Linda's Chatty Blog

This has been one of those awful weeks, where bad things happen to good people, stuff that was supposed to happen didn't, and whatever could go wrong, did. So I wasn't terribly surprised when we drove to the beach today to find the train was going through and we couldn't get across the tracks to actually get to the beach. And of course it had to be the longest train ever...

While we were waiting for the never ending train to go past, I turned around and took a few pictures. The brick colored building is Coney Island fish and chips. I think they have the best fish and chips anywhere but I admit to being slightly biased as I have been eating here since I could barely walk. I remember sitting on stools at the counter and it was one of the few times I was allowed to have soda pop and I always asked for the pink Creme Soda. Yum.

To the left of Coney Island is Moby Dick fish and chips...many would argue they have the best fish and chips anywhere...and the line ups outside there most days might indicate this as well...but for me it is Coney Island. I have history with that place...it was there long before Moby Dick's was around. Granted it didn't always look like this as it once burned down and was rebuilt but it is still Coney Island.

To the left of Moby Dicks used to be a corner store called "Red and White" but it has been gone for many years and I see the building was recently renovated and a new restaurant is there. And beside this restaurant is this hill.....I was standing across the street and up on higher ground when I took this picture but that is a big and winding hill across the street. When I was a little girl, I lived in a house at the top of this hill and down the lane way a few steps. It was actually a summer house but when I was about 4, we sold our house in the city and were moving to a new house but it was under construction so we had to move into the beach house for several months. There was a set of little boy twins my age down the lane named Tom and Jerry (long before that ice cream bearing the same name was around). That summer we were like triplets and played together every day...outside...in those days it was relatively safe to let your kids go outside to play and you knew they would show up when it was time to eat. We never went far but we found all kinds of fascinating things to do...catching caterpillars, butterflies, picking flowers (I remember bright multi colored nasturtiums and orange California poppies as being my favorites then) and walking through the blacktop the city had just paved the road out front with...black top when it is warm feels really nice on tiny bare feet and toes...I never wore shoes when I was little and still don't like them. And we liked to squish snails with our bare feet...that habit has not moved into adulthood with me.... That summer was so much fun and I hated when it ended as we moved into our new house and I started kindergarten. My birthday is at the end of the year so I started school at the tender age of 4.

Here is White Rock today, the tide was way out and the puddles close to shore were nice and warm!

The daffodils are now gone and in their place are these pretty flowers. We had a nice time today and it was a nice break.