pismo

monday and tuesday took me to the central coast one last time before heading back to texas. a good friend of mine from bakersfield now makes her home in san luis obispo, beautiful country between pismo beach and downtown SLO.

it was a short trip, but we tried to make long of it walking and lazing around the beach. i wanted to say good-bye.

that is an overstatement. i never really say good-bye to pismo beach. it is the tiny coastal town my family would visit every summer while i was growing up. those days, we would stay at the seacrest hotel, which sat on the cliffs at the edge of town and overlooked the ocean. from there, we would take the rickety wooden staircase down the cliffs to the shore and walk south toward the pier and downtown pismo beach. my mom and sister religiously looked for seashells along that stretch of beach. i would steel myself up to dip my toes in the shockingly cold salty water. we'd often have lunch or dinner at the splash cafe, where i never ordered anything but clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. my mom would always complain that the chowder had too much of a sandy consistency. they were only weekend getaways for our family, but i remember them as if they were long periods of time when i was younger.

even though we - the children - are now grown and together less frequently, my family still visits the area because my brother is a student at cal poly san luis obispo. we pay day visits to pismo and to some of the other small beach communities along the central coast, still relishing their sun, sea, and tranquil nature.

earlier this week, i made the trip with a friend who has her own family memories making summer trips from bakersfield to pismo. we sat on the beach tuesday afternoon until our shoulders were tender and brown-red from the sun. driving out of town, i savored my last view of the dark line of the ocean against the lighter blue of the sky. said good-bye. for now.