Beach Party

To add some perspective, North Falmouth is a rather puritan old town. But like most of Cape Cod, the smalltown atmosphere changes in the summer, when the urbanites from elsewhere in New England come flocking to clog the roads and beaches.

South Beachs broad, immaculate strand ranks as one of the Travel Channels top ten beaches in the world. The Surfrider Foundation voted it the premier urban beach in the U.S.

We had a briefing at 10:00 AM but it turns out that I don’t have to attend because I went to CRC. So instead, everyone except for Paige went to hang out at the pool. When we got to the pool, there were two arab families already there. The boys were wearing modern swimsuits but they went down to the knee. The girls were wearing swimsuits that covered them from knee to elbow. The mom was wearing a baggy swimsuit that covered her from ankle to wrist and had a hood.

So a big congrats to Team Headhunter for your magnifcent catch. I’ve never met you guys but boy would I have loved to be on that boat when you guys hauled in that fish. You guys did amazing! Bravo. Almost makes me want to pick up scuba diving and spearfishing — but of course, I would have to learn how to swim first.

I wonder exactly how to manage time so that I can also make time for the endless things I want to enjoy, achieve and learn in life. Go scuba diving, pick up sitar again, travel more, write more, enjoy a proper beach holiday, doodle more, study more.. ah, the list is endless!

Now this is an OLD photo. It was taken in 1980, I believe, when we had a big blizzard in Virginia Beach.

Well while the men were out on their canoe trip. We ventured out to see the North Carolina Zoo. It was our first trip and we got to enjoy it with our BEST FRIENDS (The Swartz Family). The zoo was great but it was alot of walking, This zoo is so much bigger than the Jacksonville Zoo. We had a great time, as you can tell from the pictures.

Today was mainly spent on playing 4 hours of volleyballs on the beach and going to the faboulous loft (no deal though; what a dissappointment). The beach girls today shouted in envy when I told them I will only get sunburned after 5 hours of continuous exposure to the sun. Well, that's the genetic advantage for being born in a tropical island.

A great place for public boating classes including sailing is The Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Honestly, Bulgaria had never been on my list of places to visit, but when A. told me that the conference was at the Black Sea coast, it sounded intriguing. I looked up the place that we were to visit on the web. I found out that Sozopol is an ancient Greek settlement and boasts an archeological museum, but for the most part is a beach resort. It wouldn’t be a vacation full of sightseeing. It would be a beach vacation made up of frolicking at the beach, ambling along the streets of an ancient Greek settlement, eating Bulgarian food, drinking wine, and just plain relaxing.

After landing at the Glacier Point beach, we drove inland on modified all-wheel drive school buses to a camp where a team of guides fitted us out with life preservers, watertight boots and extra clothing – the glacial lake could be cold with the wind coming off the ice, and some people had dressed too lightly. The area was swarming with mosquitoes, our first real encounter with the Alaskan state bird. We were told the mosquitoes would be gone by the time we were on the water, as the wind would blow them away. I saw one the size of a quarter lounging on the side of the shack. After gearing up, we hiked a quarter-mile to the river landing where the wide-bottomed canoes were, and were told how to row, how to get out of the canoe without tipping it over, how we weren’t supposed to stand, etc.

Today we went and visited Phi-Phi Ley, which is where “The Beach” was filmed. We had to swim out the specific beach from the movie, Maya Bay, so I couldn’t bring my camera. So sorry, no photos of me doing my Leonardo DiCaprio impression. The beach did not disappoint, the sand was white and fine, the water a beautiful pale blue and we were encircled by impressive limestone cliffs. We also got the chance to go snorkelling where I saw even more fish than scuba diving on Koh Tao. All in all it was a fantastic day.

If you ever find yourself 3 hours North East of Des Moines in Decorah, Iowa, take the time to canoe the Upper Iowa River. National Geographic named it one of their top 100 U.S adventures in 2000 (Number 89 to be exact). Start off in Bluffton and rent a canoe from Randy’s Bluffton Store. Beginners need not worry; the river’s current will take you most the way with little effort. In fact, seeing a canoe moving sideways in not an uncommon site. Look out for bald eagles, trout and turtles. And if you hear a big explosion in Bluffton, don’t worry it’s just Larry blowing something up again.

Another Father’s Day. Wow, I can’t even remember what we did last year on Father’s Day, so much has happened since then. We’ve packed up and left the home we knew for the last five years of our lives and moved cross country to California. Hubby started a new job, we started a new life. Bikini’s, beaches, the sweet smell of salt air, and the adventure of a whole new town. One Hubby and I both knew fondly and grew up with the first 18 or so years of our lives, but one we had yet to discover together as a family. The things we’ve done have been wonderful and amazing, and we have many pictures to remember these moments by. The biking, the walks, the museums, the parks, the views. When spring arrived even more parts of this town showed and we went through even another layer.

Well its all worth it today. I bet loads of people are writing fantastic blogs today. The weekend weather has been brilliant and I have been sunbathing outside all the time. I have got a little tan but i bet everyone at work says I am still white. Me and my husband cooked dinner for my brother and dad. We ate it in the Garden. Friday seems a long time ago and not so bad. Its wierd, work overcome you sometimes and you can't get it out of your mind. It seems so important but when you are not there for a while you can put it into perspective. I dont mind going back when I have had a good time!!

The Virginia State Bar is hosting the first Virginia State Bar Golf Tournament in Virginia Beach tomorrow June 16, 2005 at Heron Ridge Golf Course. Good luck to all the particpants. Good luck surviving the heat, Virginia Beach has been experiencing temperatures in the mid 90’s the last few days. The heat index is well over 100.

I used the SPF 15 product — I typically never use higher than SPF 8 — and the stuff was like Elmer’s Glue. It pretty much refused to absorb into my skin, but instead simply created a white coating that never went away. I was a walking sugar-frosted flake… Then when I finally got to the actual business of sunbathing, rather than living up to its’ SPF 15 label, it appears to have acted as as catalyst instead. Does “lobster” summon a sufficient mental image?

American estate agent (or realtor in the US) Jen Roberts, specialises in selling homes to naturists looking for property close to world-famous Haulover nude beach in Miami, south Florida. According to Jen the popularity of the beach is driving local prices sky high.

Last night Jose and I went to a shopping mall in downtown Alicante, it was pretty similar to an American mall. I did notice something amazing, there were lots of guys there with mullets. Mullets are in style in Spain! I wish I had my camera so I could capture one on film for you to see. Some of them had the tip of the mullet dyed blond, hehe, teeheh. We went to a pizza place last night and I couldn´t believe all the choices you had for toppings. It ranged from blue cheese to curry to tuna. I stuck with a ham and pineapple (Anana). For some reason their Hawaiian pizza had ham, pineapple, and curry on it! That´s not a Hawaiian pizza! I was a little disappointed because they didn´t really put much tomato sauce on the pizza and it made it dry. Not only that but the pineapple wasn´t cut up, they just took a slice of pineapple and plopped it down in the center of the pizza!?! Today I hiked down to the beach, which was a fully nude beach. At least a couple guys thought it was, old guys. The shortcut I found only took about 15 minutes to get to the beach. That´s better than the hour it would have taken had I gone the other way. It was quite a trek, however, because it´s down a path on the side of a hill. I didn´t stay at the beach very long because I was afraid of getting fried. The hike back up the hill was pretty rough and I was worn out when I made it to the top.

Day three we drove south across the park to Cottonwood stopping to see many sites with the most impressive being the GREEN desert. Wild flowers were everywhere and the desert was busting out with new growth from the recent rains. Everyone should visit the desert after a major rain!!! We continued on acessing I-10 and then coming north on H-95 to Lake Havasu AZ. There are lots of people in the desert communities especially anywhere water is available. We drove on to Laughlin and finally back ot our home in Las Vegas. A long drive but another great day exploring.

I’m headed to South Padre Island this weekend! This should prove to be a very worthwhile venture! I have never been there, but I have heard a lot about it’s beautiful beaches and beautiful women! YAY!

The highlight of our beach vacation was.. the beach. On the first day, I took out the beach toys. A bucket, spade, rake, watering can and other tools they could use to build sandcastles with. The kids were delighted. They set about building one sandcastle after another, using the corals around us to decorate each castle.

Another day another set of pics. Two weeks ago we managed to escape the city of Brisbane with our host Michael to the little city of Byron Bay. Byron Bay is located on the farthest East point of Australia. Its a small town where everyone I think surfs and if you don't your kinda like an outcast of somesort. I tried surfing thinking it was going to be like skiing but its nothing like it, I sucked at it but enjoyed floating on the board. We stayed in a Hostel while we were down here which was a lot of fun. The three of just just read, relaxed on the beach, and swam in the ocean the whole time, which is funny cause down here its winter right now so all the locals think the water is freezing but really its like a luke warm bath. I went swimming one morning around 6:30 because I could. Oh yeah...how could I forget...me and Jen also went scuba diving twice while were down here. This being our first dives without the presence of an instructor made us a little nervous at first but after being in the water where its freaking freezing and you can see more then 2 feet we had tons of fun. On one dive we were able to lay on the ocean floor within 2 meters of a shark just hovering on the bottom. Some of the sharks we saw were up to 6-7 feet in length! It was a good trip, and they had this sweet bakery called "Brumby's" which makes an amazing blue berry muffin. Lots of rambling...enjoy!

I also actually went on a hike for the first time in ages. Janece, Amira, Ris (Janece’s cousin’s wife) and I went on a hike Ris found in the Seattle Times’ Outdoors section. The hike was a “hike of the week” pick, and it’s to Lake Dorothy, the first lake in a series of lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Stevens Pass. It’s a steep hike, but short – 800+ elevation gain in 1.5 miles. It’s a very well-kept trail with a lot of man-made steps and other pieces, as well as a bridge in the middle of the hike that lets you pause and enjoy the view of three streams running together to form the east fork of the Miller River. It was a cloudy/rainy day, but we hit the bridge right at a sunbreak which made the view even more beautiful. Lake Dorothy is also really picturesque, even in the rain, and we were up high enough that we were watching clouds drift past the peaks and right over the lake. We took the dogs – Tova and Ris’ two beagles – and they had a great time playing trail leaders.

Finally got out of Manteca today. Almost thought we were going to put down roots. Drove up US 50 to Lake Tahoe. Drove through South Lake Tahoe, and Stateline Nevada. Found a beautiful site at Zepher Cove.

A song that is made to chill out too on your mp3 player whilst sunbathing!

Windsurfing is a popular past time on the island and all the best surfers tend to congregate at Orient Bay Beach – which is located on the French north-side of the island.

A word to the wise regarding tickets for reckless driving to or from your vacation in Virginia Beach: Virginia Beach General District Court traffic judges give jail time for reckless driving.

We were inspired to travel to one of the islands on Saturday. We have fond memories of Whidbey Island. There was a time many years ago when we visited the island as young, newly committed bf/gf. We broke into private beaches, ate ice cream cones on the shore, and stumbled across an impromptu island fireworks display.

WCBS-FM, the top oldies station in the nation for more than three decades, stunned its legion of listeners by abruptly switching formats this weekend. Goodbye, Buddy Holly and the Beach Boys.

Once down in Florida, I canoed with friends down the river. We met a man named Ed who wore nothing but a loincloth, lived in a riverside grass hut, and on weekends wore clothes and was one of the county's top pool sharks.

The popularity of beach weddings has sparked a rise in the range of beach wedding dresses available for these occasions. If you are going to get married in the hot midday sun on an exotic beach, it is not always practical - or comfortable - to buy a full-on bridal gown with all the trimmings. Having to lug a heavy gown around in that sort of weather and environment would probably result in you fainting! However, understandably, you don’t want to get married in a pair of shorts and a bikini top either!

Stealing someone's Olympic medals is pretty damned low, don't you think? In essence, it's just plain mean and hateful. You're stealing something that you can't sell (probably not even to a pawn shop) and which will mean absolutely nothing to anyone else -- but which meant quite a lot to the people you stole them from.

Oh the horror of cheesy latino music. It is everywhere in Barcelona: on the beaches, in the cafes, in the tapas bars, even in this hotel lobby now, as the porter snaps his fingers and does little surreptitious jaunty dances behind the reception desk, Risky Business-stylee. And yes, I am blogging while on holiday… I am truly an internet saddo.

Flight was uneventful but Cién and J´s was a lot more nightmarish thanks to National Express fucking up coach arrangements. Nevertheless we managed to have a decent day out and I am proud to say that we bravely shunned the large shopping malls, designer outlets, fast food restaurants and other tourist traps. Tapas lunch, then a stroll to the beaches by Port Olympic to ogle at beautiful tanned volleyball players and sun worshippers. We had cheap Spanish beer and sat at a beach bar looking at the beautiful sea and people-watching. There were fat...

What a good time! At first, I wished I'd brought my bathing suit, but then when I saw all the skinny, pre-baby, girl bodies running around in their bikinis (i'm not bitter, really.) and I was glad I hadn't. I made the comment to my husband, "Rarely will you see a Mom wearing a bikini that is so low on the hips. Those things don't cover the stretch marks." And then I consoled myself with the very cute baby sitting in front of me, having all those new experiences, and I know it's worth it. :)

Dennis Wilson was unfairly maligned as the least talented Beach Boy. He was a crappy drummer, a lousy songwriter, and more interested in drugs, alcohol, and sex than making music, or so the legend went. Though there may be a grain of truth to this — especially the part about drugs, alcohol, and sex — Dennis Wilson was at least fourteen times as talented as, say, the cancerous growth that is Mike Love. Dennis surprised a lot of people when he started writing songs for the Beach Boys in the ’70s,...

I just pulled into Virginia Beach, for the first time ever -- after 13 hours on the road. Being a Florida native, and at first glance, I would compare the oceanfront area to the strip at Daytona Beach, only Virginia Beach seems cleaner and more upscale. Even the t-shirt shops look cleaner.

Lands' End introduced its Swim Finder feature this spring. The online service lets a user view different versions of swimsuits on a three-dimensional body likeness.

A 22-year-old student was swallowed nearly whole on Saturday while scuba diving with a friend. The attacker? An estimated 20-foot-long shark.

Scuba divers do more than check out the fish. Depending on your interests, you can specialize in a skill for your own pleasure or make diving a career option. Scuba diving can be broken down into four groups: recreational, commercial, scientific, and military.

The properties include The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores, a luxury resort that was hit hard by the storms but has since reopened after a $31 million refurbishment. People named Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne can get 30 percent off regular room rates at The Shores Resort plus two welcome cocktails — hurricanes, of course — between June 1 and Nov. 30. Details are available at www.shoresresort.com.

I’ve been keeping track of flat-water paddling mileage on Cheat Lake, and the dogs and I hit the 45 mile threshold yesterday. Had a very interesting encounter with a mamma duck, who - sensing that our presence was a threat - feigned injury in order to lure us away from where she had stashed her chicks on shore moments before. She pretended to be unable to fly - flapping across the water away from us - but then turned back in front of the canoe and continued to zig-zag back and forth across our bow while splashing and flapping wildy.

Visitors always have been drawn to Huntington Beach by its fantastic beaches. But now it’s well on its way to becoming a major overnight tourist and shopping destination. Among the major projects in the works are The Strand complex featuring dining, shopping and a 149-room hotel just steps away from the pier and ocean by summer 2007. More retail shops, restaurants and entertainment venues are planned for the oceanfront area with the commencement of the 31-acre Pacific City project north of the Hilton Hotel.

The Allies could afford to succeed by a mere whisker on the Normandy beaches. Indeed, the planned American and British timetable for operations commencing June 7 proved wildly optimistic. But they did succeed, rather handily most places, as it turned out, and that was enough.

There was once a time when my dreams of driving through California involved either cruising in an open-topped red Chevy with surfboard in the boot and the Beach Boys blaring from a stereo, or straddling a roaring Harley-Davidson as I thundered through the Sunshine State with not a care in the world.

Brazil: For a long time, this was my favourite film of all time for lots of childish reasons. Most of my friends dream of having their girlfriends put on a gold bikini a la Princess Leia - I dream of having my girlfriend wrap herself in a red ribbon which I then peel off.

While Hood River is really just a small town. That works very hard at being cute. It has good food, it has Full Sail beer, it has an atmosphere that encourages windsurfing, biking, running, skiing, you name it. And yes, it even has a Wal-Mart, but the zoning and land-use laws here even made that more approachable.

The final 50 miles is actually the most deceiving part. You go over the longview bridges into oregon and think you are dne. In actually this is usually the hardest part. These last miles are down the columbia river (hey guys it is windsurfing capital of the US there) and it is typicaly late afternoon when winds are the strongest. So hopefully we have been saving energy till then.

All, cool, indeed, but easily eclipsed by

the professional group swimsuit model photo shoot on the topless beach, right in front of my beach chair

Aruba? More like Awesomeruba

Woke up showered and listen the the Beach Boys for a while. Maybe heaven will be surfing in SoCal in the groovy 60’s.