Weekend at the Beach

Are you tired of the beach yet?

This is which beach? Right! Hermosa Beach! Good for you! There was a Surfing Festival at the beaches this weekend. While we were walking with Tim and Mia at Hermosa Beach late Saturday afternoon, there were still people lined up on the pier and gathered in stands on the shore to watch various activities and competitions.

Even the seagulls assembled to spectate.

The surf really and truly was this shade of green. We had noticed it on Friday. We think that there was an algae in the water that turned it green. Even the breakers had a green tinge. I know about Red Tide that is caused by algae. Maybe this was Green Tide. Or maybe someone dumped green dye in the water. You could actually see where the ocean was either green or blue depending on the varying currents and water depth.

There was a breeze and the seagulls lined up facing the wind and the ocean. Why do they do that?

These little sandpipers were the cutest things. They ran back and forth with the waves on their little legs, looking like they were in a movie running at fast forward. You know what I mean with their legs pumping so fast you can't see them, like hummingbird wings. They ran back and forth, back and forth, hunting and pecking in the sand looking for crabs and other creatures for their dinner. Every time I would point and shoot with the camera, thinking I was close enough to get a good shot, off they'd go, either running or flying away.

All the while we were walking, a red helicopter flew back and forth, hunting for something, too. Evidently, it was part of a demonstration of sea rescue. The copter hovered low enough over the surface of the sea to kick up spray, then a person was slung from the sea to the pier and finally he/she rappelled up the rope into the helicopter.

You can see that the weather was "early morning coastal fog and low cloudiness". Some days it has "given way to sunshine later in the afternoon". Saturday afternoon it went back to that low cloudiness. I prefer walking when the sun isn't so bright so Saturday suited me just fine. I remember that we would walk on the beach every Saturday afternoon at Pasir Putih (White Sands Beach) in Manokwari, Papua, Indonesia, play in the surf, eat our picnic dinner and watch the sunset. The sun would be past its zenith and not so blistering hot. I think my preference was set there and I still chose to walk in the afternoons when I can.

I hope you are not completely bored with beach photos. I promise some knitting content!