San-dy Days

The weather was glorious last week with temperatures in the 80F's (not bad for January, even in southern California) so hubby and I decided to spend as much time outside as possible.

The surf has been pretty terrible this winter so when hubby spotted some waves in San Clemente we drove there before they went away.

San Clemente is a lovely southern Californian surf town and home to an art group I am a member of. It also has a pier.

Unlike some other beaches closer to home, a low tide reveals a long wide area of flat sand that glistens and sparkles and produces beautiful reflections.

While hubby surfed, I took a gentle walk along the beach enjoying the sunshine and warmth.

An artful sign for an exit from the beach to some of the streets above.

I had to keep away from the areas that were very wet as the sand was a little too soft underfoot (as I found after one foot sunk down into wet sand).

Very small and cute sandpipers looking for food in the shallows.

Looks like they have found some.

Back at the pier the lifeguards provide daily information for those going in the water.

The beach I walked from on the pier.

I got there just in time to see hubby catch a wave.

Then I had to wait a long time for the next one. Him too.

After several false starts and a few falls, finally he gets another one.

The problem with the waves today were that they were 'walled up' which means that the wave broke all at once. Usually, a surfer likes to go either left or right riding the part of the waves just ahead of where it is breaking. 

Today's conditions were more likely to knock a surfer off their board like this (he's under the water there somewhere).

After waiting far too long for the next waves to appear, I decided to turn my camera to what else was going on around me. 

The trains run close to the coast giving commuters and travelers a good view of the ocean.

The striped cloth that can be seen on the right on top of the cliff is a large tent  placed over houses when they are being treated for termites. This usually happens when a house is being sold. You have to leave your house for three days (taking any food that isn't completely sealed) while chemicals are pumped under the tent to kill those little wood-eating critters.

This is the beach from the other side of the pier.

The pier from the car park above the beach. An iconic view of San Clemente.

Board Meeting

A couple of weeks ago Hubby and I went to visit the Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center in San Clemente. 

The centre has a very large collection of boards lined up with labels that trace the various developments in surfboard design and innovation.

These two boards are reproductions of the early Koa wood boards used by Hawaiian surfers.

This board was made in 1907.

Those below are other early boards which are very heavy.

Duke Kahanamoku was an Olympic swimmer who is credited with popularizing surfing.

Here is the very board from the photograph above.

The size and shape of boards changed as did the type of wood used.

This tail end of a board was used by a friend, Barrie, and her surfing partner, Pete, as champion tandem surfers.

Snarks and surfers often share the same water and not always in a friendly way.

Eventually, lighter-weight materials for surfboards were developed and they became more colourful.

The Weber Performer design is still widely ridden by surfers.

A mock-up of a board shaping workshop.

Barrie and her next surfing partner, Steve, (whom she married) continued to win surfing championships. Their surfboard shop Infinity Surfboard Co has been a fixture in Dana Point for many years and is the home of continuous innovation in surfboards, stand-up paddle boards, and other boards. Steve (aka Master Boehne) made me a custom board, part wave ski, part stand-up board especially for paddling sitting down on flat water.

Morning at the Beach

August in Southern California was a lot cooler and less sunny than normal so it was lovely to see a bright sunny and warm September which lasted all month.

One Monday morning I decided to go to the beach with hubby. While he surfed, I wandered around seeing what was going on up and down the beach.

With most people back at school and work after the summer break, the beach was mostly empty.

There weren't many birds to spot. Perhaps they were back at work somewhere else as well? 

A lack of rain means that the basin at the end of the creek was seriously lacking in water.

Workmen are working on a portion of San Juan Creek's wall in anticipation of future heavy rains. In the past run-off has literally run over the wall and flooded the cycle track that runs beside the creek.

After heavy rain the run off water breaks through the sand to empty out into the ocean.

Currently this sign is redundant.

The starting point of the cycle track off limits for months and months until the current work is completed.

Another shoreline bird keeping busy looking for food.

I love the colours here: blue, green, blue-violet, purple, yellow ochre.

A pretty shell. Doheny Beach is a nature preserve as well as a State Beach so you can look but not collect.

A Snowy Egret checking out the surf.

And doing whatever it is doing here.