Malibu Barbie. . . move over

Move over, Barbie. There's a new doll baby in town, and she's bringing her own version of Ken with her. And we didn't need no stinkin' pink convertible to get us to Malibu, either. (Sarge would never ride in a pink car anyway. He put the macho in machismo.)

Number 141 on my Bucket List is Rent A Beach House, and we finally did! Though we didn't so much rent it as we did exchange our home for it. (Me thinks we got the best end of that deal!) They wanted to stay in the desert, we wanted to stay on the beach.

And when I say "on the beach," that's what I mean. If you jumped off the balcony of the home where we stayed, you'd land in the ocean. So there was no beachfront to lay out on (unless you want to sun on the rocks, and the only time I like "on the rocks" is in a cocktail.) But the home had THREE, count 'em, three balconies, and we spent time on each one. (Click on the slideshow to see the captions)

We arrived on a Friday, checked the place out, put our Clicquot in the fridge and went for a salmon supper at Malibu Seafood and Fish Market. Simple (no servers) and inexpensive ($$), but fresher than a frisky first date. It's right on Pacific Coast Highway, and you can see the sun set from there, but we chose to watch it from the first balcony back at the house.

The next day, we drove down PCH, saw a couple of celebs at the local Ralph's Market, then had lunch at Duke's, a restaurant on the water's edge. It's a place created by the father of surfing and the ambassador of aloha, Duke Kahanamoku. Old photos and memorabilia from surfing of summers past line the walls reminiscent of Gidget and the Big Kahuna.

No, Sarge and I don't surf, but that didn't stop us from creating our own version of Beach Blanket Bingo on our last day there. We invited a few friends down for brunch at Moonshadows Restaurant, famous for its Mel Gibson arrest, but they also have the best bar in town: friendly patrons and proper drinks, if you know what I mean. Food was good, too.

Then we all retreated back to the beach house for funnin' and sunnin' on the third-floor balcony. We whiled away the afternoon until dusk when we had to pack up and leave. I missed it as soon as we left. There's something about the waves crashing against the shore that has a calming effect. Someone should record that sound and sell it. Oh, they do? Guess that'll have to do until I get back to Malibu. Some day.

Have you ever slept on the beach? Watched the sun sizzle as it sets on the water? Rented a beach house, farm house, tree house?
Tell us about it.