Beach Party

The plan however ignores many environmental and public safety concerns. One of the major concerns is that contaminated material from the bottom of the bay will result in toxic pollution being washed up on surrounding beaches.

California beach-goers are going high tech! Heal The Bay and Go Live Mobile (a mobile marketing company) have joined forces to update residents with a beach report card. Instead of heading out to a beach, only to be disappointed by poor water quality, people can send a text message to 23907 with the name of the beach they’d like information on.

Block Island is a 7,000 acre island of about seven miles long and three miles across at its widest point, with a population of about 1,000 permanent residents. Of course, during summer, this number grows considerably. Located twelve miles from Long Island and about the same distance from Charlestown in Rhode Island, it is a perfect spot for anyone loving the outdoors, with gorgeous beaches, hiking trails, and plenty of water activities for all tastes.

Yesterday, Labor Day, we went to the beach. Well one of the many beaches here on the island. We went to the Bellows Beach. This beach has a nice shallow area and a break that is fairly far out. Listen to me - one time at the beach here and I am sounding like I know what I am talking about. The part of Bellows Beach that we went to was military only, so it wasn’t as crowded as the public beach.

Another good thing to do is make sure that you check your pets, especially your dogs, for fleas and ticks on a regular basis and that you keep up with their necessary veterinary appointments. Picking up after you pet’s droppings is also of vital importance as pet waste “can represent a major source of bacterial pollution when rain washes it into waterways and on to beaches”. Basically, you just need to keep in mind that your pet is part of your family so you need to treat them with the same amount of environmentally-conscious respect as you do the rest of your family.

With the Lower Cape backshore beaches swamped with an increasing and persistant "MUNG" bloom that many disgusted beach-goers anecdotally associate with the off-shore boat disharge in the same way that land-based septic effluent is a widely recognized contribution to the nitrogen enrichment of marine embayments, the time to hault the dumping is none too soon.

The beaches here are all rock and no sand, I can't tell if I like it or hate it. Tomorrow we are going to try and go to Monte-Carlo and pay for our entire trip through gambling. Then off to Barcelonia, with a side trip to Pampelona to participate (if I don't chicken out) with the running of the bulls. Then off to Paris before we head back to England to fly home.

Cambodia is not only Angkor Wat, temples, and Angkorian history and culture. On the southern part of the country is Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s “beach town” or “port community” which sits in the center of a small peninsula jutting into the gulf of Thailand.

Waitpinga Beach near Victor Harbor in South Australia is just over an hour’s drive south of our state capital city, Adelaide. Waitpinga is a long wide sandy beach facing south. On most days there is a fairly decent surf rolling in from the Southern Ocean. This makes this a popular beach with surfers.

Another week long holiday is upon us, and China is on the verge of turning into its typical vacation-mode catastrophic self. So I’ll once again be heading for the blazing heat and cheap beaches of Thailand, this time with several friends on the island Koh Phi Phi. Catch you next week.

That’s when I discovered another thing I didn’t like about the port at Costa Maya. There was no beach – just sharp rocks. We could swim in a pool – but what’s the point of going to Mexico if you have to swim in a pool? I could see some beaches further along, but we couldn’t get past a wall that enclosed the whole area. Guess we would have to walk out, get a cab and somehow hope to find a non-private beach. No way we were going to do that. Also, it started raining just as Ronnie and Reid decided to swim in the pool, so we headed back to the ship, somewhat disappointed.

On March 14th, the group will fly to Iwo Jima for the day, visiting landing beaches, memorial sites, Green Beach, the base and top of Suribachi, the Naval Gun revetments, Hospital Cave, General Kuribayashi's HQ cave, and much more before returning to Guam at sunset. Upon their return, members will complete their visit to Guam by going to sites of cultural significance, relics from Guam’s Spanish period, and the Gef Pa’go Chamorro Cultural Village in the southern village of Inarajan.

The island boasts numerous sheltered beaches, where it is safe to swim and where there is an infrastructure for children’s games, which can entertain the little ones for many days. There are also many specific centres where the tastes of all age groups can be satisfied, such as water parks, theme parks and fairgrounds, games centres, internet entertainment centres and public parks that have facilities for children.

Everyone seems to be heading away for Christmas, and there’s a huge number of first year teachers who are going back home for Christmas. I really am not a fan of that idea, especially for first years. I think unless you’re feeling extremely comfortable about living here, going back so soon after coming can just make you more unsettled and homesick. You spend 2 weeks at home when everyone’s feeling festive and welcoming, and then you don’t want to come back here… when you do get back you start to resent the little things that just annoyed you a little in your first few months here. Plus I do think that people should take advantage of the opportunity that living in Okinawa offers. We’re on Asia’s doorstep and only a short flight away from some amazing countries and cultures. Whether it’s golden beaches in Thailand, or the amazing socialist realism of North Korea (both of which I’ve visited), there is something for everyone. And yet people seem determined to spend huge amounts of money during the most expensive flying periods of the year to go home.

The setting of the city with the beautiful beaches, Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer make for a fabulous city to live in and I for one could happily do just that!!!

So, New Zealand has a collection of great and not-too-difficult hikes called the Great Walks. One of them is called the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, which Paul and I decided to tackle over two days. It usually takes 3-4 days, including lots of time to stop and bathe at the golden sand beaches.

We went to the beach every day. That made me happy, because I just recently discovered the wonder that are beaches. I applied SPF 50 to my ridiculously white skin like it was liquid gold, and frequently at that. I still burned. Badly. But it’s OK because, those sunburns? Turned into normal-coloured Caucasian skin. Oooh yeah.

Then the fun started. We sat in a line of cars for 40 minutes just to get out of the parking lot. It was hot. We were sandy and covered with gross water. The kids were thristy and screaming. We weren’t moving. Then an officer (directing traffic) told me that the bridge out of Sandy Hook was broken and everyone would have to leave via Sea Bright or one of the Jersey Shore beaches.

The highway to Bodega Bay was almost as insane as the route between the 101 and 1 when we headed to Mendocino, but slightly less twisty so our speed was more consistent. We finally saw people walking on beaches for the first time, as well as plenty of surfers.

But there's one thing, the admission fee to Sentosa Island is only $2.. So cheap la! It's so cheap that they promote it around the whole Singapore. Ya, they keep boasting with their low admission fee but the rides in there is going to hurt our heart. But i know most Singapore Lang are there for the beaches right? So it doesn't really matter...

found this little fella while riding along the martin goodman trail (and yes, I say “Beaches”. It will always be The Beaches to me.)

Since about ten years Theo Jansen is occupied with the making of a new nature. Not pollen or seeds but plastic yellow tubes are used as the basic matierial of this new nature. He makes skeletons which are able to walk on the wind. Eventualy he wants to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.

Miles from the shoreline, 10 baby brown pelicans lounge by a pool in a roomy cage, large buckets of fish there for the taking. Just days ago, these birds could not feed themselves at all. Scores of starving baby pelicans — emaciated, cold and too weak to fly — are washing up on California beaches in disturbing numbers this spring.

So Monday was the Memorial Day, which is apparently a major deal here. Besides all the obvious it is also considered the beginning of summer (translation: that’s when they will put a fee on or raise the fee on pretty much all the beaches).

La Raymunda and I are on vacation! Starting tomorrow, we will spend the next several days looking for seashells on the beaches and snorkeling off the shores of the British Virgin Islands. We, and some new posts and photos, will return on Monday May 22. Have a great week!

Nabi No Koi (Nabbie´s love) is a small movie that I really love, for many reasons. First, it is shot in Okinawa, more specifically in Taketomi-jima, an island 10 minutes from Ishigaki-jima, in the westernmost island chain of Japan, the Yaeyama islands. Taketomi is really a small place, and there is only one little village, typical Ryukyu, and is so beautiful. I spent 2 weeks in Ishigaki, and I visited Taketomi and the beaches many times. It was paradise to me. In Nabi No Koi the action takes place in this island.

A friend of mine just bought a backpackers’ hostel in Zanzibar. It looks like just about one of the most gorgeous places on earth and I can’t wait to visit. Hopefully this mass dolphin stranding won’t have too much impact on their growing tourism industry.

- Paper that I forgot about on the seminar I attended about saving the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle. Doing my part to help bring them back to the Galveston beaches. (If you see one down there, or you spot turtle tracks, call 866-Turtle5 right away.)

Miramar has a number of stores, if you’re into shopping. The place looks like it gets quite busy during the summer but the off-season is very tranquil. The nicest aspect of Miramar are the charming stone houses. While Miramar isn’t my favorite place on the coast (I actually prefer even smaller, more woodsy places), Miramar is a nice small, family-oriented town with good beaches and there is a forested area on the western edge of town. Also, there’s the unusual Bosque Energetico, which I will blog about in a future posting. I’ll also try to put up some photos from Miramar later.

Note: For ones that are not familiar with my hometown area it is on the eastside of the Mobile Bay on an island at the southern most tip of Alabama. The beaches are like sugar along the Gulf of Mexico coastline bordering the Florida state line. An island called Pleasure Isle including cities Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

There was a time when I got into the ocean just about every day. I lived on Guam then, so being near the ocean wasn’t any kind of problem, and I took advantage of this fact as often as I could. Guam’s beaches are mostly reef-breaks, with giant coral heads that poke up through the surf at low tide. Owing to this and the local’s violent territorialism, surfing was more or less out for me. Diving was not, however, and I took to the aqualung as if born from Jacques Cousteau’s own womb (well, you get my meaning…).

It’s already time to start prepping for summer. Ahh, those lazy days of sleeping in, lounging on beaches and by the pool, reading under the shade of trees, and basking in the quality time spent with mom. Or something like that.

The town of San Juan del Sur is a mecca for the surfers of Nicaragua. Not because of the flat waters in the bay, but due to the waves that crash onto the shorelines of the beaches to the north and south of San Juan. The Argies and I decided to check out one of the playas along the coast, not as surfers, but just beach dudes.

I get to the leasing office way too early; there was a Dunkin Doughnuts next door. I go in and get a cup of coffee and a doughnut. I remember being somewhere in the Mid-Beaches. It wasn’t as wide as South Beach; the ocean was right across the street. What I did see was lots of huge abandoned hotels, I don’t know why they closed, but I would find out quickly. I walk across A1A, stepped out onto some grassy-rocky sandy beaches. It was still dark, so I couldn’t see anything but a few ships going to Bermuda or wherever they were going. I dropped my bags, and rested on the comfy sand.

Well it's official, the spring semester has returned, but not with a vengeance. In any case, it is good to be back and I even get a free lunch at the Marriott tomorrow, that alones makes the nearly $20,000 in loans I borrowed worth it. Some guys and I had originally planned on hitting the beaches down in Mexico this weekend, but the warm weather we have had has finally gone away and I can't imagine enjoying freezing by the ocean. In any case we have a long weekend coming up that I am pretty excited about, because after two days of class, it is hard not to enjoy a long weekend.

Our hotel was just within walking distance of Pattaya Beach, so we headed for that instead of Jomtien Beach, which is supposed to be less touristy and more beautiful. Pattaya Beach was nothing much to look at:

The mount was on the end of a spit/peninsula..holiday town with lovely beaches. We walked around and up the mount for spectacular views and good exercise. Lots of sheep on the Mount. Went to a party in the town and also swam in the naturally heated hot pools there...lovely!

just in case that randomers comment is worrying you guys back home, its not that bad here! summer and autumn here have been awesome!! really beautiful, great beaches in the summer, and festivals in the autumn whilst the mountains around my house turned a rich red colour, really spectacular!

This is now Aruba vs. America. Some will not be happy till the entire island has been destroyed both physically and economically. I have witnessed people calling for boycotts, calling for the beaches to be completely destroyed, calling for all ruins and monuments to be destroyed etc. My question is, if we do all of that, and still no Natalee…what next? Do we move in and do the same to all of the neighboring islands, just in case Natalee was taken there?

The girls of course were rather tired from being at the airport at four in the morning so after a short breakfast we just relaxed in the sun by the pool. With higher energy and lower sun we split up, Andreas and Sonja heading towards the water while we took care of the dishes and then set off towards Candelaria where Dilek was excited to see the black volcanic beaches and the waves rolling in, a few catching us by surprise. The four of us met again after sunset for dinner at the church plaza.

I love Aberystwyth. Seriously. The seaside.. just lovely. I went down there today to check out a few things if I've got them correct in my story. I usually just stay on the North Beach cause it's closer to all the shops, but today I wandered over to the South Beach.. Lovely, lovely. Really windy, but great all the same. Then I wandered around the castle ruins for a bit. It really is a shame that they let it crumble down like that 7 centuries ago..

So instead I went - virtuously - up north to the sun-soaked tropical beaches of Ilheus, Bahia. It was wonderful to spend a week acclimatising and getting my head into a suitably receptive state for the seminar.

I have to say, the Canty family sure knows how to party. Staying with my grandparents was a wonderful, wonderful time filled with cheesesteak subs, trips to the beach (the east coast has warm beaches!), looking at old family pictures, meeting cousins, and checking out Boston.

Whilst the estimated distance is much less at around 1500 miles, the conditions he is likely to face as he paddles around the island could be very extreme. Sean says that the expedition named Icelandic Kayak Odyssey will about much more than achieving a world first record. The greatest challenge will be the south coast beaches where huge dumping surf pounds the black volcanic sand incessantly. He will need all the skill and experience he gained from his journey around the British Isles to complete this expedition.

I love beaches, I love Thailand beaches! The pic of this beach is taken at Au Nang, Krabi. The photo was taken 2 years ago but my guess is, it still looks the same !

Punta del Este looks like the GoldCoast - towering apartment blocks close to the beaches. In October - it's almost a ghost town. Often we were the only pair in a restaurant. In "the season", one million people descend on the place.

today i did something a bit different. john’s gone for the next few days - went back home for a lecture at mcgill - and it’s really weird to be alone, out of my routine. so i hopped onto a tram from osgoode subway on queen street, and rode all the way east to the toronto beaches. i did my readings on the beach, and had an afternoon brunch. it was a really nice, relaxing day. a bit overcast, pretty humid. the best thing about the beaches is the boardwalk, full of happy people walking their happy dogs.

From the look of the city it does not seem to different from any US city but its the little things like the Queens head on currency and big parks in the city centre which made the city remind me of the UK. I spent a whole day walking around Stanley Park and sitting on its many beaches. I paid a visit to the tourist area of Gastown, but it was not that interesting except watching the steam powered clock do a little tune every half hour. Close to my hostel was Granville Island, there is a great market of fresh food and art stuff here, including a stand selling the most amazing wildlife photos.

One thing I will say about Zagreb is that it is a nice city, and is not given enough credit in the guidebooks. My only explanation for the poor write ups in the guidebooks that I can think of is that in relation to the south of Croatia, it does have less to offer in the way of stunning views, beaches, and crystal clear sea (though it's not Zagreb's fault that it isn't located on the coast!).

Some scientists say that the number of stars in creation is equal to all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. yet this complex sea of spinning stars functions with remarkable order and efficiency. to say that the universe "just happened" or "evolved" requires more faith than to believe that god is behind it all. there's no doubt it my mind that god created the universe.

I'm extra excited for the vacation part in Nice along the coast. A whole ten days with nothing to think about (except for the usual things I'll think about, but oh well). Beaches, crisp blue water, shops, and clubs.....finally a summer vacation!!�

I’ve been trying to take in as much of Vancouver as I can before I leave. The other night I went for a 2.5 hour long walk down Broadway and then down to Point Grey Road which I followed past the oceanfront property to Jericho and Locarno beaches. I’m still not sure I’ve wrapped my head around the fact that I will be leaving Vancouver for an indefinite period of time in just 3.5 weeks. Crazy.

Its time to start some blitz travelling of Australia and see some winerys, beaches, bars, history, its just time to vacation. Hopefully Saturday afternoon I shall be on a beach watching the sunset drinking a good beer. The end will come quick though I feel travelling, unlike working where time seems to creep by and sometimes even pause.

Tanna is part of a chain of islands that later came to be known as the country of Vanuatu. This is where Mark Burnett, the show's creator, got the name for the ninth season of Survivor. Had I never lived on Tanna, I might have dismissed the show as the romanticisation of a nonexistent tropical island. I would not have noticed where a silly reality show was filmed, had I not been that little girl on the plane. But I've sat on the beautiful beaches of Tanna, felt the culture, and lived with the people. Seeing it again through the lens of a CBS reality show, I could barely recognise it.

Return of the mucilaginous algae in Italy . . . instead of disfiguring the beaches, this stuff releases neurotoxic chemicals and 150 people need treatment for fever and breathing difficulties. Scientists say warm waters have brought it to the surface, but no mention of the usual cause of algal bloom: pollution.

Traditional items are silverware, ceramics and hand blown glass. Amber washes up on Denmark’s west coast beaches and is a traditional jewelry item. The island is known for its Bornholmer grandfather clocks. These have been made here by hand since 1744.

It was with a heavy heart that I yesterday left a small village in Provence to return to the real world of deskjockeying and career-chasing. In almost related news, it was with a heavy heart that I read an article in Wired today on dead seabirds washing up on beaches all over the pacific coast of North America. Seabirds are dying at a rate of 5 to 10 times what has been recorded ever before. Seabirds are rather high up in the food chain, and biologists now theorise that the current record-high temperatures in the pacific is killing off the bottom of it.

The resort, Beaches Boscobel, was very nice. We had an awesome view of the ocean and pool area from our balcony. I think we had the best room out of everyone, because of the ocean view. I received my first ever, 80 minute, full body massage, the best thing ever and I'm now hooked. Funny thing, almost all my bones crack, during the massage none cracked and my lower back really needed it.

For those of you living in San Diego… hasn’t it been beautiful and sunny here lately? It’s been almost perfect weather it seems. The blue skies above almost cloudless… sunshine and warmth that is definitely summer-y, but not terribly hot nor humid. nice summer breezes coming from the beaches!

After a quick lunch at What-A-Burger and a quick trip to Target to pick up some supplies, David directed us to Bryan Beach near Freeport. It is an undeveloped beach with trash cans and porta-potties. There has been a lot of seaweed floating up on Texas beaches, but the city has cleaned this section up pretty nice. We could see the crews working further down the beach.

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.

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.

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!