Taking in Life Around Me.....#SundayStills......Theme: beautiful beaches

This #sundaystills challenge is hosted by Terri from Second Wind Leisure. I've also been loving visiting the blogs of the other participants and being inspired by their interpretations of the theme. Sometimes I'm a week late commenting but I do try to visit everyone. After all, if you take the time to produce something, you sure hope people visit.

This weeks theme is beautiful beaches. I dodged a bullet by double checking. For some reason I thought it was "road trippin", but that's in a few weeks. Phew. 

By definition a beach is: A beach is a narrow, gently sloping strip of land that lies along the edge of an ocean, lake, or river. Materials such as sand, pebbles, rocks, and seashell fragments cover beaches. Most beach materials are the products of weathering and erosion. Over many years, water and wind wear away at the land. (nationalgeographic.org)

 

Beaches.....there's something about them that brings peace, calm, rest. Sometimes they bring a thrill, maybe a storm, but either way watching the waves crash or lap, feeling the sand under our feet or watching a storm brew from the safety behind a window...there's just something about them. I also realize that there are many who will never step foot on an ocean beach. I'm blessed to live near enough to the Pacific Ocean to make a day trip or a long weekend if we want. I've been blessed to play on the Atlantic coastline. I've also enjoyed many river and lake "beaches". Our town borders the Columbia River and there are many areas of sandy beach to visit. 

I apologize ahead of time for all the photos. I need to figure out how to create collages and place in my post. I still use blogger and I hesitate to transfer to Wordpress and lose all my stuff..and this is easy, BUT seems more limited to me. Sooo I couldn't figure out what size to create (I knew I could use picmonkey), but not sure the size, etc. and I just didn't have the time. I'll have to play with it. So in the meantime you'll have to just scroll on through. 

My daughter's chocolate lab Benelli in 2013 playing on the beach by the Columbia River.

Watching the sun set on the shores of Lake Erie! 

Sunset in Seaside, Oregon. I love the sunsets at the beach. Our part of the ocean may be super cold, but it's also super beautiful. 

Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Took a trip with friends to go crabbing.

On the shores of Lake Como, Italy. Rocky, but still a beach.

New Smyrna Beach, Florida. When my family lived there, we would always head here. They lived about 30ish minutes. 

Lighthouse out of Cannon Beach, Oregon. The waves were crashing that day. There's not a lot of swimming in the ocean here...it's cold, but there are a lot of riptides, and many people have died because of them. 

The Oregon Coast is so stunning especially when viewed from up high. 

I love exploring the beaches. The beach in Lincoln City holds a Glass Float event every year. Each year, thousands of glass floats are hidden on the shorelines of the beach for people to find. We've yet to find one, BUT my oldest daughter made an impression on an older gentleman that used to visit the hotel my inlaws managed in our current town. He lived at the beach, and twice, sent her glass floats. Two that he found on the beach in the 1970's that were from Japan, and then another that he found from the Glass Float Event. I still have them. 

Beaches are also for digging deep holes? Haha! 

Exploring tide pools.

Flying kites. My mother in laws happy place is the beach. I wish I had enough money to buy a beach house that she could go to whenever she wanted. She will spend hours walking the beach and flying kites. 

Cousins around the beach fire. Roasting hot dogs, and apparently my daughter thought she'd try roasting an apple. 

More tide pools.

Practicing soccer juggling. While our beaches aren't typically warm, you will find many people visiting them during all seasons..and when it's really hot inland, there will be throngs of people at the beach. 

Bocce ball is pretty fun to play at the beach.

A girls birthday trip to the beach. It was pretty cold and stormy this trip. 

Checking out life in the tide pools.

Oh, not bad for chipping golf balls either. 

More ocean life

I chuckled as I was writing, because I kept remembering other photos I could add, but decided I should just stop. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin