West coast beaches. We get this image of beautiful people wearing bikinis or board shorts, surfing or playing beach volleyball in the bountiful sunshine.
Some days it’s like that. More often, it’s not. West coast beaches — at least those in Washington and Oregon and northern California — are more likely to be socked in by fog than graced by sunshine, and the partygoers are more likely to be in wetsuits than swimsuits. The cold and fog don’t stop people from going to the beach.
The ocean has an undeniable draw. The joy it brings seems most obvious with children and animals, then with everyone else. From surfers to boogie-boarders to couples walking hand in hand to kite-flyers, the beach is one place where everyone can have fun.
I love the ocean for more reasons than I’m willing to go into right now. Being able to observe other people loving it too fills me with happiness. Documenting it is a treat.
These photos were taken at Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco. Click any image to access the gallery.
Dreaming in Character 
September 11, 2013 at 9:35 am
oooh! Lovely
LikeLike
September 12, 2013 at 11:22 pm
I love how little kids are just drawn to the water with this gleeful reckless abandon. I also watched a dog bark with concern for a good half hour while his human charges, all about 9 or 10 years old, were out with boogie boards. He stood chest-deep in the water and just barked at them. What a great guardian.
The water’s cold. It was probably about 58 or 59 degrees. Kids just don’t care, they’ll play in it regardless. At least toward the end of the afternoon the fog burned off and the sun made an appearance.
LikeLike