ANOTHER DAY - ANOTHER BEACH

Even though CA is lined with beaches up and down the coast, each one is different.

Yesterday we went to Laguna Beach, which is known for being a great beach to snorkel at. The people go for art and shopping as well as playing in the water.

Today, we are going to HUNTINGTON BEACH.
Huntington Beach is North of Laguna Beach. You can see the heat brought lots of people out today. Notice they don't have as many umbrellas as Laguna Beach does. People go to get a tan here.

Surfers love Huntington Beach. I guess the waves are good there. They even have surfing competitions that are held there.

I went with my cousin to have dinner. We were going to eat at a restaurant at the end of the pier. As we got out there pretty far we notice a boat was headed towards a few guys who were way out there. The boat was going pretty fast. We weren't sure what was going on.

Then we noticed it was the lifeguards going out. Turns out the guys were way to far out in the water. They were told to swim back towards the shore.

Take a look at those lifeguards! When in the world did they start wearing Speedos? This is is the first time I've seen that! They have always worn red trucks and the girls wore a red one piece.

This darling pink bike was parked along the side of the pier. Isn't it cute! It was such a beachy picture I just had to click it.

As we got to the restaurant this bird was sitting there greeting everyone.

This is where we ate. Ruby's is a hamburger chain. They have really good food. At least I think so. It's right at the very end of the pier. Sort of a long walk down there.

This shot was taken on our way back to the shore. The hotel way out there is the Hilton. In case any of you want to come visit and have an ocean view room you now know where you stay. It's a beautiful hotel. But pretty costly.

They have these young guys willing to give you a ride up and down the pier if you are to tired or lazy to walk yourself. I've never taken one even though they look fun. But come on! We couldn't make this poor guy give us a ride, he has a broken arm and it was so hot he would have been suffering.

The ride is free. You just give them a tip.

Look, even this poor bird was hot.

They have sinks on the pier where you can wash your fish you catch. Yes, they allow fishing on the pier. This poor little guy was trying his best to get a drink of water. The faucet was dripping and he figured out a way. Smart bird, don't you think?

This is Main Street where there are lots of places to eat, shop or have a drink. You're pretty lucky if you get a parking space on this street.

We did get a great parking spot. Only a block down.

Well, hope you enjoyed seeing yet another one of our great beaches here in CA.

Hugs,

Joanne

SUMMER IS HERE! LET'S GO TO THE BEACH!

Well school is out and the hot days are here! That's right, it's summer! With summer comes the heat and crowds.

My sister, Maureen, my great niece, Trinity, and I went to Laguna Beach to start the summer off with some fun in the sun.

I noticed there were tons of pretty umbrellas at the beach. Looks like people are trying to stay out the sun and avoid the wrinkles down the line.

Well, if you don't have your own pretty umbrella, you can rent one for the day. Along with boogie boards, chairs and other beach items.

We didn't need anything as we were going to walk around and shop. Not to lay out or go in the water.

At least I didn't think we were. Then Trinity asked if we could go and just get our feet wet. It was so hot out that it sounded good to me. So down to the water we went.

I kept getting pulled out a bit further and further by Trinity. She was having so much fun that there was no way I could say no to her. Oh no! A wave came in and got us. I had Capri pants on and pulled them up so they wouldn't get wet and she had shorts on. But the splash of the wave got us a little wet anyway.

We were laughing so hard. Then a bigger wave came and crashed right one us. We were soaked!

So we went up to the boardwalk and sat there to dry off. Everyone was so friendly and talkative. People were walking with there dogs. Having picnics and just enjoying the day.

I love this old life guard stand. It's the first one that was built way back when.
People watching is so fun at the beach.

There was a lot of seaweed in the water and of course it would wash up on the shore. See the little girl pulling it out of the water.

This is the boardwalk. I love walking along there. It reminds me of the olden days.

We also went in the cute shops there.

In one of the shops we went in this darling dog was there. She was so sweet and loving. Laguna welcomes dogs in a lot of places. This one was the owners dog. She came to work with him. What a fun job to be able to bring your dog with you!

The shop was also as cute as the dog. With tons of different signs.

Look at all these signs that greet you when you first walk in.

Even some fun vintage looking signs with funny sayings.

Also, there were lots of shells and items made with shells. Like this pretty box.

Trinity wanted these two little shell turtles. She went to go pay for them and the wonderful man said he was going to give them to her! Wow! How often do you go to pay for something and you are told you can have the items for free..........NEVER! How nice was that.

We will be back to that store again. Also, if you are ever in Laguna Beach you need to go in and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

We also stopped at one of the art museums. I love love love this bird bath! It's so fun but also very expensive.

Look at this piece! This is blown glass that looks like a jelly fish in water.

If I was rich I would have bought this darling lady to go in my back yard. I don't know why but I fell in love with her.

Aren't these tea pots cute!

Down a way further is this little walkway with more shops. Let's take a peek at what they have down there.

Oh, a chocolate shop. Let's see what they have.

YUMMM!

But if you were not in the mood for chocolate maybe you would like to have a nice dish of gelato? Tons of wonderful flavors to pick from. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Laguna Beach is known for being an art town. Even the drains in the road look cute with these hand painted signs.

Aren't they cute?

Look at this. Just like they used to have, a big news stand full of magazines and news papers. But Trinity was more interested in the pay phone. I don't think she has ever seen one before. They are few and far between now that everyone has cell phones.

A great way to get out of the heat is to go to the movies. They have a darling old time movie theater that has been there for years and years. It's like a step back in time.

We were hot and tired and decided to go home and get in the pool. But first I had to admire this statute we passed on the way to our car.

On the way home we stopped at the Sea Life Rescue so we could visit the seals. This is a place were injured seals are taken and nursed back to heath before being released back to the ocean.

I volunteered there a few years ago and got to go on a release. It is sort of sad to say good bye to the seals but when you see them going into the water and being greeted by the other seals it can't help but warm your heart. You know that is where they belong.

Just on the other side of the fence, Trinity, spotted this bird. Isn't he pretty! He let me get really close and didn't even move. He wasn't scared of us at all.

Well, it's time to say so long to the seals.

It's back to home for us.

Hope you enjoyed our little trip to Laguna Beach. We are so lucky to be so close to the beach. It's only about 15-20 mins. from where we live.

Hugs,

Joanne