Long Beach

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Today all of us went to lunch at a beach café, and then walked the boardwalk in Long Beach. The sky is gray (and has been since Tuesday) but it’s surprisingly warm. A light jacket was more than enough…really we just needed long sleeve shirts. There are so many activities happening on the beach: people driving, kids digging in the sand (even though they’re wearing coats, and one day even stocking caps, because there was wind blowing that day), horseback riding, jogging, kite flying, playing with dogs. It’s like a whole different world on the beach, compared to in town.

We went to a kite museum, where we saw the differences in the kites through the years and cultures. I thought they were just something to fly in March, (or to put on a bulletin board!) so I was amazed.

One nice thing about this lifestyle (I should have said “Another nice thing!) is that we are living in the area where we’re working. We watched the prices drop after Labor Day, when the tourists went home, and the school buses appeared. The stores are having clearance sales for the tourist stuff, and even the groceries dropped a little. Everything is expensive here, but that’s to be figured when you realize what they have to do to get merchandize here. Because this is such a tourist area, and we can shop in the tiny towns of Ocean Park & Long Beach, we’re not recognized like we were in Three Hills.

Our temperature has been in the low 60s all week. It drops to the low 50s at night, and then back to 62 or 63 by noon. And it stays that temp until the sun goes down. The main reason it’s chilly is because of the humidity. (I put a letter in the mailbox yesterday morning, and when I reached over to raise the flag, and scraped thick mildew from the side of the mailbox!)

One more thing, and then I’ll quit: the sun sets really quick here. At home it seemed to go down slowly, but here it just slips below the horizon…and then turns dark. No such thing as twilight. Sunlight/darkness. That there’s a new moon right now doesn’t make it any lighter, but there’s no dusk, I assure you.

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Photos

See what we caught!
Well, we didn't actually catch it, but... It was dead when it washed up on the shore, and because of its size the authorities decided it would be easier to bury it than to get it back to the water. Some time later someone got permission to dig it up, and they left it there as a symbol to the whales that swim along the shore.

More of the whale
This picture was taken of its jawbone. How does this measure up to your dinosaurs, Carl?

Long Beach Arch
Even though this says it's the longest beach in the world, it's not even close! Actually, the longest beach is in Indonesia.

Beach activities
I forgot to say that there are also ships close to the beach. We were surprised to see how close they come, but someone explained that the drop-offs are sharp, and very close to the shore. Back to those "dangerous to swim here" signs that we see everywhere!

Shipwrecks galore
This map points out all the shipwrecks off Long Beach. It names them and the dates they were lost. They call it the Bermuda Triangle of the north! I know you can't read the information, but if you double click on the picture, you'll be able to get some idea of the number.

Our crew
This is our Dunes crew: Ron and Rose, from southern California; Barney and Bea, still from Calgary; and the Hardest Worker, and her husband, always from Sidney!

Comments

[Margo]

glad to see you again
I'm so glad to see you again. I was getting worried, I kept checking your blog and didn't see anything since you left Canada. You both look so happy and healthy, keep up the good work and keep having fun. Love, Aunt Margo!

[Jean]

Luv Ya
Back with you and trying to keep up with you! Things are gradually quieting down and people actually think I can be alone for awhile and I appreciate that! Think of you daily!