Back To The Beach
“Remember – Walking in the sand
Remember – Walking hand in hand
Remember – The night was so exciting
Remember – Smile was so inviting” The Shangri-Las 1964
Dog Prints
Buster
Footprint
Solana Beach
Lifeguard Station 3
Getting Ready To ParaSurf
Come On Work It!
Encinitas, Leucadia & Solana Beach
We’re spending most of our time hanging out in North County. Amid the big hotels, super spendy condos and gigantic beach houses there is still a little funk.
This sign has been here for over 30 years.
State of the Art in the 60s.
Grease Lasts Forever.
Encinitas Street Sign.
The Daley Double Saloon
Sure it looks a little scary, but they have very cold Negra Modello on draft. That can’t be bad
“No Bare Feet”
The La Paloma is a great little movie theatre from the 20’s. There is a reference to the name “La Paloma” is one of America’s most important classic movies. Does anyone know what that is?
The La Polama
Sunshine & Palm Trees
Del Mar Beach Dog Park
Well, one thing that has definitely changed is that dogs are prohibited on almost all Southern California beaches. We did manage to locate the Del Mar Beach Dog Park. It’s a great little corner of beach at the border between Del Mar and Solana Beach, filled with whacky K9s of every size and description and their equally whacky owners.
Emma is 14 now so bringing her to the dog park was a somewhat bittersweet experience. A little like taking your elderly Grandmother to an amusement park. She’s glad to be out of the house but why the hell are all these crazy ill mannered children running around and why do they keep sniffing my butt. Despite the fact that Emma took a sort of wall flower approach to the festivities and was more of an observer to all the frantic running around, she did brighten up and managed to carefully inspect every grain of sand.
Del Mar Beach Dog Park
Guidance.
I’m Cool!
This Is My Beach!
The Clamdigger
The General
A Little Sneaky
Our month in Southern California has begun.
Wendi & I are very familiar with the area.
In the early 80’s we explored coastal towns from Chula Vista to Oceanside
and were captivated by the laid back surfer hippie feel.
Well, those days are gone!
You could write a thesis on the sociological significance of the economic and cultural shift that has transformed Southern California in the last 30 years.
So, let’s just not go there.
Instead let’s listen close and see if we can still hear some Beach Music.
Beach Runner
The View
Redondo Beach Power Station
Show Dogs
The Poop Deck
Lifeguard Station1
It’s funny, the things that influence you. As a young boy the wallpaper in our living room was printed with 8 or 10 variations on a “Country Lane” theme. They were simple illustrations similar to what you might see on English plates. I spent hours imagining who might have walked down that path, lived in that cottage or sat on that secluded bench.
Cape Lookout, Oregon 2009
Southern France, 2007
St. Chinian, France 2007
Mt. Hood, Oregon 2009
Cape Disappointment SP, Ilwaco,Wa. 2005
Beach - Edisto Island, South Carolina
The beach at Edisto Island, South Carolina is more remote, a little more rugged and less swanky then some of the other coastal areas, but still pretty nice.
Beach - Edisto Island, South Carolina
Country Road - Edisto Island, South Carolina
Beach Trail - Edisto Island, South Carolina
Marsh - Edisto Island, South Carolina
Edisto Island, South Carolina
Although I love the beaches near home, I do miss a beach where you can actually swim. There are beaches both north and south of Charleston. We started our search south of the city at Folly Beach. The long expanse of sandy beach is beautiful and very inviting. BUT! There is absolutely no sense of community. It was a terrific sunny Saturday and the whole place felt abandoned. Over 95 % of the houses are vacation rentals and they all have cheap real estate signs in the front yard.
Folly Beach, South Carolina
Folly Beach, South Carolina
Next we headed north and discovered Sullivan’s Island, the Isle of Palms and Pawleys Island. Pawleys Island was our favorite. Although it’s as densely built up as Folly Beach it has a lot more history. Plantation owners began building summer cabins here in the early 19th century to take advantage of the ocean breezes and to avoid the malaria and small pox so prevalent on the Low Country Plantations and in Charleston during the summer months. Like in Seaview, Wa., the family homes and history give it a much greater sense of place.
Sullivan's Island - Photo by Wendi
Isle of Palms - Photo by Wendi
Pawleys Island Church
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Pawleys Island, South Carolina