B is for BEACHES

This is the best time of the year to share all the beaches in my neighbourhood.  I'm including all of the Greater Vancouver area, by the way.  My own local beach is called "Centennial Beach" and is located at the Boundary Bay Regional Park.  I showed you a bit of the area last week in my slideshow of the Dyke Trail there, but the beach has many benefits. You can never get bored there because not only can you swim or play at the beach, but also you can bike the trails, walk on the boardwalk, or go bird-watching.  It's not crowded and you can actually have a barbecue right there, too. So take your blanket, a picnic and a book and just relax while you enjoy the brilliance of the sunshine and scenery during any season because it can be almost balmy here, even in winter.

Just south of Centennial Beach, on the American side of the border, is Maple Beach and Lighthouse Park Beach.  While Maple Beach is great for swimming, Lighthouse Park Beach is best for dog walking, whale watching, sunset photography and kayaking and boating. I love going there whenever I head down across the border for gas.

Just south-east of where I live is another favourite destination - White Rock Beach. There's a 1,500 foot long pier that everyone likes to walk and you can get beautiful photos of the town hanging off the hills and gorgeous sunsets.  This beach stretches for miles and consists of the east, west, and crescent beaches. Sometimes, you can even see the occasional seal sunbathing at Crescent Beach.

Now we head north into the city of Vancouver.  So many beaches lie along the edge of Burrard Inlet, most of which give beautiful views of downtown Vancouver.  On the southern border lie Spanish Banks Beach, Locarno Beach, Jericho Beach, and Kitsilano Beach.  Right in downtown Vancouver itself lie English Bay Beach and Sunset Beach.  Also, on the western rim of our famous Stanley Park lie 3 beaches.  And on the northern border of the inlet are Cates Park Beach and Ambleside Beach.  There are lots of other smaller beaches in neighbourhood locales.

One beach you might be surprised to learn about is Wreck Beach, Canada's first and largest, legal, clothing-optional beach. On a summer weekend, as many as 14,000 visitors flock to this 7.8 km long beach, which is adjacent to the University of British Columbia and reached by climbing down a long flight of stairs. Here is where you'll find a bounty of bare bums and other anatomical bits, but don't go there to be a busybody.  Take part in the sun or beach bathing and don't worry about looking a bit bedraggled. If you behave properly, you just might befriend someone nice.

I know, you're all wondering if I belong at this beach.  Well, I have been there years ago as I'm an alum of UBC, but this was just before the beach became known as the "Nudie Beach."

I hope you enjoy this little slideshow of the various beaches in my neighbourhood.  Most are my own shots, but a few are courtesy of Mr. Google.  Enjoy, turn up your sound, and remember that"it's almost perfect here!"

Blissful thanks to Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday, and her brilliant, but sometimes bizarre bunch of assistants. We have a blast bouncing around to everyone's posts to see what kind of bright, or baffling poetry, prose, or photography you share each week.  We believe that you buckle down so you can burst forth with brilliance about birds and beasts, summer barbecues, belly dancing,  butterflies and bugs, making jams and pies from summer berries, balls and balloons, or even your nagging backache. To contribute to ABC Wednesday, just click here and follow the prompts. Welcome to any new bloggers!