Tag Archives: Huntington Beach

Summer, Ice Cream and Blueberries!

Summer’s here!

And what do you normally do when it is a holiday weekend? Spend time with family, go on a mini vacation, have friends over for a BBQ. You know, take time off and have some fun. Right?

Me? I decide to write a post.

I know. I need to get a life. Lol.

Okay, it’s obvious, I don’t care as much as I should about the blogging. And I know I should care. I do care. Really, I do. But, you see, I’ve been preoccupied with the edits. Lots of edits. Lots and lots of edits. As in, terminal editing. I think it’s a disease!

Will it ever end?

At some point, I am sure I will have to let this baby fly on its own. Yet, for now, there’s still much work to be done. And so I press on.

Meanwhile, summer rushed in while I’ve busied myself with the writing project. Long, hot summer days are now spent in air-conditioning for the most of us. Unless you’re at the beach.

Oh yes, the beach. I really miss the beach. Have I mentioned that already?

How’s it going over there, Murphy?

(See, I left the bird behind, excuse me, mascot at the beach. He was better off. There’s a beautiful wildlife sanctuary along the coast in Huntington Beach. Truly he’s more suited for that environment. I mean, when’s the last time you saw a pelican in the desert? I thought not.)

Murphy has agreed to be my foreign correspondent for all things beachy and coastal in SoCal.

Are you there, Murphy?

Yes, yes, I’m here. Quite nice, actually. No air-conditioning in my neck of the woods.

Don’t rub it in Murph, okay?

Sorry. I’ve noticed a number of posts on Facebook containing ocean waves on your FB page Karen. Here’s one I especially like.

11012645_1763125833914040_2470037653109068796_n
(Photo curtesy of Chris Harsh, surfer extraordinaire)

(See, this is why I left that crazy pelican behind.)

Okay Murphy, we’ve got the picture. Thank you.

Anything else that I can help you with? Just let me know. I am at your disposal. A Picture of hot babes in bikinis, perhaps? Or I could send over a shot or two of our beautiful weather. Maybe a picture of a couple of buff surfers would do the trick?

That’s quite enough Murphy. Thank you.

Righto! Cheerio!

So, what was I saying? Oh yes. Summer is in full swing. And you know what that means?

Here’s the scoop. Summer means Ice Cream.

Blueberries are just the cherry on top.

Why do I say that?

Well, can you imagine summer without Ice Cream?

I didn’t think so.

Picture a glorious hot summer day with a creamy, dreamy scoop or two of your favorite flavor.

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(Google Images)

See what I mean? My mouth is salivating! What do you think Murphy?

Does it come in fish flavor?

(This is what I get for asking.)

Why don’t you go for a short walk…Oh, never mind Murphy! Just skedaddle. Adios!

Anyway, my personal favorite is Straus Family Creamery’s Organic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It’s tradition back to the basics. In other words, perfection. And for those of you that are sensitive, it’s certified kosher, gluten free and Non-GMO Project Verified.

organic-vanilla-ice-cream
 
It’s like fresh churned Ice Cream!

Then add in fresh, organic blueberries on top and you get my drift.

Happiness on a hot summer day at the McFarland’s.
 
 
 
So what to you think? What is your favorite Ice Cream flavor? How’s your summer going thus far? Have any plans for a family vacation? What fun things help you and your family stay cool over the summer?
 
Cheers everyone! I hope that life is treating you well. And as always, thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

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Let’s Whip Our Summer Into Shape!

(Huntington Beach, California)
 

Yes, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer are upon us.

For most of us, what does that mean?
 

For those of us that have children in the house it means school is out. That is a whole other subject altogether. Although I will say that may fall into the category of crazy, IYKWIM.
 

For those of us who fall into the other category, meaning, for whatever reason, there are no children to disrupt our daily activity, we have our own challenges. Not to take away from those parents who pull double duty mind you. We all have immense respect for you. Been there, done that. And may the force be with you.
  

Yet, it was brought to my attention the other day that summertime may cause a lazy haze to creep into our daily routine much like a fog bank makes its way onto shore. One minute we’re enjoying the warmth of the sun and then a climatic change threatens to rearrange our good intentions and before you know it, we can’t make our way through the all the minutiae.
 

But do we give ourselves the time to appreciate life’s little pleasures? Most of us have trained ourselves to be self-disciplined people. And as such, we make lists and schedules that do not allow us to take a break from our normal routine. I would venture to say that few of us ever accomplish what we set out to do on any particular day. Which keeps us in this vicious cycle of frustration and exhaustion knowing full well it is virtually impossible to get everything done.
 

So what to do?

Take a small break.
 

No, I’m not talking about cleaning a toilet, or fixing a meal, or doing a load of laundry, or catching up on all your emails. Over the years, I have found that for some reason, those things will still be there for you to do later. It’s called job security.
 

No, what I am proposing is to take a little break. For some of us, we may have a vacation planned on some exotic Island for all I know. Yet, what I’m suggesting does not require that drastic of a measure. Here’s what I propose:
 

Get out of the house!

Yes, get out!
 

Go for a walk and breathe in some fresh air. It can be around the block. Or at a beautiful park. Or at the ocean, that is, if you live near an ocean. As you can tell by the picture above, that is one of my personal favs. Even if you are living under a deluge of precipitation that measures in seismic proportions, go to a mall or some other indoor arena available to you and walk.
 

I know some of you are working out. You may be doing potty squats with Ginger Calem. Or Crossfit like Jenny Hansen. But that’s not what I’m talking about. We need to get out of our normal routine and change the scenery.
 

And the best part— it doesn’t cost us anything.
 

Well, maybe our time, which I know is a precious commodity. But you will not believe how stimulating it can be. It helps to clean out the cobwebs in our brain.
 

Have you had writer’s block lately? Has a figurative “fog bank” rolled in across the page?
 

Then take a walk.
 

And you will be surprised how fast you’ll Whip your WIP this Summer into shape!
 
 

So what do you think? Have any special plans for this summer? Do you like to exercise? Do you have a hard time allowing yourself to take the personal time needed to regain your creativity? What things do you like to do to help stimulate your mind and keep your sanity?
 
 
Thanks everyone for stopping by and for all your amazing comments!
Karen

 
 

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The Sweet Taste of Kiwi…More Than Just A Fruit!

After last week’s post I thought we’d switch gears and lighten things up around here. As much as I try to alter the atmosphere from one week to the next, I don’t want to get stuck running in circles. So after you take a bite out of this one, let me know what you think!
 

Ah Kiwi. This mouth-watering brown fuzzy berry has grown in popularity since the mid twentieth century. It’s a sweet little fruit no bigger than the size of a hen’s egg that packs a whole lot of punch. And when the Kiwi is cut open, it is then we are introduced to the splendor of its beautiful lime green center. Yes, this is a fruit with a refreshing heart.
 

Yet, since most of us are smack in the middle of the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice, I thought we might benefit from another type of Kiwi that is sure to warm us all up from the inside out.
 

New Zealand.

 

 

New Zealand is an island country situated some 900 miles east of Australia across the Tasman Sea. It sits roughly 600 miles south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. And because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.
 

There is a plethora of wonderful details that say much about this charming picturesque country. However, there is a unique relationship that I’d like to share with you that exists within close proximity of my backyard and this gorgeous Island nation. It involves an exchange program that was set up to benefit the youth in this area and New Zealand. And it only happens every three years.
 

The Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard program was launched in 1963 with an initial class of 24 students that has now blossomed into a remarkable average of 1,100 students each year. Its purpose is to educate young people in the potentially dangerous ever-changing oceanic environment.
 

The program is world renown for teaching safety, respect, physical fitness, instruction and discipline, along with C.P.R. and other lifesaving methods, with students enrolling from other states such as Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, Utah and countries such as Germany, France, England, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico.
 

Since New Zealand is situated in the southern hemisphere, they are experiencing summer weather that is perfect timing for this exchange. I don’t know about you, but just thinking about this makes me warm up already. 🙂
 

So over a span of three weeks, starting the last week of December, a well rounded group of 28 junior lifeguards who successfully passed an interview and were able to gather the necessary $4300.00 for the trip abroad were chosen because they would represent the junior lifeguard program, their high school and the city of Huntington Beach.
 


Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards

Now that’s a great-looking bunch of kids!

 

They devoted a week in Queenstown where they took in most of the sites and hiked up a glacier, then spent time building an international relationship with fellow junior lifeguards at the northern beaches of Piha and Tairua. There, they were taught about the native culture, though most of their time was devoted to learning local lifeguard techniques.
 

One of their drills included a night dive into a cave off the coast of Tairua. “It was pitch black and we only had glow sticks attached to our heads,” said sixteen year old Holly Fosmire. “It was pretty scary.” That sounds like a simulating nighttime rescue which I’m quite sure left a lasting impression.
 

They even completed a helicopter rescue jump though there won’t be any jumps of that nature occurring in the waters of Huntington Beach since this coastline doesn’t harbor any rock cliffs. Yet, the exercise did give that group of junior lifeguards a different perspective on how to tackle rescue issues in their local waters.
 


 
Then, after they finished their training, all 28 junior lifeguards were nationally certified as lifeguards in New Zealand.
 

Can you imagine what an adventure this was for these young people? Besides the new technical training, every single one said they hoped to take home with them fond memories of that beautiful island nation with all its gorgeous scenery, world-class beaches, diverse culture, and the many new friendships that were made. They knew this was a trip of a lifetime.
 

Yes, in this case, the sweet taste of Kiwi was more than just a fruit!

It was refreshing!
 
 

So what do you think? Have you ever had the opportunity to experience an adventure of a lifetime? Were you ever a lifeguard or taught CPR? Is there an exchange program that your city is involved with? Do you like to travel? Have you ever visited New Zealand? Or do you prefer Kiwi as a sweet mouth-watering fruit?
 
 

Thank you so much for dropping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen

 
 

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Olympics or Surfing?

17 days
 

10,500 athletes
 

2,300 medals
 

Innumerable cheers, jeers and tears.
 

What a feat!
 

But did any of you happen to catch the Surfing event? What? You didn’t watch the surfing competition? Well, it was slightly dwarfed in comparision to the Olympics, I’ll give you that. Yet, while most of you were glued to your TV monitors watching the 2012 Summer Olympic games, in my home, we watched surfing. That’s right, the “Nike U.S. Open of Surfing.”
 

 
Yep, this is the same guy I caught playing in my backyard a couple of months ago and now he’s back in a big way. Only this time, he’s brought along quite a number of his friends from all over the world.
 

It’s been said that the Nike U.S. Open is the “Superbowl of Surfing. It is the epicenter of the surfing world. It doesn’t get any better than this. It is the best of the best. And let me tell you there is a huge difference when watching an amateur surfer verses a pro. Hands down, there’s no comparison.
 

But why does it all happen here? What makes this area of the Pacific Coastline so special?

Where is here you might ask? Oh silly me, that’s right. I didn’t tell you.
 

Well, besides deriving its name from an old Beach Boy song, this city is identified with the sport of surfing and is known as the “Surfing Capital of the World.”
 

Surf City lies across an eight and a half mile stretch of wide open sand along the southern California coastline otherwise known as Huntington Beach. Throughout the world, “HB” is synonymous with world class surfing. Yet, at one time, this area was recognized more for its oil and agriculture than for the sport of surfing.
 

You see, Huntington Beach is situated at a unique location. No other beach in the world can boast its dependability of surf. It seems there’s an ocean current that provides the ultimate in surfing with waves that are unparalleled; influenced naturally by a diffraction of ocean swells via the island of Catalina off its shore twenty some miles away. And if there is a hurricane off in the distance, all the better.
 

Cowabunga!
 

I could get all techie here, but I have a feeling I’d lose some of you! So let’s just say this is what helped to put Huntington Beach on the “World Map of Surfing.”
 

But here’s the thing. Even though Huntington Beach is known for its consistency of surf, the worst part of the year for surfing is in the summer. Are you thinking, what I’m thinking? Why on earth would they hold one of the biggest surfing competitions in the world when the surf is not at its best?
 

Kelly Slater, 40, an eleven time world champion surfer admits that at “this time of year, we only get south swells. You need a combo swell with some west in it or some north in it to kind of make the waves a little peakier and more surfable.”
 

Oh, that’s just gnarly dude. That makes perfect sense. We get it, right?

See, I told you there was a little techie something to this.
 

Apparently, the big whoop-de-do about holding the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing in the summer is due to the fan element. The Nike Open attracts quite a swell, of people that is. Hundreds of thousands descend upon the beach just south of the “HB” pier.
 

Oh, so it’s about the money. Noo, I find that hard to believe.
 

What still doesn’t make sense to me. And maybe it’s just me. But after all these years, I thought we’ve come further than this. That is, the huge spread in the purse between the Men and Women Champions. While the first place winner in the finals earned $100,000.00 for the men, the women’s first place winner only received $15,000.00.
 

Say what?

 

In my research for this post, it looks like there are likely two reasons that might shed some light on this. One, the age span for professional male surfers may reach middle age, while most women stop competing in their early to mid twenties. It seems the womb has something to do with this. And two, men draw more crowds than women surfers.
 

That’s kinda sad. I think we need more women surfers, don’t you?
 

Yet, whether you were watching the Olympics or Surfing, no matter what type of athlete or reward, there is a certain enjoyment that is derived from competitive sports. We respect and admire these talented men and women for all their years of hard training and devotion—for they give it their all!
 

Here’s a little taste of what you may have missed…
 

 
 
So what do you think? Did you watch the Summer Olympics? What was your favorite event or athlete? Do you enjoy the beach or watch the surfers as they ride the waves? Have you ever attended the Olympics or other sporting events?
 
 
 

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