Christmas Eve Day in the Park

It was a chilly morning, even with a relatively late start: 37 degrees in Pasadena.

But, it was a brilliant winter morning, with nary a cloud in the sky, from Pasadena to San Clemente.

Still a bit swamped by the tide, some swell was showing through nonetheless while the winter sun glittered on the smooth surface and a soft offshore combed the peaks.

Few were in the water, which was a bracing 57 degrees...just right to test out the new 4-3 wetsuit!

Neil was waiting in the lot, Shawn O'Gorman arrived right on my heels, Ian right behind him.  Mark and Craig T. showed up while we were suiting up.  In short order, we had a good pod of eight in the water (Mark Ghattas, Shawn & Ian O'Gorman, Craig & Sean Tomson, Neil Frank and myself), while Heather O'Gorman and Mandy Ghattas basked ashore in the sun.

There were plenty of waves to go around, as the sticks gradually filled in.  Wave of the day was a beautiful, long left slide by Mark, from lineup to shore, witnessed by all.

While the swell never quite filled in, with the receding tide, to the degree that we'd hoped, it was a great holiday session on a beautiful winter morning.

By the time we exited, approaching noon, the holiday traffic jam was on....

A great way to finish the year at the Park!  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all.