…who is the bringer of joy and delight. Seriously, one time I was walking down the street with him and this lady rolled her window down and honked at us just so he’d be sure to see her waving at him.

The boardwalk was nearly empty. Something about a Super Bowl happening that day? But that was just fine with us. We got to take our pick of fortune tellers and rides.

Then we drove to Monterey because my dad wanted to see the man with the little monkey in the little suit who takes coins out of your hand in return for him having to wear the suit.

We couldn’t find the monkey (and everyone we asked about him seemed to think we were a little crazy), but we did find a man with a cart of birds. I mean, they weren’t wearing suits or any clothes at all, but they were a cart of birds. Just being pulled around town. That’s gotta count for something right? My dad was not impressed.

As the sun started to set, we walked down the wharf and tried all the clam chowder samples before deciding where to eat dinner. We were all still wearing exactly what we wore that afternoon, without a jacket or anything. It’s winter days like this that make me remember why I really, really love living in California.