A DAY AT THE BEACH

During our drive to Arizona last month, we got to spend about 23 hours in Santa Monica, the city where Julie and I lived immediately after we got married. But for Nate and Will, it was their first time.

While the little guys had been to the beach once when they were not quite one year old, this was the first chance they had to walk along a beach on their own power.Will sat right down and started playing in the sand.And Nate sometimes didn't know exactly what he was supposed to be doing.But they both had fun, and they both had a chance to meet some of our friends from California. What they might not of understood is just how wistful their parents (especially their father) were during the short visit. We lived a very good life and Santa Monica, and the flood of familiar sights, sounds, and foods made me desperately homesick for the place.

And when we drove away the next day, it was with the hope that we would return, maybe to stay. But that will take a giant pile of money that we just don't have right now. But for one day, it was nice to feel at home again.