Featured Photo: Balboa Pier
No poles in sight while walking and even the nearest buildings were quite a distance away. Nevertheless, messages came to my mobile phone. A glance showed that the 5G technology is fully usable. A quick chat with Detlef Stern, then I turned my attention back to a couple of birds who were probably just waiting for me to pull a fishing rod out of my pocket.
Balboa Pier was pretty empty today so we strolled further along the beach to the next one. Previously, we had already admired the recultivation attempts on the beach, which are showing the first visible successes, at least in the direction of the port entrance. Unfortunately, however, the construction activities in the direction of Newport Pier continue to increase, so that Newport Beach will probably experience a similar fate to Huntington Beach.
Only the citizens of Laguna Beach seem to defy the general trend; Last year we were already happy that there was a general smoking ban within the city limits of Laguna Beach and that the pedestrian zones became more and more extensive.
When we got to Fifteenth Street, we got a little nostalgic because there used to be a nice little surf shop there that we used to like and which suddenly disappeared about five years ago. We got so nostalgic that we made a little detour to the street and were amazed shortly after in front of said shop stood.
A younger gentleman proudly told us that the shop has been around since 1961 and only let himself be elicited that there must have been quite a few changes of ownership in recent years, whereby a previous owner had probably bought the shop back recently, but he hadn't worked there for a long time to know more about it.
A walk on the beach can't go better than when beautiful memories suddenly come true again!
"While civilization has been improving our houses, it has not equally improved the men who are to inhabit them."
Henry David Thoreau, Walden (2020 [1854]: 30)
