Dating
Craig and I have a standing date day. When I was working I worked a 4/40 schedule (Monday – Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. – off EVERY Friday.) For several years EVERY Friday was our “date day.” Our date day is simple: walks at the beach, a movie, a meal out, a bike ride, a hike. It’s a day for us to spend together without the interruption of business. Period.
After we got married, we started “dating” again years ago when our girls were younger. 👨👩👧👧 We realized that our relationship could be compromised if we did not “stay in touch” so-to-speak, you know, make time for us – without the kids. With the day-to-day life of working, making a living, raising kids, helping with homework, keeping the house, cooking, laundry, paying the bills, taking classes, etc., it is so easy to lose touch with your spouse. We were determined NOT to lose touch or grow apart. When our girls were younger and we were not financially able to get away for a weekend, or even a night, we would send the girls to their grandmother’s OR allow them to spend the night at a friend’s house. We did this about once a month. This would give Craig and I the alone time that we needed at home to reconnect. On those nights we would pick up some dinner, light the fireplace, throw a blanket on the floor for some romance or pick up some dinner and just watch a movie, or just talk. The point being; we were alone, together. It was important time for us. It has worked quite well for our relationship; we have been married for 35 ½ years. 💑
Well, since I retired in December and we are both considered seniors now, we’ve changed date day to Tuesday. Why? Because we could, AND the theater offers senior discount rates on Tuesdays! A mid-week date day just seemed to make sense. So, today was our date day – we took Shorty to the beach.
The Beach
I suggested we take Shorty and our bikes to the beach for a ride. We parked at Torrance Beach and rode our bikes to Manhattan Beach on the Strand. The Strand is a paved bike path that runs alongside the beach from Torrance to Santa Monica.
We have ridden our bikes from Torrance to Dockweiler State beach a couple years ago, and years before that have even ridden as far as Santa Monica Beach, but today we opted for a shorter easy ride; round trip was only about 12 miles.
The weather was PERFECT for a beach ride; it was warm with a nice breeze, the sun was shining, but not too hot. We could tell that summer is in full swing. 🌞 There were summer👶 camps galore; beach ⛑safety classes, volleyball🏐 camps, kids day camps, and surf 🏄♂️🏄♀️camps. The beaches were filled with families enjoying the sun, surf and 🏊♂️ sand; little ones were building sand 🤴👸 castles while the older kids were splashing in the waves and body 🧜♀️🧜♂️surfing. The adults sat in their chairs sipping libations 🥤keeping an eye on their little ones. Further down the beach were the teens and young adults playing volleyball🏐 and practicing their serves with their not yet tanned little bodies. Others were laying in the sand chatting on their phones working on their tans.👙 It was a typical day at a Southern California beach with everyone appearing to enjoy themselves. Craig and I rode past and enjoyed these beach scenes. 🌊⛱.
It was about one in the afternoon and neither of us had eaten any breakfast, so we stopped for lunch at the Good Stuff on the Strand; a little beachside eatery that offers healthy fare and vegan options. We chose a table outside to enjoy the sun and people watch. My fish tacos were delish and Craig’s taco salad looked really tasty!
Sidebar: I don’t know about you, but when I ride my bike my butt starts to hurt about a half hour in. We both have a decent sized seats and a “gel seat cover” to boot. 🚲 I give profs to those that can ride their bikes hours on end. Maybe I should buy some of those padded “bike” shorts… hum🤔…. Anyway, that lunch stop was a welcome break from the bike seat. 😂🤣😁
After lunch we continued on the bike path to Manhattan Beach. It was a real nice relaxing ride; we took our time and enjoyed the sights and the sun.
Manhattan Beach Pier.
The “famous” Tony’s on the pier at Redondo Beach, CA
Colorful steps at Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach pier.
We rode about 12 leisurely miles total.
We got back to Shorty about 4 p.m. We grabbed our chairs and set them beside Shorty.
Craig grabbed his book, planted himself in his chair and began reading. I hung with Shorty for a while and then decided to join Craig outside and grabbed my stack of magazines that I hadn’t yet read: Costco, Westways and AARP. 😁 It was a nice, warm afternoon. Perfect weather.
Me soaking up some sunshine.
As we relaxed and read a few people approached and asked about Shorty. One lady shared that she and her husband have been talking about getting an RV but were not sure which one to get. She loved Shorty’s sleek style and colors and was so intrigued that I gave her a tour inside. She asked if I’d rent it out, “NO” 😊 with a smile, was my reply. I suggested she google companies that rent RV’s and attend RV shows to help her decide what she might like.
We packed up and left the beach just before 7. It was a great date day. 💑
I have to admit, my butt is still a little sore from that bike seat. 🤭😆🤣😂
Until next time. 🙋♀️
Road Trippin' with the Green's 