Spent a great day hiking Torrey Pines State Reserve. This is a terrific park. Crowded in the summer but pretty much perfect this time of year. Lots of trails. Easy hikes. Great for the kids. It’s sad to think that there is very little undeveloped Southern California’s coastline left, but there is this. So check it out.
Mission Beach Warning
Mission Beach at Sunset
Beach
I’m pretty sure that I’m in the heart of the exercise universe.
Southern California is a place where everyone seems to be moving. Constantly. They’re running, jogging and marathon training, both with and without baby carriers. They’re biking, road, mountain, unicycle, tandem, recumbent, and cruisers, all with and without baby carriers. Walking, speed and regular, again with and without baby carriers. Trail hiking. Surfing, parasurfing, windsurfing, body surfing and boogie boarding. Skateboarding and skating, both regular and inline. There are pilate studios, yoga studios, fitness studios, spinning studios, health clubs and gyms. Swimming, pool and ocean. Wind gliders and, of course, driving. Millions of them are driving. All the time. Now technically driving isn’t exercise, but with the aggressiveness and anxiety level applied to it here it will certainly burn off a few calories.
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