode back to the hotel, and survived the public transit despite being the only two white girls on the bus and certainly the only tourists. We got back to our room, where I immediately settled in to watch Thursday night TV, because I am nothing if not lame. It was a very laid back evening, spent snacking and chatting and watching tv. We both called our respective men, and talked to them for a while, and I think we might have gone for a swim. It was a perfect vacation evening – no responsibility, no expectations, nobody to make us feel guilty for doing nothing at all.
Plus, that way we were well rested for Disneyland again the next day.
