"The beauty, the beauty, I could marry it!"

For those of us born with the name "Mishel," the ocean is the happiest place in the world.

Three heavenly days in Hermosa Beach, CA with the Lovely Monsters, Taya (7) and Campbell (9). It's been too long since witnessing a sunset over the Pacific.

The ocean was warm and a glittering green with funky thick waves that gave you the thrill of being at the top of a curl thinking "uh-oh, here I go" but then the weight of it kept you bouncing on top like a joy ride. Total heaven. Above, a shot of T and C digging to China and if you look hard you can see a wave forming behind the seafoarm.

When Campbell and I were in the water he kept proclaiming "The beauty, the beauty, I could marry it!" Another time we were walking on the beach and passed a clump of kelp. He pointed to it and said, "Pulp of the ocean." I immediately stole it and slipped it in a poem--with the originator's approval.

Taya, admittedly, prefers to parade around like a slave-labor model than hit the surf. I'll give her two years to get over her fear of the "green room," which in surfer's lingo is the inside curl of a wave.

When I go out with the kids, people usually assume I'm their mom. One time I couldn't get Taya to walk to the beach with me so I picked her up and slung her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. A man nearby said, "Nice going Mom!" Taya whispered to me, "He called you Mom. You're not my Mom." To which I replied, "Just give me this."

Here's a poem Campbell and I wrote together, mainly Campbell; I just transcribed it.

The treasure chest that lies in
the ocean sparkles with loneliness.
The trays at lunchtime smash
into each other in the food assembly line.
A boy in the street has no-
where to go. The rain is filled
with silver. Wishes blow through
the town. Everything can be
done in life.