...another Thursday at the beach...

...only this time was even better than last time! :)The day started off with home-made breakfast, as is becoming the Thursday tradition, (this week it was German Pancakes), then Zach and I took our beach Cruisers down to Newport and parked about 30th Street or so. We then proceeded to ride South...all the way to the end of the boardwalk past Balboa, and then through the peninsula all the way to The Wedge! Lucky for us, its flat all the way down, so it's an easy, fun ride the whole time! We took time to stop and smell the roses...and shoot (of course). I even asked if we could go get a shake at Ruby's on the Balboa Pier. We shared an Oreo shake as we headed back from the pier and down toward the water. It could not have been a more beautiful day! The warm rays of the sun made the chilly breeze a welcome contrast. The perfect weather for a swimsuit and jeans. The clouds/smog (as gross as it is) made for a gorgeous sunset...the dark blue slowly faded into a deep burnt orange color on the horizon as the firey ball sunk below the water. The warmth exuded from the sun disappeared as quickly as the sun itself, and we were soon chilled to the bone. We loaded the bikes back into the truck and headed to Sharkeez for dinner. I LOVE sharkeez!! Lauren and I used to go there in SB all the time for a Wiki-wiki Rice bowl (which they no longer carry!), and an occasional margarita. yum...Anyway, we finished up dinner, and found ourselves back in the truck and flying up the 55 in the direction of home. When I finally crawled into bed that night, I realized we had spent about 14 hours together, but it flew by as if it had only been a few! It was a day of vibrant conversation, colorful scenery, and perfect company. It's incredible how many hours can be spent doing something as simple as riding bikes at the beach, and yet there is nowhere else I'd rather be!

Here are a few pics from the day, and evening...