Gerry Ellen moved to the village of Cambria, California, in 2020, looking for a change of pace. After many years working as a writer in San Diego, she was ready for a quieter life. One day that September, she went out to buy petrol and stopped at Cayucos, a popular dog-walking spot on the coast. “My little dog and I used to go everywhere together,” she says.
While there, she spotted a hand-written sign telling people to remove their rubbish from the beach. “I started reading it out loud and noticed a man behind me was doing the same thing. I turned around and thought: ‘I really need to meet this person.’”
