the day there were no seals at san simeon

 look behind us. no seals.

last october, robert and i drove down the west coast. let it be known that we are both from the tiny town of wallburg, and are not experienced travelers. myrtle beach was a big time to us. so to be out west? absolutely exhilarating. i spent months making a travel binder. that is a blog post in and of itself, my friends. i even used sheet protectors. sheet protectors!

one of the highlights of the trip was supposed to be the seals lying along the banks of san simeon, just up from hearst castle. we drove into the little town around 11:00 at night. the only restaurant open was the empty one in the motel. we slunk into a little table on the side, right by the window, black with midnight. we ate oyster stew that cost $8 a cup. we went to bed excited with the promise of seals in the morning.

but morning came. and with it, our trek along the muddy waterside. our peering over the guardrails and driving along the shore. and there were no seals. i think we went at the wrong time of the year. either way, my heart sunk as we drove away.

but later that day, we came upon santa barbara. with its gorgeous old mission and taquerias. and i forgot all about the seals, or lack thereof.

i was taught a lesson that day. that looking forward to things is fabulous. my office calendar is littered with yellow and purple highlights, markings of things to come. but sometimes, expectations fail. and it's fine. sometimes there are no seals, no matter how hard you look. but sometimes, yes sometimes, you come upon a santa barbara, something even better than you were looking for. ten times better, even.

has anyone seen the seals at san simeon? are they real? a myth? please do tell.