Nomad Life - Day 81

After staying up way too late last night, I slept all the way through to the National Anthem (0800).  Still, it was a Sunday and I haven't had a lot of time to relax in quite a while.  As a result, I spent my normal time reading, doing puzzles and completing Duolingo exercised.  I ate breakfast in my room and then, because I noticed that there was a heavy marine layer outside, I decided not to leave the base (it didn't feel conducive to a hike with a view...).  I spent the next several hours in my Navy Inn room catching up on blog, finances, news, etc.  Made plans for later in the month with Allison M., Kerith R. and then went out to my car to do some loading/reloading.  Back in my room, I did some packing and unpacking of bags and boxes - I really needed to figure out where some things were!  I made lunch for myself in my "mini kitchen" (fortunately, I had some plastic ware because there were no dishes).  After lunch, I did some more reorganization in the car.  Happily, the weather was very nice by then (70s, clear, breezy).  Hoping to take advantage of the conditions to do some birding and watch the sunset I left my room at 1500 and went off in search of the Beach.  First, though, drove around the Flight Line, checking out the squadrons, aircraft and layout of the streets.  I saw P-8s, P-3s, C-130s and E-2s.  Strangely, though, the Base seemed quite deserted (maybe everyone was on a 96 hour liberty?).  After a little while (and some redirecting), I located the RV Park and NBVC Beach Motel (where I stayed during my 2009 visit).  After initially stopping on the Causeway to look at some birds through my binoculars, I parked at the Family Beach and walked around to do some formal birding (with Merlin App).  The location was awesome - I saw 38 species and most were new on my "Life List"! - I also got to see the Pacific Harbor Seal colony that I remembered from my last visit - they looked like rocks on the shore and were all sleeping.  Supposedly, there are 200+ seals in residence in the Estuary!  It was funny to see the birds walking among the seals.  While exploring nearby, I again (like I did in 2009) found the monument to the Alaska Air Flight 261.  This accident is significant to me because it was a similar aircraft to one I flew in the Navy and I wrote a paper on the crash for Graduate School.  I stayed in the area, watching the tide come in, for about an hour.  The weather remained clear and pleasant but the temps started decreasing as the afternoon wore on.  Undeterred, I continued walking along the beach and access roads and logged about 1.5 miles.  When a strong wind rose in the west, I noticed that many of the birds (especially pelicans and terns) started flying west toward the Channel Islands.  The sun was soon obscured by a new marine layer and it became clear that I'd never get to watch a sunset from the beach.  Dang...  I returned to my room (arrived 1645) and did a few more light organization/cleaning tasks until it was time to call my father at 1700.  Right around that time, "Retreat" played twice for some reason...  My dad and I talked for over an hour.  By the time we hung up, it was chilly outside so I ended up changing into jeans and a long sleeved shirt (first time in a while).  After that (1825), I left NBVC (Point Mugu) and headed to Port Hueneme so I could attend Mass at the Seabee Chapel .  I followed Google Maps (mistake) but it directed me to a closed base gate.  When I tried to find another one and was successful, I was turned away by the guard ("this isn't the right part of the base for you").  Fortunately, he did give me some better guidance and, after I drove about a mile farther north on Ventura Road, I found a way into the base.  As a result of getting misdirected, I used up all my buffer time and arrived at the chapel just before the service began (1900).  There was a member of the Chaplain Corps staff at the door to "take attendance" (I assume they are trying to decide if a service at that time is justifiable).  We also had a guest priest (I think he worked at a local church).  Also, since it was an ecumenical chapel, the Mass was a bit abbreviated and missing some of the bells and whistles.  Regardless, it was nice to be in church again after such a long break!  Afterwards (1950), I drove back to NBVC to make dinner in my room.  I had hoped to pick up some beer on the way but all the NEX stores were closed...   Starting at 2015, I ate some food I made in the microwave and worked on my eBird entries.  There was a bit of time for me to get some more steps (and reached my 10K goal by 2200).  Before bed, I read a bit more and then turned out the lights by 2220.  Strangely, today's "relaxing" and "productivity" were almost a perfect balance of "just right."  Hope this recharges the batteries for a more active week ahead!