San Diego

Winter

The first day of winter was spent under the bright blue sky of San Diego. There is something reassuring about a city that insists on keeping you warm no matter the time of year. I visited the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula, the kind of place that prompts your cell phone carrier to send a message that reads, “Welcome abroad! Please note international rates apply.” My sister’s dog is in my right arm, a chihuahua named Pinky who traveled from Seattle to be here. I will be in San Diego for just a couple more days before heading back to the Bay Area to celebrate both Christmas and New Year. Safe travels and good vibes as we enter winter and the final phase of the holiday season.

December

I make no intention of routinely penning these greetings and adieus to the passing months, but it somehow ends up working out that way, as if responding to an easy writing prompt. I spent Thanksgiving in an unusually hot and dry San Diego, which allowed for relaxing poolside and wearing shorts and a t-shirt for a sunset walk. The 8-hour drive to San Diego meant leaving the house at 4 AM on Thanksgiving Day, but strong cold brew coffee, 1989, and the 6AM sunrise each worked its magic.
 
I avoided any and all shopping on Black Friday, but did get a few things on Saturday that had nothing to do with the holiday sales. I got a box of ginger tea from a Korean market, and weaved in and out of a few places before settling on just two candles: fraser fir and tobacco & oakwood.
 
Holidays come and go far too quickly, which explains our swift transition to Christmas soon after Thanksgiving. I saw several newly purchased Christmas trees strapped onto the roofs of cars the day after, and every little downtown I come across is carefully outlined in Christmas lights. The quicker we dive into the merrymaking, the more time we have in its midst. Cheers to the holidays.