topanga — hello sunshine

like a sound you hear

that lingers in your ear

you can't forget

from sunrise to sunset

it's all in the air

you hear it everywhere

no matter what you do

it's gonna get a hold on you

california soul

- marlena shaw

over a decade ago i backpacked through europe. it was a three month stint to which i brought one of the following: jeans, white t-shirt, sandals, bikini, dress + a bag that somehow felt heavier than my bodyweight despite my efforts to travel light. i saw 12 countries and got robbed in one of them. george bush was the president at the time, so depending on where i was, i spoke in either spanish or german. because everyone pretty much thought americans were a bunch of redneck idiots since we had elected such a dummy to be in charge.

mon espagnol et allemand obtenaient vraiment bon. mon néerlandais est resté sans espoir. oh, and i spoke some french. pourquoi pas :-)

when i did get asked where i was from i didn't lie. but i did say i was from california and not the states. the reaction was much better. i got a lot of "oh cool dude!" and "like totally!" definitely better than your president is a total embarrassment, which totally happened at a bar in germany. not wrong on either account. like for sure. once making fun of my "accent" was over (ironic indeed) almost everyone gave me their version of what they imagined my home to be like: tanned folks riding bikes along the beach all day. surfers everywhere. they all wanted to try a cali burrito. i would chuckle and say yeah man. those are awesome. and of course i totally surf. i mean, i wasn't about to burst their bubble. plus, i had the tan to back it up.

while the whole california soul/vibe/dreamin' whatever is the reality for a lot of lucky west coasters, it's not exactly mine. i'm more of a city girl; bike lanes over boardwalks, gritty streets, less sandy beach. but first coffee. and i rarely eat burritos. and i like it that way.

yet, sometimes the good vibrations and overall california soul groove gets me and calls me to the beach. the place so many people want to be. so last sunday we spent the afternoon at topanga state beach. and it was exactly what everyone imagined it to be.

totally freaking awesome dude.

if you are looking for the real california deal, this place is it. the southern most beach in malibu, topanga state beach is just past santa monica. a bit off the beaten path, it's far less crowded than most of LA's other beaches. it still has all of the amenities (bathroom, showers, ect) just with less people. and for those that aren't all that into sand, there are lots of rocky areas to chill. because of the rocky terrain, the beach is a popular spot for surfers as the ride is longer, making for some tasty waves bro! we like it because, well, rocks are cool. and it may not have have been the smartest move to let max throw them into the crashing waves over and over, but it was seriously good times. so how could we say no.