evan

Maj and I finished up our business in Los Angeles this morning, so we picked up stakes from her parents' house in Long Beach and drove down to my parents' condo in Encinitas.

There was a time that a big chunk of my family lived in and around San Diego. My dad worked for a company called Peregrine Semiconductor, and my brother went to San Diego State University at the same time. Nate lived in Mission Beach, but my folks bought a condo in Encinitas, near Dad's work. Mom split her time between the house in Los Altos Hills and down here.

Times have changed and everybody's drifted back up to the Bay Area (California), but my parents still own a condo on the cliffs over looking the Pacific Ocean. We all use the place for vacation time, although it's a lot easier for my brothers and parents in Northern California than it is for Maj, Amita June, and I in Montreal.

Encinitas is a nice town with a really pleasant little main street on Pacific Coast Highway, great beaches, clean air and the sound of waves as you're falling asleep. We spent 4 days down here last winter, and really enjoyed it -- probably the most relaxing time of the year. We're going to spend a few more days here this week.

Last year, in the late afternoon, Maj took Amita June into the pool in the condo complex. It's about 20 feet from the edge of a cliff over the Pacific, and as they were swimming around the pool, the sunset was making a red-gold luminous carpet out of the ocean below. We were close enough that we could see dolphins jumping in and out of the water. My baby and wife laughing over a dolphin-dotted sunset; jeez.

Mom and Dad are selling the condo -- we're going to have to dodge realtors while we stay here -- so it's unlikely we'll get another chance to spend time in this particular condo again. Good to appreciate the time while we can.