I’m in San Diego working on a few stories for the newspaper and spent the weekend at my friends’ place on Coronado. Being here as a journalist reminds me of my summer as a very young reporter for the LA Times, when I’d spend lonely evenings on the beach watching sunsets and thinking big.

This view has always felt like my personal reset button.

Some scenes from the weekend:

A drippy yellow plum . . .

. . . enjoyed with this view.

The grande dame of seaside hotels, which is across the street:

A visit to Seaside Papery to indulge my paper-hoarding problems:

Blushing piles of blood oranges at the Sunday morning farmer’s market:

A morning walk around the island to admire the things that grow wild in people’s front yard — enormous calla lilies, even:

The chandelier at the Hotel Del:

Easter-egg-hued hydrangeas at my favorite garden shop:

This morning, the beach is cold and gray — just another kind of beautiful. I’m wearing two sweaters to my interview — which is kind of a gift.