I guess that’s one thing I should have put on the tags that I’ve received where I’m supposed to state something that you don’t already know about me.  Seems that when I get those tags, my mind goes blank and I don’t know what to write… Then two weeks passed the post, I think of all sorts of things.

I am a country girl.  No doubt about it, always have been, always will be.  I love the fresh air, the mountains, the trees, the animals, and the peace.  But, I do love Huntington Beach, and I mean the beach, not just the city of.  I am drawn to that pier like a moth to a light bulb.

I tell people that it’s my “mecca.”  Something about the surf atmosphere, the smell of the ocean, the people watching and the beach life.

My family is from Long Beach, my parent’s moved up here where we are now back in the early seventies because the city was closing in around them.  But my grandma remained down there for as long as possible, my uncle moved away not too long ago, and my cousins are still there.

But since I was a little girl, my dad would always take me out to Huntington to walk the pier.  It’s length has been shortened since, and Ruby’s is on the end now.

Ruby’s is a definite plus though, they have the best shakes in the world.  One of my favorites is the Black Forest which is chocolate and black cherries.  It is mmm mmm good.

Hubby also grew up down in SoCal, in Santa Ana right on the Costa Mesa border.  He used to ride the bus down to Huntington to go surfing and would spend all day in the water catching the waves.  He’s still got quite a bit of beach boy in him, atleast he knows how to catch crabs still.  A lot braver than I am!

I love to listen to his surfing stories and he narrarates what’s happening in the water while I take photos.  This guy was my favorite to watch.  He’d catch almost every good wave, and I would guess that he was in his 50′s.  He had a gnarly hair do, a goatee, and some “killer” blonde streaks through is silvery hair.

He was definitely fun to watch and I almost stopped him as he ate is lunch with a friend at the end of the pier to show him the photos, but I was too chicken.  I walked on by… Too shy to talk to a stranger, that’s the country girl in me.

I know that so many people are attracted to Newport Beach, the high life, the fancy ways about it, but it just feels stuffy to me.  Sure I love eating at the Old Spaghetti Factory and then crossing over to the Newport pier but it doesn’t draw me in like Huntington.  I am comfortable in Huntington, with all walks of life.

There were a few surf competitions going on and this man was a contender for the senior group.  He did okay though there wasn’t a good set of waves during his heat.  He had some friends cheering from the pier though.  It was a good view.

Ever hear of “shooting the pier.”  I think you’ve got to be nuts to try it, those concrete pillars don’t give.  Shooting the pier is when you catch your wave and ride it on through the pillars to come out on the other side of the pier.  My dad used to do that, Hubby never wanted to… He thought it was crazy.

Taking a camera to Huntington is very rewarding.  There are so many things to shoot, from people, to nature, to structure.

There’s just so many that I just about filled up my memory card in my camera.  I was having more fun shooting away, trying to catch the waves with the surfers.

Enjoying my day with the family, and showing Annie where her Dada grew up.

And where her mama could have been watching her dada and not even known it.