Are You Busy?

It’s summer time! We are enjoying the Year Without the Summer while it lasts! The cool breeze and late sunshine have been the perfect break from the usually sweaty summer weather. Out my window I can see the vacation condo’s on the bluff packed with guests airing out their beach towels and enjoying the afternoon breeze. When the sun peaks out for those few hours in the afternoon the harbor is packed with vacationers taking leisurely strolls and the athletically inclined running up and down Harbor Drive. Over at the other side of the harbor in Doheny Beach, the waves are packed with surfers and just North of me in Laguna Beach people are enjoying the water, beach volleyball, and having picnics packed with ripe fruit and cold beverages.

So the same question is brought to me quite frequently by friends and family, “so it’s the summer time, are you busy?” My answer: YES!! Even though the teachers that I work with are hopefully vacationing somewhere tropical and most importantly for them, very quiet and free of boisterous children; I am working away at the Institute listening to our students oohh and aww at the mysteries they are discovering during their short time with us. The team here is answering phones, setting up events and facilitating children and parents through our summer camp programs. We are answering ocean related inquiries including the all important question, “when is the best time to see the tide pools?” In case you are wondering to yourself right now, “yeah, that’s a great question, when is the best time to see the tide pools?” There is no general time of day that is best; low tide changes everyday. You can reference many online sites like: http://freetidetables.com/ or http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/californiasites.html. You could also purchase a tide calendar in our gift store.

What keeps me the busiest in the summer? Since you have already read the title of this blog, do I need to answer the question? The 2010 Laguna Beach Million Dollar Home Raffle! Besides the normal raffle operations of answering your phone calls, placing ads, and creating community relationships, this year, we started out with calling all of our previous buyers to thank them for their purchase and give them a chance to be one of the first people to participate in the raffle. My favorite days have been working with our local partners in the community setting up special offers for our ticket purchasers. Like the day we went to Sarducci’s in the beautiful city of San Juan Capistrano…..

If you’ve never visited the city of the SJC you need to put it on your list! The SJC Mission is considered to be the jewel of all the California missions and is located right in the center of the city. I love to be at the Mission on sunny bright days when there is a nice breeze coming through. It’s amazing how small you can feel while standing in the ruins of the Great Stone Church. The Ocean Institute is privileged to be able to send about 6,000 students through the Mission while en route to our residential facility in the Cleavland National Forest. The gardens and the history that is brought to life at the Mission are unforgettable. Sarducci’s is about a block away from the Mission right next to the Amtrak station and the Regency Theatre. The white chocolate raspberry cheesecake at Sarducci’s is about as unforgettable as the city of SJC. Bring your email confirmation of your 2010 Laguna Beach Million Dollar Home Raffle ticket purchase down to Sarducci's for a slice of that cheesecake or any other dessert of your choice OR a free split of champagne!

Raffling the Good Life,

Rachel Gomez