Since we weren’t in the same place for Christmas this year, my family moved Christmas to Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. We rented a condo on the water in Malibu with a view of the pier. (I didn’t know Malibu had a pier.)
I’d seen this El Matador sign in news coverage of the Woolsey Fire and wondered how much burned. (Actually, because there had just been a rain storm, much of the burned area was covered in vibrant green.)
I’ve also never been to El Matador that early in the day when the tide is high and the beach is gone.
Investigating to see if there is more beach around the corner.
A shorebird!
The fire burned up to to the cliffs but not over them. The saved homes were hit and miss. The one across the street was still there with a ring of green around it, but all that remained of the one to the west was a pillar of bricks with what looks like the remains of a second-story fireplace embedded in it. There are still signs posted around town thanking first responders.
Visiting the pier to eat at the Malibu Farm Restaurant and Cafe (which has locations at both ends of the pier).
This little guy turned out to be the pier’s local hustler. He’ll steal the top bun from your Impossible burger before the waiter can finish warning you about it.
The sandbar at the Malibu Lagoon on the other side of the pier, where Malibu Creek empties into the ocean.
Surfers and paddleboarders near the sandbar.
Back at the rental condo to take night shots.
It also happened to be the night of the blood moon!
Sunrise on the last morning in Malibu from the deck of the rental condo.