Starting today, and for the fallowing 11 days, carlsbadcrawl will be posting artistic observations of our beach and village. Each photo was taken on June 21st. As a beach going village loving local, these are my observations of the first day of Summer:
Hello Summer part 1 of 12
The burning black asphalt stings my feet as I struggled to lock up my bike. My sweaty fingers, slippery from sunblock, fumble my keys and my over sized hat hangs low over my eyes. Like a young child dragging a boogie board and a pale of toys, I grin with anticipation. I leave my bike secure to a steadfast sign scattered with rules which greets each visitor, but is rarely read and begin one of my favorite walks in Carlsbad. I shuffle my feet in the damp sand as I step down long stairs. A weathered fence surrounds me as I slide my hand along a salt soaked rail. Green shrubs of the neighboring beach front paradises hang over contrasting with the peeling red paint of the unstable fence. Sun rays glisten off the aqua blue ocean and cause me to squint my bubbless eyes. A sliver of rolling paradise stares at me as I stop in mid step and smile. I imagine how many times I have walked this staircase and how much I cherish the simple things in life. I continue my walk, eager to dip my toes in the cool water, but content with what my eyes embrace. Summer in Carlsbad is a special time and these stairs provide a breathtaking view of a special place. Hello Beech Street, hello summer…
What beach did you go to and what did you enjoy about it?
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hey there Brian.. (at least I think this is Bryan) This is Kalyn Beckmann, now Kavanaugh. *Yes… I married Tommy Kavanaugh! 🙂 How the heck are you? I have been a lurker on this blog for a while now. 🙂 Thanks for reminding me how gorgeous Carlsbad really is, and why I moved back.
Thanks for this ramble and the photo. I love this walk as well and find it wonderful to have Dakota recognize this picture and ask if we can go to “beech street” tomorrow. And let me guess we have to wait for the 12th ramble for the “best picture ever!” You’re a fucker!
On the summer solstice I was in Manchester, landlocked, at a psychogeography conference. Because there are not any beaches we found them, under the pavement, in the sidewalk cracks, at a park. We were architects, archaeologists, academics, and loiterers. We had come together to walk around one of England’s most notorious cities and to talk about the future of walking. People led walks along cross-continental canals and abandoned bridges covered in forests. In Manchester IRA bombs had cleared the way for a full-scale invasion by consumer society; every activity was prohibited except shopping. (You have to get a permit even to ask people questions). So we took a walk through every Caffe Nero (corporate coffee shop) and exchanged the chairs and table from one shop to another without anyone noticing. Someone had walked the length of a highway for 2 months and spoke about it; another told of a mysterious package he received in the mail and how he traveled all around the continent tracing the path of an enclosed map. We made lines while walking and drank wine while talking. The rainy day stretched on until night and we spent the evening inside at a fine pub where pints were to be had and the spectacle of koyaanisqatsi streamed in image and sound until last call and I took the bus home at 2 a.m. but overshot the stop by several miles and digressed to my destination with neither map nor phone underneath a fullmoonlit sky and only reached my bed as the sky, above a lightpolluted cloud, began to dawn in a color that reminds me of the crayola cornflower crayon I haven’t seen for about 20 years. It was more beautiful than any beach I have ever seen, and equally out of reach.
GREAT Photo & blog on Beech Street!!!! We all have great memories at this place :o) I can’t wait to see all 12 photos & read more of your greatness!!!
The water in this picture looks unbelievably blue. Like Hawaii or something.
But those damn stairs.
I don’t go to the beach as often as I used to, and if I do I usually go a different way… But when I was younger my family and I always went down to the beach using the Beech St. stairs and I used to HATE it. Usually I was carrying a boogey board over my shoulder and the walk up and down used to feel like hell to me. But I’ve always been a lazy person.
Those particular stairs have always had a unique smell, too… It holds a lot of memories.