SNOWBIRDING

We’ve taken winter breaks before, but this time is different. We’ve come to Oceanside, California, just north of San Diego. We’re here for six and a half weeks—so we’ve joined the ranks of snowbirds. When we first got here, we wondered: what will we do for such a long time?

We decided to do some work while we’re here, so we brought two laptops with us. But we’ve also gone on long walks every day and have had lots of fun doing touristy stuff—the Scripps Aquarium, Safari Park, Torrey Pines, botanical gardens, the USS Midway, the California Surf Museum, and lots of other museums.

 Also, we’ve gotten to see (and sometimes meet) California natives: surfers, dogs (of many varieties), seals, pelicans, dolphins…

The day after we arrived, I bought a new sketchpad at the Thursday morning Farmers’ Market in Oceanside. It’s handcrafted in Indonesia and the pages are made of rice paper. I bring my sketchpad everywhere I go—sketching means this is a true vacation.

Staying in Oceanside, we really are by the ocean’s side—next to the beach and a large harbor. We’re staying in a large, beautifully landscaped apartment complex called North Coast Village. We’ve met retirees who come here year after year from all over the US and Canada. Many of them have been coming here for up to 20 years, and they stay two or three months each winter. There are get-togethers—potlucks, coffee mornings, and even a wine-and-cheese party. We’ve made new friends.

We love to travel. It’s exciting to explore new places, to wander along unfamiliar streets and trails, to enjoy the sites, to get lost sometimes, and to breathe a sigh of relief when we find our way. But Oceanside is lovely, and we know the streets now. We’ve figured out the shortcuts. We know where to shop. Maybe we could do more snowbirding in our future—return to Oceanside, if not next year, the year after… The sunsets are spectacular.