Saturday, March 22: Game Over
Not a lot to report today. Last day here and didn’t surf, again. So all I’ve got going is that one session at Little Malibu, and the cleanup wave at Tres. That’s it. The swell fell down and Maria’s looked to be about shoulder high this morning, and there were LOTS of people riding. Nice and clean, too. But I’m not there for it. It’s my last day here and I spend it mostly just sitting in Rob’s back yard under the bean tree. Around me I can hear the sounds of the valley below. Cows, horses, roosters, birds, and an occasional car driving by somewhere in the distance. The wind has switched around to the south, and it’s just as balmy as anyone could stand with a blue sky and a few cottony little clouds floating overhead. There’s about four or five different kinds of birds, all with their own distinct calls, softly letting each other know they’re still here. A lizard appears low on the tree trunk, iconic in its dark frozen pose. Yellow butterflies flit by now and then. Rob’s cat comes by for a scratch, and then jumps up into my lap and abides a while, before silently moving off through the soft grass here in the back yard. Chopper comes by and then he too takes a spot in my lap, and the two of us just languidly sit there together for a good long while.
The cows suddenly appear at the fence from somewhere down the steep slope in the valley. Chopper springs to life, runs over to the fence, and barks fearsomely at them. They stare back at him with completely blank looks. Two adult cows and two calves, one small and one medium-sized. Eventually they lose interest and plod away. Chopper loses interest too, and then heads for the back porch. Later on Rob will drive me to the airport and then I’ll be gone. But for now, it’s just me sitting under the bean tree and that’s all that matters
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