Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  But rarely are you winning and losing at the same time.  As I pause to ponder our current holding pattern here in sunny San Diego this might be the closest that we have ever been to that fact.  Even as Beckey our Land Cruiser endures enough poking and prodding for a lifetime, we have found solace in a cozy coastal climate and are indeed still winning.

This journey continues to be hallmarked by incredible people dotted along the way.  Our first evening in the city was spent in Coronado with Erik Lawler, a former roommate in NYC and his lovely wife Tara.  Erik had begun orientation that day for a program called Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) in pursuit of his dream to be a Navy SEAL officer.  Based out of the Naval Special Warfare Center on the island he is training to be a warrior of the highest caliber to defend our country’s interests abroad.  After leaving a promising career to pursue his dream, he is going “off belay” but certainly in a different way.

Dinner with the Lawler’s in Coronado, CA

After sharing a property line between our houses in college, many a powder day chairlift and even a night in a snow covered caboose (a wild story) it was a treat to reunite and stay with a friend for life like Kevin Bingham.  Situated right above Ocean Beach (OB) in Point Loma, “Kevin the Kid” as we used to call him quickly drew us into the Southern California pace of life.  In no particular order the daily lineup consisted of cruising the boardwalks on fixie bikes, surfing the swells at Ocean Beach and in a gastronomical finale ordering “Cali-style burritos” at local joint called Ortiz’s.  As if in a flashback to the famous surf flick, it felt like an Endless Summer in middle of December.