We had arranged to meet Jorge and John at Crystal Cove. It had been raining all day. They finally called and said they were headed down from Los Angeles. We took Pacific Coast Highway south to the park, passing a phenomenal rainbow on the way. As we neared Corona del Mar the storm picked up so ferociously that for a moment I thought I was back in Calcutta during monsoon. But it only lasted a few minutes. And was gone.
We pulled into the parking lot at Crystal Cove. Jorge and John were huddled inside their Miata. I rolled down my window and looked at Jorge. "Why aren't you getting out?"
"Wait a minute," he said. "You'll see." Ten seconds passed and it was cats and dogs all over again.
They jumped into our van. We watched as the sky would alternately unleash torrents of rain and abruptly stop. As if some prankster had access to an ON/OFF switch.
Finally it let up long enough for a long stroll down by the beach. Ribbons of fresh water cascaded off usually bone dry cliffs, forming rippled streams that coursed their way to the ocean. Gulls squatted uneasily along the line of thick foam churned up by frothy waves. The girls played endlessly in the sand. And the sun shone itself through heavy clouds.
Then it started raining like crazy and we ran back to the cars.
