Images by John 'K'
Life as seen through my lens…
A day at the seaside…
Posted by on May 29, 2007
Funny – I always thought a day at the seaside on a national holiday was a British thing, but the need to flock to the coast on our free time seems a part of the human condition wherever they are found. This past weekend was the Memorial Day weekend her in the USA, and faced with a long weekend, many Americans decided to pack up for the weekend and head for the lakes and the mountains for some rest, relaxation, and recreation. As I headed home from work on the Friday before the weekend, it was clear that many folks were heading away – the freeways were packed with trucks and SUVs towing trailers with all sorts of recreational hardware, there were cars and minivans loaded with people and assorted vacation paraphernalia, and the usually busy drive home was a nightmare.
We hadn’t planned to go away this weekend – one of my daughters has recently started a part time job that has her working the weekend, and she’s already booked up a chunk of vacation time for our trip back to the UK in August, so going away for the weekend as a family was not an option. She did however have the Monday off. As such, we took things easy on Saturday and Sunday, mixing some driving lesson time with my youngest daughter, with shopping, with some late mornings (don’t get to lay in too often nowadays), and with a big BBQ on Sunday.
In time honored British tradition, we thought we’d head to the seaside for the holiday day itself, so Monday morning we packed up the car with a load of food and drink, and headed west. The original plan was to spend a bit of time either at Capitola or Santa Cruz, then head north up the coast a bit. It seemed however that a lot of the bay area folks had decided to do exactly the same thing, and the traffic heading for Santa Cruz and north up the coast was horrible, so we headed for Capitola and decided to spend the afternoon there.
Capitola was also heaving with people – I thought back to this quiet seaside town that I stumbled on one weekend a few years back while on a business trip to the bay area, and compared it to the busy seaside town that we were faced with – same place, but quiet? No way! Anyhow – after driving around for a bit trying to find somewhere to park, we pulled up, had something to eat, loaded up, and set off for the beach.
Inland in the bay area it gets lovely and warm in late May – on the coast however it’s a different story. I thought it was comfortable – not too hot, nice ocean breeze. The rest of the family however thought it was cold. It was OK in the sun, but there was a coastal fog that just wouldn’t completely clear. We found a nice spot on the lovely sandy beach, and took in the atmosphere – even with the less than ideal weather it was relaxing. My wife and I left the girls on the beach mat and went for a walk down the beach – had a paddle in the Pacific, and enjoyed the scenery and the company. A while later we regrouped and went for a stroll around the stores (with 3 women shopping just had to be on the agenda didn’t it!!).
All in all my wife and I thought it was a nice day out. Not so sure my girls were totally impressed with the day (no computers, too cold etc) but they didn’t complain (too much) and at least tried to act as a family.
As always – grabbed a few pics, a selection of which can be found here….. 🙂
Images by John 'K' 
hehe tell them to stop complaining weve had nothing but rain and the odd hailstorm for the past few days! o well at least i havent had to worry about watering the garden. im glad you had a nice time, i just hope the weather is nice when your here.
LOL Yes have to agree with Gem, would much rather have it sunny but just a bit chilly, be rotten here again! At least you had a nice day though al together, just hope the weather behaves here for our day out together!
How\’s California John ? Missing dear old blighty at all ? Tales of my demise have been somewhat exagerated. I\’m casting about for work at the moment and feeling a little unwanted. Twelve months and not even one interview. Closest I came was Sega Racing Studio, unfortunately the job was London based…..
Fiona is studying for a degree and doing really well. How are you folks finding education in California.
Andy Enderby
it\’s an accident to see your blog. i am in san jose now and actually i am from china. This summer i am going to your country for a short travel which i expect a lot.