Catalina Saturday

Who's ready for autumn? This girl. I'd be thrilled if the weather would just cool down a little, just so I'm not sweating ALL the time. I like warm weather, but not being able to sleep because it's so hot is not my favorite. Then again, if we had air conditioning, I'll bet I'd be whistling a different tune. Gorgeous, hot weather outside and a cool, comfortable apartment? That's the stuff.

This morning, after sweating in my sleep, I thought I'd bust out another sweat session. I was all laced up and ready to lift and HIIT, but something (my hamstrings) was craving something else (yoga). I gladly rolled out my mat and practiced about 30 minutes of yoga to start the day.

No shoes necessary

Scout hid from my sweaty mess.

A few hours later, I ferried over to Catalina to spend the afternoon with Terry. He finished up diving around noon, right when I arrived, and we squeezed in a few hours of quality time together.

For lunch, pizza and panino at C.C. Gallagher. It was actually a little strange; the cafe is a combination of a store, wine bar, and restaurant. They even have an ice cream shop! The service was slow, but we overheard the waitress say that the chefs make everything from scratch, so I tried to appreciate the hard work that went into our meals. Terry ordered the burrata and heirloom tomato pizza, and I opted for the roasted chicken and roasted red pepper panino with pesto. We both thought our meals were good, not great. Certainly a fun meal though!

After lunch, we started the long trek up to the famous Wrigley Botanical Gardens, about a mile and a half away from the main strand. No problem, right? Yeah, well, 90 degree weather, exhaustion (did I mention I haven't been sleeping well in this heat?), and no shade encouraged us to reevaluate our choice. We ended up calling it quits and headed back down to the Casino (not an actual casino, I learned). We checked out the museum and learned all about Catalina's history and the connection to William Wrigley, Jr. Some interesting tidbits:

• Wrigley--yes, the gum guy--started his company by selling soaps and providing his customers with some free extra. When he sent his customers gum with their soap, they loved it so much that he made it his main focus. To expand the business, he sent everyone in the phone book free gum. (Don't you wish all companies started by offering everyone free trials?)
• Catalina was a big player in WWII, and we got to see footage of the military training on the island. 
• Marilyn Monroe lived on the island for several months when she was married to her first husband, and she began her modeling career there.

The little tour was actually really interesting, but the museum felt almost as hot as being outside. We gladly stopped at Big Olaf's, the island's famous ice cream shop, for a cone to cool off. And finally, we played a quick round of miniature golf. We have only played once or twice before together! And it's probably for the best; I was horrible. 

The afternoon flew by, and I was back on the ferry home by 5:30. Terry is staying out for the night to get a few more dives in tomorrow. I have big plans tomorrow: workout, Pottery Barn fall decorating class, and some errands and grading to wrap up the weekend. 

Tonight, though, I'm celebrating Stanford's victory over USC and rooting for my Bruins!