Tag Archives: Beaches

Southwold Pier

Located in the coastal town of Southwold, this old school pier is a little like a step back to a more innocent time. Originally built in 1909 the pier has suffered many ups and down having been destroyed by storms in 1937, 1955 and again in 1979 reducing it to a length of 60 ft. After much renovation, today’s pier extends 620 ft into the North Sea.

Southwold Pier

English Sunbather or Crime Victim. You decide.

Bench Armrest

The Under The Pier Show

While many classic English seaside piers have been in decline the Southwold Pier is enjoying renewed popularity, partly due to the “The Under The Pier Show” which features a range of automata, machines and games designed by Tim Hunkin, an English engineer, cartoonist, writer, and artist living in Suffolk. They are about the most peculiar arcade games I’ve ever seen.

Storm the super yacht and get even with the super rich.

Sit in the chair and travel on holiday, moved by the magic carpet. After manic flight and coach ride, arrive in tropical paradise and get brief suntan from heatlamp.

Sit on the fly’s proboscis and experience a fly’s eye view of the world. Stop to eat for as long as you dare, but beware of the fly swat.

Place hand in dog’s cage and hold it there for as long as you dare. Dog pants, dribbles warm saliva and other disgusting things.

I’ll let you work out where the finger goes.

Sit with head half inside processing chamber and watch through mirrors while your scalp is removed and your brain is scrubbed clean. Made by Will Jackson.

Turn the dive lever and descend to the seabed. After witnessing many marvels, get swallowed by a giant fish which causes the craft to leak. Fortunately reverse thrusters are provided for escape.

Start training for your future today! Cross the motorway using the zimmer frame.

Hold stethoscope again chest and let the doctor diagnose your complaint and write out an illegible prescription.

Wendi’s favorite. Stand on the treadmill, hold the dog’s lead and go for a walk. Includes stops at several interesting sights.

Quantum Tunneling Telescope – Focusing time and space to bring you everything you could possibly want to see through a pier telescope.

Beach Huts

These bright colored Beach Huts are small wooden boxes just above the high tide mark. Many were former fishermen’s huts and boat sheds that are now used as shelter from the sun or wind, changing into and out of swimming costumes and for the safe storing of some personal belongings most incorporate simple facilities for preparing food and hot drinks by either bottled gas or an occasional generator.

Southwold Beach Huts

You cannot live in these and the length of stays is closely monitored. They were originally offered for hire at £12 10s per year, now they can sell for £40,000 or more.

The Walk of Mirrors

Tossa de Mar

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My good friend and spiritual advisor Big Dog Beller has been telling me for years to go to the Costa Brava and stay in Tossa de Mar. We finally made it and he was right, of all the coastal resort towns we have seen, it is the most charming. A little remote, not too crowded, nice shopping district, some quaint family run restaurants, two small beaches and a terrific walled old town. The place has kind of an old South Beach feel, but with history. We even stayed at the Hotel Florida.

The road winds northeast up the coast for about 30 km, hugging the shore and offering fabulous views of coves and inlets with the clearest water you have ever seen.

Tossa de Mar’s additional claim to fame is as the location of the 1951 hit movie “Pandora & the Flying Dutchman” starring Ava Gardner and James Mason. There are pictures all over town of Ava cavorting with the locals while Frank Sinatra, her husband at the time, maintains a somewhat jealous vigil on the activities. They have even erected a statue of her on the ramparts overlooking the town.

The Need For Standardization

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The Dog’s Cajones

As you can see from the storefront above, the Spanish seem to like dogs. There are quite a few around and they all seem fairly friendly. We are in an urban area with a lot of people so I understand the need to control pets and in particular where they leave “Nature’s Callings”. But there needs to be some standardization in signage so that everyone is on the same page. Without a clear and concise message these things are open to interpretation. Things can spin out of control. The result could be pet anarchy. This sign is a perfect example of a generic municipal sign. The dog depicted is completely bland and figureless. This could be any dog, which is the point. There is no room for error.

Perfectly Generic Dog Sign

On the other hand, I’m not even sure that this one is a dog. From what I can see of it behind the red bar it’s a wolf. Of course nobody wants a wolf on the beach. What are you crazy?

Wolf?

Now this one’s a puppy, a friendly puppy. Who doesn’t like puppies?

Adorable Puppy

This one is just sad. Why have they decided to embarrass this poor dog? I think that we’re all smart enough to know why we don’t want the dog on the beach. Do we really have to humiliate the poor creature? And what’s with the perfect dog in the lower right? Go ahead just rub it in a little bit more.

Just Humiliating

This one’s not a dog. It’s a hand puppet, right?

Hand Puppet

This dog’s just a little crazy. To me the sign says “No Ditzy Dogs On The Beach”.

Crazy Dog

I find this one particularly troubling. This is not a generic dog. This is a very specific dog. We were so certain that they were singling out a particular canine that we went around the neighborhood showing people the picture and asking them if anyone knew this dog and what exactly had he done. He looks like a pretty nice dog to me.

Whose Dog Is This?

They keep telling us, “he went away” or maybe it was, “you should go away”.

Jose The Good Dog

Peniscola

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We spent a toasty afternoon in Peniscola, a terrific little seaside city with a great beach and promenade. It was a hot day and the beach was covered with sunbathers and multicolored umbrellas for miles.

Peniscola Playa

Stock Image

The beach sits at the bottom of the old town which clings to a rocky promontory that is crowned with the city’s big attraction, the Castell del Papa Luna. The castle was built in the late 13th century by the infamous Knights of Templar, but really made it’s mark as the residence/hideout for Pope Benedict XIII, i.e. Papa Luna.

The Church of the Castle

Luna was named Pope during the Great Schism that split the Papacy in the 14th century, but was deposed in 1414. He lived here until he died in 1423 and complained about losing the job until the bitter end.

Papa Luna greets all visitors

Because of the Castle’s position, being surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, some have called Luna “Pope of the Sea”.

From the ramparts towards the beach

Lighthouse from the main entrance

Chapel Door

To the top lookout

From the ramparts out to sea

From the ramparts south to the harbor

Across the Old Town

Peniscola’s fame was reinvigorated in 1961 when Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren arrived to film the epic spectacular EL Cid.

El Cid 1961

A little footnote for you film buffs. Sophia sued because her name is below Charlie’s. The suit read, “It is impossible to determine or even to estimate the extent of the damages which the plaintiff will suffer.” Maybe a whisper touchy?

My trusty companion braves the afternoon heat

On The Edge

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Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

“Like many before me, I’ve been called to the sea.” TW

Welcome to the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s premier disembarkation point for the netherworld. I don’t mean to demean the sheer awe-inspiring grandeur of the Cliffs. The place is indeed jaw droppingly beautiful. Sadly though, a few folks don’t just come to look, but view it as a more interactive activity. This is a hugely popular tourist attraction so it’s not really in anyone’s best interest to keep an accurate count. In 2008 there were four documented suicides, a relatively small numbers when compared to places like the London Underground which loses 150 – 200 people a year. Bear in mind, the actual number of deaths is not widely known and the vast majority are classified as accidents, but with 30 mph wind gusts and warning signs every few feet, I tend to think of it more as stupidity. We watched at least 50 people ignore the warnings in order to have their picture taken as close to the edge as possible. The last jumper was a young Estonian doctor who bought a one way ticket to Dublin, drove a rented car across the country, walked out of the parking lot directly to the cliff and, without hesitation, she leapt 750’ to the sea below. Oddly, neither the one way ticket nor the CCTV footage was enough to convince officials it was a suicide.

Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

By all means don’t let my love of odd statistics scare you off. Come to this amazingly beautiful place, but be extremely careful. I don’t know if there have been any definitive studies, but can anyone deny that a huge precipice, like a magnet, draws the mind to the edge?

: Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

: Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

: Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

: Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

: Caution – Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

: Suicide Line – Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

Memorial – Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

Cloverdale to Hebo

Grapes and Gravel

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Bits and Pieces.

A little of this and that with some of these and those. Whenever we’re finishing up one of these roadtrips there are always a few images that don’t really fit into any group.

So these are just a few loose ends. See you all soon.

A Happy House

They’re Watching!

The Provocateur

The Inspector

Nap Time

The Beach at Cardiff By The Sea

The Sign Doesn’t Fill Me With Confidence.

Bryar Is Ready To Go.

The Butcher Boy – SD Maritime Museum

Johnson Sea-Horse

So Simple But So Scary.

This is where the torpedo goes.

Stylin’

Kindness Bus Tour 2012

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The Hippies Are Back! And Not A Minute Too Soon!

I bumped into this “smile on wheels” today while in Encinitas.

The Kindness Bus Tour

Apparently Bob Votruba and his dog, Bogart, are dedicated to spreading one million random acts of kindness all over the nation. Ya gotta love it!

Check them out at http://www.onemillionactsofkindness.com/.

Song Of Sand

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“If sand waves were sound waves. What song would be in the air now?”

Suzanne Vega

Cardiff Beach 3

Cardiff Beach 4

Cardiff Beach 5

Cardiff Beach 7

Cardiff Beach 8

Cardiff Beach 9

Money For Nothing

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Panhandling…Begging or Working?

I pulled into La Jolla Village yesterday. For those of you who have not been here, La Jolla is one of the wealthiest communities in America. A place where the recession/ depression seems to be more a rumor or slight inconvenience then an every day reality.

At the 5 way intersection by the entrance to the Mall were 6 panhandlers. The closest to me was a twenty something with a sign proclaiming that he was a “down on his luck” Vietnam Veteran in desperate need of money. Given his age, this was clearly untrue. I made the comment to my friend that someone that young could find some job that pays as much as standing on a corner. Is there no shame? My friend told me not to be so quick to judge and explained why I was wrong. “The young man in question does have a job. He makes his own hours and pays no taxes. Begging is it”.

In the new America begging represents the height of entrepreneurial spirit. The act of making something from nothing with minimal resources. Standing on the corner with nothing more then a sad look and a piece of cardboard is boring and tedious work. But, given the right person with the right facial expression, the right amount of dirt and the right sign, on the right corner, someone can make as much as $50 or $60 an hour during peak traffic times.

The truthfulness of the sign is irrelevant. It is advertising, plain and simple. It is designed to illicit sympathy and spur the “customer” into giving. My friend also pointed out that it really isn’t “Money For Nothing”. The panhandler is providing a service. Everyone that hands over a dollar feels better and is saying to themselves, “There, but for the grace of God, am I”.

Still, if all of this is true and begging is just a new type of business, we quickly noticed that the “advertising” signs being used are poorly crafted and hugely antiquated for such an affluent community. After all, advertising has rules. Your message should be three to five words, maximum, finish by asking for the sale and, most importantly, know your demographic.

Wendi & I have decided they need our help.

Am desperate for an IPhone4..... God Bless

OMG the price of Jimmy Choo... Be Kind

Premium Cable Went Up...Again! Pls Help $

Premium Cable Went Up... Again! Please Help $

Pilate bill is past due...Please Help Now

The Spring Line is in...Please Give

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Tag Archives: Beaches

Southwold Pier

Tossa de Mar

The Need For Standardization

Peniscola

On The Edge

Cloverdale to Hebo

Grapes and Gravel

Kindness Bus Tour 2012

Song Of Sand

Money For Nothing