Overhead the sky was clear with a strong breeze blowing off the ocean. And the air was cold, too. The view was fantastic and I could clearly see the outlines of islands in the ocean, Anacapa or Catalina? If I correctly guess one I will be aheadof the game and earn 3 princess points. Of course I could also see clear down the coast; South Bay, and the Palos Verdes peninsula and hills. And I repeat that the view was so clear that I could see the outlines of the buildings along the coast clear down there. The seas were calm and the breakers were very small and not favorable to surfers.
This is Santa Monica municipal pier, and on a Friday afternoon the pier is mostly deserted except for a few brave souls that visit for a casual walk and stroll along the sea soaked timbers of the pier. The salty air is heavy with a fish odor. There are also a few vendors of arts and crafts peddling their wares to passersby. I saw a bust artist with a patron busy shaping a bust out of a lump of clay. Another sold hats, and baseball caps. Still another vendor sold sweet and flavorful churros. One vendor was kept busy by the stiff breeze that kept scattering his collection of drawings and posters. Another vendor sold video movie CD’s. But the most obvious attraction at the pier is the amusement park with rides for various levels of risk and adventure. A tall ferris wheel can be seen from miles away, and a roller coaster makes a very loud amount of noise with riders adding with their frantic screams.
The strollers are mostly young people, couples straight and gay. And the single strollers are all male. ( I wonder why that should be.) There are white/caucasians and asians and some latinos. And all are dressed casual with some wearing t-shirts, or shorts and those that are not holding hands have them tucked deep into their pants pockets to ward away the cold. Marisol Restaurant is doing brisk business on a Friday afternoon at the Santa Monica municipal pier. Many diners are sitting outside, al fresco and enjoying their coffee or other drinks and food. Motor vehicle traffic is not permitted on the pier, except for police vehicles and one car is parked at the very end and another at the entrance. But the police are nowhere in sight. A long causeway connects the pier to the main land and the causeway is crowded with pedestrians, either entering or departing the pier.
The seas are calm and there are no boats in the water near the pier. Large ocean liners can be seen navigating farther out away from shore. I can see a row of rocks directly in front of the pier as if to shelter the pier from the tides. Yes, I’m sure those rocks form a breakwater. But the water is not blue as I expected but green with algae I suppose.
I overhear a private conversation between a white young man and woman. "I want to drink something" says the man. "Well we can grab a lemonade. Would you like that?" replied the woman. "No, but I want to drink something hot, okay." he said. This was a cute couple as both were short and of petite frame. The man was barely half an inch taller. And you could tell that they shared a tight bond of affection. And my impression was that the man was basically along for ride while she made all the decisions. "Then let us return to the 3rd Street Promenade." was her final word that I heard and then they marched off with a very deliberate stride holding hands. It was at that moment that I mused in my mind what a cute and lovely couple they made. And how ideally suited they were for each other. And how she was so deeply looking out for his welfare and desires.
And it was just a brief visit to the Santa Monica municipal pier and an impromptu detour from an otherwise busy schedule. But the conditions were so perfect that to rush by without stopping was unholy and unwise because we may not pass by again. And who knows when the next time will come when again we run into another cute couple holding hands and living free and in love.
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