Last night I enlisted Steve and Ilya to drive south to San Clemente to visit one of the Pizza Port brew pubs. It was about what I expected: above average food and really tasty beers. After ordering food and drinks we sat outside at a long, narrow picnic table, shoveling our faces until it was time for another round of beers. When we were full, we decided to talk a walk down to the San Clemente Municipal Pier and its surrounding beach. We sat watching the tide before deciding to walk to the end of the pier. I left my good camera in the car, so you’re going to have to deal with poor-quality camera-phone pictures.
Amtrak train passing:
Pacific / Pier:
Fire pit on the beach:
Steve and Ilya:
When we reached the end, we happened upon a pair of grizzled old men. They had a half-dozen fishing poles propped against the railing, lines extended into the murky water, and they proudly displayed their catches on the wooden walkway for all passersby to see.
1) Shovelnose Guitarfish – “A ray that ranges from central California down to the Sea of Cortez. The species has one documented case of an attack on a diver when a male guitarfish was interrupted during mating.”
2) Spider Crab – The guy said it was a spider crab, and it looked kind of like a portly spider crab (according to pictures on Wikipedia), but the articles says they’re only found on the east coast.
3) Spiny dogfish – “One of the best known of the dogfish (small shark). There are actually several species to which the names are applied, but all are readily distinguished by their having two spines (one anterior to each dorsal fin) and their lack of an anal fin (hahaha! anal fin!). It is found in shallow waters and offshore in most parts of the world, especially in temperate waters.
We stayed and spoke to the two men for quite some time. One of them was very nice and somewhat shy. The other, as Ilya accurately described, was the saltiest old man you could ever imagine. He was a foul-mouthed, sarcastic cynic with a penchant for making caustic remarks. I think he’s my hero. Anyway, this guy would make fun of everyone who was there fishing when they would reel in eels, little rays (one of which swallowed a hook, only to have one of the guys attempt to rip it out of its stomach!), and the coolest catch by far, a newborn leopard shark. It couldn’t have been more than five inches in length. According to the salty old fellow, it was likely born hours — maybe even minutes — before it was caught. We all took turns holding it, and then I had the pleasure of throwing it back into the Pacific.
We hung around the pier for quite some time, striking up conversation with passersby and listening to the old men talk at great length. Steve recommended we take off shortly after midnight, so we walked uphill to my car and drove back to Los Angeles. I didn’t fall asleep until shortly after 4:30 this morning, and I’m quite tired today. It’s Fawn’s birthday, so I bought her flowers and I’m helping her paint the living room. It’s been a relaxing day.
