Life's a Beach

Here are some pictures of Santa Monica beach on Memorial Day. It seemed that all of California was out on those beautiful beaches and it almost came close to Juhu on a Sunday in Mumbai.

Interestingly, I have always loved this song by Sheryl Crow called ‘All I want to do is have some fun’, that is precisely what I did this weekend, but the only difference from Sheryl’s song was that I had fun till the sun set on Santa Monica Boulevard!

Memorial Day

A tribute to all soldiers, army, navy, marines, coast guards and air force. There was another pillar on the side dedicated to all soldiers who dies in various military operations in the line of duty since 1999. A pretty picture indeed.

The Pier

Everybody is out to have a great time. Somewhat like a walk down to Haji Ali in Mumbai, musicians playing the guitar or flute, people standing up on benches and trying to entertain the passers by to make some money, the serpentine queues for all the restaurants on the pier, the ancient carousel (set up by the Coney Island creator) which has been in existence since the birth of the pier in 1924, the numerous pretzel and hot dog stands by the side…

The Sailboats and Surfers

The oh so blue sea with pretty white sailboats drifting about happily aided by strong gusty winds. The surfers trying to ride waves which did not seem to be as high as I saw in Baywatch and my men readers would be disappointed to learn that the ladies and the men are mostly overweight and way beyond Baywatch expectations! There were some visual treats but very rare!

The Shade
The tall palm trees and beautiful green grass and the inviting shade made me fulfill one of my simple ambitions of sitting under a tree and reading a book, a hammock would have been perfect but one doesn't get everything. Some of the homeless wanderers had spread out their sleeping bags and rested in the shade, a physically challenged person had placed his 2 legs aside and dozed off, a pretty girl sat under a tree rubbing sun tan lotion, readying herself for the beach while the cool breeze blew gently.

The Sun and the Sand

A walk on the beach and the lovely warm feeling of sand between my toes made me realize a few things, the castles we build are temporary, the footprints we leave on the sand are temporary, the next big wave is but a reality, which will wipe it all clean and leave us with fresh smooth surfaces to build upon again. Walking on sand is also about rebalancing and finding steadiness in a constantly changing ground, I envy the light footed creatures of the beach who move with such speed and ease as compared to my apparently laborious movements.

The Californians do know how to enjoy every moment in between the waves.