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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Fall

Fall has always been my favorite season. Having grown up on the east coast, I always looked forward to this time of year. The fall brought crisp, cool air and brightly colored foliage. You could smell wood burning in fireplaces and hear kids crunching through piles of leaves. It was the start of football season and hosted two of my favorite holidays--Halloween & Thanksgiving. It meant scarves & beanies, and bonfires with friends. No fall was complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch, a haunted hayride and at least one viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

When people ask me if I miss the east coast I usually say "I miss the fall." But in reality the fall here in SD is pretty rad. I still enjoy a lot of the same things I did back east, but now I have the beach and the surf. Offshore, Santa Ana winds, foggy am surf sessions, rainy days at the beach... Yes I still miss the fall foliage, but in it's place are the beautiful, bright sunsets that are characteristic of fall in San Diego.



Ever wonder why autumn and winter sunsets are more vivid?? 

To understand you must first know a little about the colors of the rainbow.  Blue light has a short wavelength, therefore it gets scattered easiest by air molecules.  Red and orange light have longer wavelengths so they are not scattered as much. As the sun rises and sets, light from the sun must pass through the atmosphere before it reaches our eyes. As it passes through the atmosphere it comes into contact with molecules in the air.  As this happens the blue light gets scattered away and the reds and oranges become more pronounced. You with me so far??

During the winter and fall, weather patterns allow for the dry, clean Canadian air to sweep across the country.  Therefore more colors of the spectrum make it through to our eyes without getting scattered by particles in the air. This produces brilliant sunsets and sunrises that can look red, orange, yellow or even pink.  Clouds can also impact the magnificence of a sunset.  Clouds catch the last red-orange rays of the setting sun and the first light at dawn. To produce vivid sunset colors the clouds must be high enough to intercept sunlight which has not suffered color loss by passing through the boundary layer of the atmosphere.  The boundary layer contains the most dust and haze. Dust and haze do not enhance sky colors, they actually subdue them. Clean air is the main ingredient common to brightly colored sunrise and sunsets.


Here are a few pictures of San Diego's fall colors... (last night in Ocean Beach)








Thursday, October 18, 2012

Sunset Cliffs

Sunset Cliffs is a 68 acre park stretching along the Pacific Ocean bordering the western edge of Point Loma.  It is arguably one of the most beautiful places in San Diego and one of my personal favorites.  

The fall happens to be my favorite time of the year and during this time I visit the cliffs any chance I can get. Usually you'll find me surfing there, but last night I decided to grab my camera instead. I couldn't have picked a more gorgeous night. In terms of weather last night was as good as it gets.  Besides the gorgeous weather, the swell was up and the sunset was insanely beautiful. If only I had water housing for my camera... 

Here are a few pics from last night...












Monday, October 1, 2012

Mexico

Is simplicity the key to happiness?


Whenever I come home from a trip I have this overwhelming feeling of excess. I feel the need to simplify. I almost immediately start getting rid of stuff. By "stuff" I mean material possessions; clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry... This trip was no different.

Traveling has brought me perspective and with that perspective I've gained an amazing appreciation for simplicity.  The simple life if you will.  Other countries seem to have this down.  I have met some of the most genuinely happy people while traveling through some of the most poverty stricken countries. These people are poor by American standards. They don't have a lot of material possessions yet they are happy. Hmm... It can be argued that their simplicity is a product of their available resources or their lack of opportunity. Regardless their life is simple.  The less they have, the less they seem to need. 

Why live simply when we can have so much? We can afford it. It's available.  Why not possess it? In reality though to live life we only need the basic necessities...food, shelter and clothing. Everything else is a bonus. We live in a world in which success is everything.  This success seems to be measured by power, achievement, status & wealth. Having more equates with being successful.

I'm not suggesting you go and sell everything, move to another country and quit your job... But it's refreshing to be reminded that sometimes it is the simple things that really make us the happiest. We work hard for nice things and a certain lifestyle, but in reality what we really want is time. Time with our family, time doing what we love and time spent in the places that we love. 

This past week I was reminded of this. I got to spend time with my friends doing what I love in a pretty amazing place. Here are a few pictures from my last trip to Mexico...


Waves at San Pancho






Punta Mita Surf Breaks



Rainy day ~ boat trip to The Cove


 Drinks with some of the crew




Rainy night in Bucerias = tequila & beer



Fish tacos....yum!! 


Murals in San Pancho



Sayulita



Making the trek to La Lancha


Los Veneros


Siesta time



I love this story.  It's about a Mexican Villager, living the simple life.

Think about it... 


A businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor."


The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."The Mexican fisherman asked, "But señor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, señor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions, señor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"


~Author Unknown
surf, eat, sleep, repeat... sounds pretty simple to me :)