Wind and Waves

Oh my goodness...what a full day we had yesterday. Great fun. I have so much to tell you.

We left the RV around 10:30, and didn't return until around 5:30. The kitties were tapping their little kitty feet because their dinner was late. Once everyone was fed and happy, we relaxed and watched television, and then fell into bed for a good night's sleep. At our age, so much excitement is exhausting.

So, my friends, let me just tell you what we did. Our first stop was the Primitive Gatherings Quilt Shop in Murrieta, California. I'll tell you all about that in a separate post.

After that, we headed to Oceanside and the Oceanside Broiler for a light lunch with our friends Deb and Tom. It's located at the Oceanside Harbor. Mike spent most of his summer days here growing up. A friend's father had a sailboat, and they went sailing nearly every day.

Deb and Tom are some of my favorite people in the whole wide world. Here are Tom and Mike...

and Deb and me.

Deb had to work yesterday afternoon, and so they didn't join us at the pier, but we enjoyed spending a little more time with them.

After lunch, Mike and I took off for the pier, just a few miles away. We were a little dismayed to find only metered parking. We thought we were going to be short on quarters, but then found a few meters that would take a card. As it turns out, there was also a public lot below. After parking and getting out, we could see the pier in the distance.

Approaching, we read this plaque, which is at odds with what I read in Wikipedia yesterday. Wikipedia has the pier being built in 1888, but this sign would put it at the 1920's. Nevertheless, there was a "wharf" here beginning in the 1880's. You can read more about the pier's history right here.

One can reach the pier at street level, where we were. Or, you can reach it from beach level via some stairs.

So, follow me, but please...let's get the rules straight before we head out. You in the back...pay attention!

Put away those gaffing hooks, my friends.

Absolutely no smoking.

I think we'll be safe on the pier, but just in case you decide to head down to the beach, please be aware of the tsunami evacuation route.

Okay, well, our shadow selves were beside themselves with excitement.

Looking north, we saw this:

Looking south, we saw this:

From end to end, up and down on these railings are etched names of people who donated to have it rebuilt after it was destroyed in the mid-70s. If we'd known about the effort, we surely would have donated.

There were a few surfers out in the water. We watched as a few caught waves and rode them in.

About mid-way, we came to Ruby's. There is a bait shop here and a small gift shop selling wind chimes and other souvenirs. We talked a bit to the man tending the store. He was familiar with Oregon and had spent some of his adult life working near where we live.

We also met a number of feathered friends. The gulls would allow me to approach within about three feet. This guy simply spread his wings and effortlessly lifted off the railing to fly...no jumping, and no running.

They are incredibly graceful.

There were pigeons of all kinds. The guy on the right in the image below makes a sound like a myna bird.

On our return trip, we noticed this Great Egret and his shadow self.

Also, this pelican. It was hard to get a good picture of him with the railings in the way.

But he posed as we walked on by.

We walked all the way to the end where there is a cafe. One could enjoy a meal there. I enjoyed Mike as much as I enjoyed the walk on the pier. As I mentioned yesterday, I was here in 2014, while Mike hasn't been here since before we were married in the early 70's. It certainly brought back a lot of happy memories and reminiscing about our days here.

Looking back, I loved this little row of pink houses. I kind of have an idea this is a motel.

And, of course, there were lots of blooming things. There were African Daisies in all colors.

The ice plant was blooming. This kind of ice plant is ubiquitous in Southern California. Those "blades" are about as big as your finger. If they are broken open to where they are moist inside, they'll stain your clothes. As kids, we broke them in half and then wrote graffiti on brick walls and sidewalks. It would last a couple of weeks, and then wash away.

Also, we saw hedges of this stuff. The red "fruits" there were about as big as ping pong balls.

Here's one close up. I don't know if they are edible or strictly ornamental, and I didn't bite into one to see.

And you know it's been a good day when I can score both a refrigerator magnet AND a shot glass, but I found both on the pier.

And that was our day. I hope you enjoyed it.

Today we're just going to hang around the RV. Mike probably has more things on his to-do list, and we need to make a quick trip to the grocery store. It's looking for a nice day to get out for another walk, and I'll check back a little later to tell you about the quilt shop.