Sampling the Coast

This is the script for my Toastmasters Speech #4 — “How to Say It” from the Basic Manual.

We parked our car at the glass beach. I leaped out of the car and ran toward the beach. Right in front of me, thick foamy waves galloped towards the shore like thousands of horses with white hooves. The sound of the waves crashing, mixed with distant caws of the seagulls, was rhythmic, relaxing and soothing. The fluffy foam looked delicious and reminded me of the foam on my latte. I breathe in the salty sea air, my eyes gazed afar over the vast ocean, as the gentle sea breeze caressed my face and stroke my hair.

I climbed up the rocks to get a panoramic view of my surroundings. I noticed there was a tide pool to my right. It had clear crystal sea water, green seagrass swayed at the bottom. Its ripples glittered under the sunlight like the glamorous gowns from the Klimt paintings. On the left, you can hear the waves splashing against the rocks. On the right, there was the peaceful tide pool. When the wind blew, rings of soft ripples spread down along the water surface towards me. The ripples were mesmerizing, mystical and meditative. I could spend hours staring at the ripples.

Fort Bragg has always been on my bucket list. It’s amazing how the ocean made an old garbage dump into a thing of beauty. I went off to a treasure hunt for different color glasses. The glasses were scattered through the beach sand and rocks. They sparkled under the sun like gem stones. It was amazing to look for the rare colors such as turquoise, green, purple, red, and compare colors with my friend.

That night we stayed at the water tower cabin at Elk. The cabin had a huge water barrel at the top. The moment we walked into the cabin, the lighting was soft, there was music playing from an antique record player in the background, the cream colored futon and soft thick pillows looked cozy and inviting. At the right corner of the living-room, we discovered a secret staircase, illuminated by soft candles showing us the path up. As we went up, we discovered a bedroom on the second floor. The blanket was neatly folded. At the center of the bed, there was a small jar holding a decorative plant and welcome note. The smell of soft incense permeated the room. There was an old kerosene lamp by the window. It looked aged, ancient, antique, and artistic. I found a pack of matches next to it, and eagerly lit up the cord in the middle. That night, we spent hours taking turns playing DJs at the living room. Sampling the different vinyl records transported us back to the 70s.

The next day we visited the Bryan P. Reserve. It’s an 100 acre ranch that housed some of the most endangered animals including antelopes, zebras and giraffes. Zebra look cute, but I learn that they are wild animals with a powerful kick and a mouth of big teeth. My highlight of the day was meeting with the giraffes. As they saw us approaching, they came out of their tall animal farm houses like the scenes from a cartoon and galloped toward us. I’ve never been so up close with giraffes. I looked up and marveled at how giant they looked. It felt surreal as if I am meeting with dinosaurs. They had beautiful long fluttering eyelashes and big curious eyes. I put slices of sweet yam between my lips so I get to kiss the giraffes. Their giant tongues felt a bit like sandpaper but not as rough. The yams must be a delicacy to the excited giraffes that licked me all under my chin. Luckily their licks were more dry than drooly, and I couldn’t stop giggling.

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