The Pirate Tower

This week we've basically lived in the OC. 

Mitchell had an impov rehearsal there on Thursday as normal, then on Friday evening we went to go and see a band play. They didn't come to Riverside, but they did tour in a few cities around us and this one in Santa Ana was the closest and easiest to get to. It was a really nice venue, with tiered standing so wherever you stood, and however short you are, you were guaranteed at least a half decent view. The bands were fun to watch, even though we'd only heard of them that week and had only bought the tickets the day before!

On Saturday we were up pretty early considering the previous late night, but had a good breakfast before heading out for a little local hike. We'd been to Box Springs before, but we started on a different trail head and followed a different path which turned out to be very steep! It felt long with so much uphill, but it took us less than two hours and we were back for lunch. It's still all green and there were even a couple of creeks with water in them.

Yes that is my hat

Box Springs was the park where I fell over last time, and I got a little injury this time too! I stepped on a branch and felt something spike me on the bottom of my foot. I took my shoe off thinking I'd got a thorn inside, but couldn't find anything, so I turned my shoe over. I found three giant spikes wedged into the sole, the longest nearly 2cm long! Fortunately, it didn't draw blood, but it did leave a mark on my foot!

That evening, Mitchell went out to dinner and to see an improv show with his group. Mitchell's note: It was a pancake restaurant called Pancakes R Us and every dish either was pancakes or came with a side of pancakes. I got an omelette (with a side of pancakes) and while we all complained about the size of the meals, all but one of our group of 4 finished them. We then drove a little way down the street just to get coffee before the show, because this is America and everything is too spaced out to just walk (it wasn't just laziness I swear!). The improv show was the second of the IFL series that I performed in two weeks ago and I'm honestly sort of glad I hadn't seen the show prior to being in it, it was super overwhelming and amazingly fast. If I didn't know I'd already been in it I would have doubted I could do it!

When we woke up, we made some pancakes and then went to the beach! We'd tried to find a secret pirate tower on Laguna Beach the first time we'd been, but hadn't been able to find the way down. This time, I'd read a blog about how to find it and came prepared. I knew where the stairs where, but even so we still took a few wrong turns before we could even make it onto the right road. 

When we finally made it down to the beach, we had to scramble over some rocks to get beyond the cliff, and then we saw the tower! It was a very popular photo spot as it's such an interesting landmark. It was originally a set of stairs to the beach for a private residence, but they're closed off now. 

Let down your hair!

The sea all around was so blue (but still cold) but I still went for a little paddle as the sun was hot that day. As this beach was mainly surrounded by private houses, there weren't any toilets, so we walked along the beach to see if we could find some further up, or if we'd have to turn back and get the trolley to main beach. After a bit of walking we saw some picnic benches up on the cliff and went to investigate. 

So clear and blue!

It turned out to be a really nice area with gardens and water fountains. We thought maybe we'd found an area which caters to a fancy hotel, but it was all public access! We found the toilets and then sat on one of the benches overlooking the sea to eat our lunch. It was such a nice spot and we think we've found our new favourite beach day area. 

We hung out on the beach and then headed home at the sun began to drop and it got a little cooler. The drive back was one of the quickest and easiest we've had so far because it was Super Bowl Sunday and the roads were deserted. 

In other news, I wrote an article for a magazine a few months back and it was published in the anniversary issue this week, and even made the cover story! I'll download the digital issue and can email it to anyone who's interested (just send me a message or comment with your name below). 

This was also my last week in the botanic gardens before I start work. It's been very lovely and on my last day they gifted me a little gift box with some English treats and a botanic gardens mug to take with me to work. 

Love you lots,

Emily and Mitchell

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