Seems like a simple enough Google search, no? Oh, I was so, so wrong.
Those were the exact words that I typed into Google on Sunday morning. The sun was shining, it was unseasonably warm that day – over 80 – and the dogs were itching to go outside. I didn’t have much desire to make the epic journey to Carmel with the dogs that day, and as my laziness kicked in, and so did instant search. I found Baker Beach, which boasted sweeping views of the golden gate bridge, and allowed off leash dogs! I am always hesitant to take my dog to a beach where she has to be on leash the entire time. It seems to ruin the fun. She LOVES to run in the sand, swim in the ocean, dig, and hurdle. It’s as though her whole body at the beach is the definition of true happiness. She’s also still in training – coming from an abusive and neglecting former owner, she’s extremely attached and very weary of humans. She’s great off leash, and I love making her feel comfortable around large groups of people. I’m hoping some day she will begin to figure out that not all people want to hurt her. Needless to say, I’m a total mom.
So – we packed the car with WAY too much stuff, and headed to the beach – and man, pictures just can’t do justice for how beautiful it was, but I will try: (also – please excuse that these pictures were all taken on my cell phone as my camera’s battery decided to die right when we arrived):
See? It was unbelievably beautiful! Though, as you can probably tell in this picture, Kahlua disappeared for a little bit. After a slight panic, we discovered that she had replaced us with what she had determined to be a better family. She was sitting on a blanket with a young couple and their adorable baby. She was very unhappy when we took her back. I’m convinced that she was ready to leave us forever.
After acquiring the fatty, we headed down the beach toward the bridge. It was unbelievably picturesque: families picnicking, babies splashing in the water, kids building sand castles. Save for the dirty sand, it was perfect. Unfortunately things started to go a bit awry, a weird guy, mid twenties with a ponytail, boardshorts and a pack of camels tucked into his palm as though it was his only possession in the world decided that he wanted to “play” with Layla. And by “play” I mean run after her, holding his hands up and growling and barking in her face. I asked him to please stop – she had been doing SUCH a good job of ignoring people – but now she was scared, alert, and barking her head off at this guy. So of course, when a kid ran by she freaked out and started barking at the kid. I was SO mad! Is this normal? After spouting some choice words at this guy (use your imagination) we got the dog back on the leash and under control. Much to our dismay.
So we shook it off and kept walking. Suddenly, I saw something even more abnormal. There was a man, standing with his feet in the surf, naked. Old wrinkly ass reflecting in the sun. Quickly I point this out to Victor, who then spotted another, and another. Sure enough, the further we went down the beach, the more naked people we encountered. Vic pulled out his iPhone and checked – sure enough, it was also a clothing optional beach! Shouldn’t that have been in the description somewhere?! Best dog beach (ps – you may see some full frontal nudity as well)? Seriously people, if it’s a nude beach, give me some warning before I end up balls deep in family fun day.
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but I seem to find it a bit odd that the only people choosing to partake in the “clothing optional” part of the beach were older, impeccably groomed (again, use your imagination people) men. Not a naked lady in sight. Also, it should be noted that I am not mature AT ALL. So my husband, embarrassed and slightly amused at my giggle fit directed me away from the naked people and back to the part of the beach that had more clothed people. It should also be noted that this beach is not big. It’s small, and by no means segregated into “nude” and “non-nude” sections. Definitely not the way I expected my family fun day to end up.
Oh San Francisco, you weird, weird city. However, can you really beat this view?
At the end of the day, this still takes my breath away.
Comments