In my book, this is the greatest chimney ever.
Champion chimney…
Category: the sea
Huntington Beach, August 2023
Not the crowds one would expect on a nice August day.
No one off in this direction either.
Lifeguard towers.
Mystery guests.
Yikes.
Waiting for the perfect wave. That would be in Hawaii. They’ve got quite a lot of paddling ahead of them.
Cowabunga!
Looks like fun…
…until I remember that time that I saw an older gent getting his sail ready, and a gust of wind came up, and dragged him on his face across the beach and through the shallows.
I laughed until my sides hurt. Good times!
Big beach sky…
It won’t be this empty for long…
A cold day at the beach…
It was the coldest water I’ve ever experienced. My feet felt like they were plunged into a snowbank. And yes, I see those children playing in the water, and I am fully prepared to accept the fact that I’m a wimp.
Meanwhile, in nature…
…the Circle of Life, in the form of shore birds eating something gross and crawly, continues.
Pilings…
Weirdly claustrophobic.
Ah, California…
…how I love you, in spite of everything.
On Brightwater Trail…
Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Pacific Coast Highway, and the Pacific Ocean.
Prickly pear blossom…
Sparrow on the lookout…
Top of the World!
Looking north.
Looking south.
Looking west.
Positively NOT going for a hike.
Sights from a stroll on the pier…
Self-portrait of California girls at the beach in winter.
Smile yourself, Zoltar.
Waiting for the perfect wave. Which is pretty much all they ever do…wait. Even when the surf is good…they wait. Actual surfing doesn’t *really* seem to be their thing.
If you get a magnifying glass, you can just about make out the Newport Pier.