North of San Diego there are cliffs that abutt the sea. There is a hang-gliding facility at which you can jump off the cliffs and drift down to the beach or sea (if you aren't careful) 300 ft. below.
The day we were there was overcast so the colors of the gray sea and sky and sand colored cliffs against the brightly colored rigs were beautiful to watch. But, the most interesting thing there in my opinion was the lookout area. Long ago a "fence" had been erected with posts pushed dredged in cement and chain linking them together.
Years of rain and ocean mist had scoured the cliff and the posts leaving deep gouges where dirt once was. A few of the posts had come out of the cliff and were just hanging there ready to fall to the sea at any time. An old street sign, covered in bumper stickers, read "Unstable Cliffs, Stay Back". The sign was leaning back at a 60 degree angle to the cliff, truly proving its point. I'd be surprised if its still there today.
A few hundred feet down the way I could see surfers decending down the cliffs, seemingly unaware of the perils the sign told of.
This to me is California. The people do things that might seem harmful (traverse hazardous terrain or jump off cliffs) just to feel alive. And, no matter how much civilization tries to build her up, nature in California will always bring her back, just as nature was reclaiming that cliff from development.
California
There is a town in California called Topanga.
Yes, the same as Corey's girlfriend's name on "Boy Meets World". I'm almost positive that the only reason why I remember its name is because of that show. It's a little south of Malibu, near Pepperdine along PCH.
One of the strangest things I saw in California happened in Topanga. I visited it on my last day of vacation a few years back. It was sunset, but I made my family stop at one last beach. I've always loved the beach, how the sand settles in around me as I lay there listening to the soothing ebb and flow of the waves in the background.
As we walked down towards the water, we encountered a man stacking rocks the size of my head on top of each other. But, he wasn't stacking them on the flat sides, as you would to make a caryn or a pile. Instead, he was staking them on the points and edges making very precarious looking towers. But, for some reason they didn't fall over. He staked five or six on top of each other and then would move on the next stack. Making each stack as sturdy as the next.
It was fascinating to watch him. He would turn the rocks over in his hands a few times like he was looking for an energy or center, and then would just place them carefully on top of each other, and not once did I see one fall over.
The man had a skill. Maybe not a marketable skill, but I'm still amazed to this day at his talent.
Yes, the same as Corey's girlfriend's name on "Boy Meets World". I'm almost positive that the only reason why I remember its name is because of that show. It's a little south of Malibu, near Pepperdine along PCH.
One of the strangest things I saw in California happened in Topanga. I visited it on my last day of vacation a few years back. It was sunset, but I made my family stop at one last beach. I've always loved the beach, how the sand settles in around me as I lay there listening to the soothing ebb and flow of the waves in the background.
As we walked down towards the water, we encountered a man stacking rocks the size of my head on top of each other. But, he wasn't stacking them on the flat sides, as you would to make a caryn or a pile. Instead, he was staking them on the points and edges making very precarious looking towers. But, for some reason they didn't fall over. He staked five or six on top of each other and then would move on the next stack. Making each stack as sturdy as the next.
It was fascinating to watch him. He would turn the rocks over in his hands a few times like he was looking for an energy or center, and then would just place them carefully on top of each other, and not once did I see one fall over.
The man had a skill. Maybe not a marketable skill, but I'm still amazed to this day at his talent.
Arkansas
I know very few things about Arkansas. I know Bill Clinton (hottie president extrodinaire) is from there. I also know that I visited there once when I was very young.
Since I was so young, I remember very little of the visit. When speaking about the vacation, my mother always complains that we cried to much because we got chiggar (a meaner, southern version of the misquito) bites in our diapers. This part I do not remember.
I do remember that it was sweltering hot. We decided to go to the pool to cool off. I, the clumsy child that I was, pulled a metal door over my big toe, removing part of the nail and cutting the top of big toe. There was a lot of blood and I cried a lot.
So the only things I know about Arkansas are:
1)Bill Clinton once lived there
2)Chiggars live there
3)I almost lost a toe there
Since I was so young, I remember very little of the visit. When speaking about the vacation, my mother always complains that we cried to much because we got chiggar (a meaner, southern version of the misquito) bites in our diapers. This part I do not remember.
I do remember that it was sweltering hot. We decided to go to the pool to cool off. I, the clumsy child that I was, pulled a metal door over my big toe, removing part of the nail and cutting the top of big toe. There was a lot of blood and I cried a lot.
So the only things I know about Arkansas are:
1)Bill Clinton once lived there
2)Chiggars live there
3)I almost lost a toe there
Alabama
When I was younger, between 5-8, my grandparents became snow-birds. They live in rural Wisconsin during the summer and move to the south during the winter months to get away from the cold. In the beginning they rented condos for a few months in different southern states like Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama.
During winter vacation my family would down and visit. The condo was always on or near a beach. Grandma, my sister, my mom, and I would all get up early to go seashell hunting. You had to go early because otherwise the early morning beach walkers would get all the good ones.
One morning we happened upon a muddier beach with lots of big shells. The kind that spiral around on the side and look like small conch shells. This was a great find. Usually we found them in pieces or broken apart, never whole like these.
After searching for the best ones around we returned home and left the shells on the balcony table to dry in the sun. A few hours later when we went out to inspect the shells there was a special surprise waiting for us. One of the shells had still been inhabited and the poor crab had tried to crawl out and back to safety away from the sun. He had gotten about halfway across the table before he had died and dried out to a crisp.
I was horrified. Since then collecting shells has never brought the same joy it once did.
During winter vacation my family would down and visit. The condo was always on or near a beach. Grandma, my sister, my mom, and I would all get up early to go seashell hunting. You had to go early because otherwise the early morning beach walkers would get all the good ones.
One morning we happened upon a muddier beach with lots of big shells. The kind that spiral around on the side and look like small conch shells. This was a great find. Usually we found them in pieces or broken apart, never whole like these.
After searching for the best ones around we returned home and left the shells on the balcony table to dry in the sun. A few hours later when we went out to inspect the shells there was a special surprise waiting for us. One of the shells had still been inhabited and the poor crab had tried to crawl out and back to safety away from the sun. He had gotten about halfway across the table before he had died and dried out to a crisp.
I was horrified. Since then collecting shells has never brought the same joy it once did.
I've picked a topic!
I tend to be really bad at writing memoirs. I think they are just to close. I don't like talking about myself. So I think I'm going to use this site to perfect my memoir/story-telling skills.
The one thing I do enjoy writing about are my vacations. I'm not a world traveler, but I was on an airplane before i was 1. I've been to about 37 of the 50 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Conneticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virgina, West Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
I've lived in 4 of them and will probably make it 5 after college. I've lived in the midwest, the south, the north, and now New England (My least favorite of all) I get restless once I hit about 7 years in a place. I've spent 2 summers living in Canada, as well.
Most people don't realize what a beautiful country we live in. It is so large and diverse. The mountains that butt up against the Atlantic in Maine, the swampy Everglades of Florida, the redwood forests of Washington and the cliffs of San Diego. Not to mention everything in between. All beautiful in their own ways, but totally different from one another.
Maybe next time I'll get into a story...
The one thing I do enjoy writing about are my vacations. I'm not a world traveler, but I was on an airplane before i was 1. I've been to about 37 of the 50 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Conneticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virgina, West Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
I've lived in 4 of them and will probably make it 5 after college. I've lived in the midwest, the south, the north, and now New England (My least favorite of all) I get restless once I hit about 7 years in a place. I've spent 2 summers living in Canada, as well.
Most people don't realize what a beautiful country we live in. It is so large and diverse. The mountains that butt up against the Atlantic in Maine, the swampy Everglades of Florida, the redwood forests of Washington and the cliffs of San Diego. Not to mention everything in between. All beautiful in their own ways, but totally different from one another.
Maybe next time I'll get into a story...
I'm not so sure about this blog thing
I have to write this blog for a class I'm taking. I've never written a blog. I've never read a blog.
Already I've had to backspace and take out the extra spaces after my periods that I just learned aren't used anymore.
I'm really not so sure about this blog thing.
I'm going to have to think about it and hopefully the next time I write on this thing there will be something meaningful.
Already I've had to backspace and take out the extra spaces after my periods that I just learned aren't used anymore.
I'm really not so sure about this blog thing.
I'm going to have to think about it and hopefully the next time I write on this thing there will be something meaningful.
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