Nature's Subtle Signs

One day last week, I got my work done before 2pm, and saw what a lovely day it was outside.   I packed up my yoga mat, hopped on my bike, and headed South to the beach to go do yoga at my favorite sea side studio.

As I left my neighborhood and descended towards the coast, leaving Laguna Niguel and approaching the city of Dana Point, I saw an ominous cloud bank.  Big, thick, low elevation white clouds, were rolling over the North-Westerly hills, with the wind blowing towards the South-South-East.  It was such a pretty day in my drive way, that my short sleeves and bike shorts were quickly becoming inadequate to keep me warm.  How cold could it get?   I intrepidly (and in hindsight, foolishly) continued to head South and downhill, through the Monarch Beach golf course adjacent to the Ritz and St.Regis resorts.

When I finally made it to the beach, it looked more like D-Day (or the Battlefield D-Day simulations I have played electronically), with an angry sea, cold mist, gray over cast, and harsh crashing waves.  Three life guard SUVs were huddled close together, watching the 1/2 a dozen surfers who were attempting to negotiate the pummeling waves.  I stayed just long enough to snap the two photos below, before heading back uphill and towards Laguna Niguel.

I biked back up North to a park in our neighborhood that had a Southern Overlook, elevation about 390 feet above sea level - where on a clear day, one can see the ocean - and did yoga as a small murder of crows cawed around me.  Next time, I will not ignore nature's subtle signs, and now I know how rapidly a micro-climate can change here near the coast.  Yeah, it's rough here in Southern California. =)