Isn't it fun, fun, fun to catch up with old friends?

I made it out to visit my friend, Alan, in Redondo Beach. We haven't seen each other in 30 years! Crazy how time flies. But, the beach is my bliss, so when Alan invited me out, I decided to go. It took me a few months, but I finally made it. 

It was 9 am Thursday morning as the plane approached LAX through a bumpy bit of hazy marine layer. Alan arrived to pick me up shortly after I got to the curb. I love it when you see someone you haven't seen in so long, and you pick right up where you left off.

Al lives in the Hollywood Riviera area of Redondo. It was once a big draw for celebrities - thus the Hollywood part of the name. 

I brought my camera (of course) as well as my computer, so I could work while I was there. Al had to work too. I took advantage of the quiet time alone to get some writing done. I couldn't resist walking down to the beach when the afternoon sun showed itself. 

There's nothing like walking to the beach on a beautiful California day.

It was hot with a nice breeze. I'm not one to take everything-but-the-kitchen-sink to the beach. At least not now that I'm only taking myself and not all the kids. Even when we were taking the kids when they were little, we were too full-up with surfboards to bother with much else.

These days, I throw on my suit, put on a wrap, grab the sunscreen and a book, and off I go in my flip-flops. 

Dinners were splendid as we headed out each evening. Nothing like sitting in a restaurant with a view of the marina. It was such a treat to be away from the noise and nonsense of the house being built next door to me in Atlanta. Lately, I can hardly hear myself think.

Saturday was a blast riding bikes up and down the boardwalk.

It was hot!

We started out on a tandem bike for a while, but it didn't peddle so well. We went back to the apartment and grabbed the Electra beach cruisers. Those ride like a dream. If you ever get out to California and have a chance to rent a bike and ride the boardwalk, go for an Electra.

I got a few good photos, but not as many as I would have liked.

After dinner every night, we'd grab our cameras and head to the beach for sunset and the Golden Hour. It used to be in So Cal that the evening marine layer hung around in May and June, but was gone by July 4th. Now it seems to last into August!

I hate to say the sunset was disappointing - any sunset is beautiful. But I was there for five Redondo sunsets, and I only got a few good sunset photos. 

Photography teaches patience, that's for sure.

I got back yesterday and hit the ground running. It's always a bit of a catch-up after being out of town for a few days. I hope you had a great weekend.

A big thanks to Alan for being such an awesome host!

And, see you between the raindrops!

xoxo,
Susan