by the sea shore

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Santa Cruz remains a sweet spot in my heart. We spent the day on the Boardwalk, and it was fun showing it to Rick, who didn't really remember ever going there. I'd done some research in the morning, looking for the best crab sandwich in the area, and came up with promising recommendations for Riva's on the wharf. It was pretty darn good, but I know there are better crab sammies out there somewhere, so the search continues. Oh darn.



I did, however, fall in love with this "cuddle fish" painting, and several other by the same artist. I wonder if this style might translate into beads somehow. I really need some new inspiration to get to work. So far, I just want to frolic on the beach, read, write, knit, eat... That's not going to pay the bills...



We spent hours on the Boardwalk, just walking and looking around mostly. We went on the Cave Train, which I love for it's absolute silliness. It's like the Pirates ride at Disneyland, only not very good. The Sky Glider is always a nice break from the crowds, with a wonderful view of the beach and the rides from high above it all.



Vintage Boardwalk attractions and people watching are endlessly amusing...





But the biggest bang for the buck will always be the Giant Dipper, an 85 year old wooden roller coaster. It's my all-time favorite, and I realized yesterday that I've been riding it for 45 years. Yikes! The first time was when I was about six. My two younger sisters and I sat in the seat in front of our Dad, and he held onto the hoods of our matching turquoise sweatshirts with one hand, and onto his seat with the other. Crazy. It could never happen now. But what a great intro to the world of roller coasters.



On the way back to "camp", we stopped at the Lighthouse to check out the surf museum and watch the surfers and sea lions.





We had dinner with Bruce and Masami (fabulous!), and then the Bead Chest came out. Masami shopped for herself and her friends, and their daughter Emily even found something she liked. I'm always happy when a Young One likes my beads. I have a hard time remembering that beads are still how I make my living though, especially around friends. I'd much rather give them all away. But in case you might want to invite us to stay in your driveway, I do give very generous discounts to people who provide us with a nice place to park and feed us beautiful fresh vegetarian food!



Today we have a lunch date and a dog walk planned, and tomorrow we'll scoot on down the coast a ways, in search of a quiet spot to make beads for a day or two. See you down the road a piece.

More pictures on Facebook.

Comments

  1. Marsha of Marsha Neal StudioAugust 4, 2009 at 11:37 AM

    Do you guys have plans to head to the East Coast at all? If you do make it, you've got to have some Maryland Blue Crab fresh from the Chesapeake Bay.

    I am with you and the "I'd rather give beads away to people that adore them"... but alas... the bills...

    Thanks for sharing your pics! It's wonderful to follow you around via all the pics and stories...

    ReplyDelete
  2. MichelleAugust 5, 2009 at 2:45 AM

    HI Kim,
    The seaside is such fun isn't it ?!! ~ Looks just like some of our sea-side resorts over here in Britain ! The 'Laffing Salt' and other things like that always make me think of Tom Hanks in 'BIG' !!!
    Love that you sold some beads too, well done !!!
    Keep having fun !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Zoe NelsonAugust 5, 2009 at 5:37 AM

    I have a very nice driveway in the Blue Ridge Mountains that you could stay in as long as you want... Come east!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cynthia of Cynful CreationsAugust 6, 2009 at 10:54 AM

    Kim, I'm intrigued by the bead chest, can you post some more pictures of it, and maybe describe what you've got in there, please? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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