I grew up in San Diego, and my adolescence was bikinis and Boogie Boards and cruising the cliffs in Ocean Beach.
I’ve come a long way from that sun tanned cheerleader (don’t judge!), and when I go back now it’s with a bit of melancholy for my lost youth. But the truth is I’m so much happier now, and thank god I quit with the tanning or I’d be leather-lady, which is never a good look.
Sam and I are winding down a two-month stay in OB, my old stomping grounds. OB is funky, sort of the anti-La Jolla, and hasn’t changed much since I left. Even the local head shop, The Black, continues to do a thriving business in bongs and lava lamps. Not that I need the first one, but I have to admit I’m thinking a lava lamp might be just the thing Kahler Island needs.
I’ve been here to work, reflect, and eat my weight in fish tacos. The best beach for dogs is in OB, and our rental is a short walk from there. Every morning, Sam and I head over for exercise and puppy playtime, a fantastic way to start the day.
I haven’t done much photography here, since I’ve been focused on building the new business, but I have managed to capture the stay with the iPhone. Here’s a taste of what OB is like in late winter.
The hippie scene is alive and well in OB, and on a lawn next to the beach a group of acrobats and yogis practice their moves every single day. Here’s a wire walker doing his thing at sunset.
There was a little dog peeking through the blinds a second before I made this image. I still like it because of the classic OB architecture – stuccoed and slightly rundown.
It gets foggy here, which I’ve missed – there’s hardly ever fog in the high desert – and this was a typical view the other morning. As in, no view.
I loved the desolation of that lone trash can and the ghostly palm trees in the background.
The San Diego River runs to the Pacific at Dog Beach, and it’s got a protected estuary with all kinds of water birds. Gorgeous and serene.
Next week it’s back to the Emerald Isle.
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14 Comments
Thanks ! Keep shooting ! 🙂
Will do, Tom! Thanks for the comment.
Especially nice a snow day in the Northeast 🙂
Glad I could help, Michelle! 🙂
Nice piece. I was in OB last June to take a picture of where I lived 40 years ago. Change is slow there.
Richard – Thank you! Very slow, which is comforting, especially now in this crazy time we’re in.
I’m picturing a tiny little island a la The Little Prince, but instead of a rose under a glass, there’s a lava lamp.
This post, while the photos are awesome as usual, delights me mainly because it basically gives me permission to begin counting down the days until you return.
Susan – Love that reference and image! You’re so sweet. Count away – I am too. 🙂
I grew up in La Mesa but spent as much time as I could at the beach. I married a surfer from OB whose family had moved to La Mesa. We started skiing and ended up living in Utah. He’s still there. I’ve lived all over–and now back in San Diego traveling with my husband in our Casita. We are on the other end of the county in Julian and Anza Borrego. I sorely miss the beach. Loved your photos!!
Martha – We’ve covered a lot of the same ground! You live in a gorgeous part of Southern California. I was going to try and get to the Anza Borrego for the superbloom, but it’s so hot right now I couldn’t safely leave Sam in the car for more than a few minutes. Did you go? I hope so, so I can live vicariously. 🙂
We came through Borrego a week ago Monday when it was still relatively comfortable. We took a short walk south of the busy part of town with our dog. It wasn’t the fields of them you could see up next to the mountain–or even on the sides of the hills, but we found little treasures like blooming pin cushion cacti, and barrel cacti, and other flowers. We went again Saturday because a friend came out to Julian from La Jolla and we drove to the desert. That was a whole different experience as half of Southern California was there (or so it seemed). On the north side of town we did see the fields, but it was a road derby…dusty, hot and a lot of traffic. I took photos from the car window! On our way back to Julian south of town we walked out a ways and saw more pin cushion and barrel, still not in full bloom.
Martha Goudey recently posted…Borrego Springs Super Bloom
Martha, I appreciate the info! I checked out your blog post so now I at least have a feel for it. Thank you!
Deonne, Sabrina’s aunt lives in San Diego, so when we go to visit, we make it a point to get a place in Ocean Beach. That’s RIPLEY’S beach! The first place the two of us really played in the ocean! She just loved it there. Ripley’s not really a “play” dog, always been more of a worker. But when I waded out into the surf, and held out my arms and called her name, she ran to me with such incredible joy, over and over again. Will never forget those moments. Thanks for the memories.
Michelle – I love this! You and Ripley, right where we are now. Dog Beach is a treasure, and it’ll be hard to leave it to go back to Taos – it’s the thing I’ll miss the most. We’re staying right across from Robb Field, not sure if you know where that is, so every day Sam and I walk the beach and the field, and he gets puppy playtime twice. A joy to see him so happy.