About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

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!"
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

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!

28 comments:

Powell River Books said...

Wow, a new cycle of ABC Wednesday. Thanks for the list of beaches on the lower mainland. I'm always looking for day trips from Bellingham to keep my Canadian roots wet. - Margy

Roger Owen Green said...

What? No Bette Midler? I jest. Good roundup.

Carver said...

Great selection of B words and I enjoyed the look at the beautiful beaches. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

EG CameraGirl said...

I just learned something new! I had no idea Canada had a nudie beach. :))

Meryl said...

OOOh you are so lucky to have not one but four beaches in your area! I have none:-(

photowannabe said...

Terrific shots of all your beaches. You certainly live in a gorgeous country.
I had no idea about Nudie Beach either. Love the sunset picture of the man on the rock.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Beaches are a wonderful place to enjoy some breathing time outdoors! Lovely beach scenes!

jill said...

Hi Leslie plenty of beaches for you to choose from here.Wont be long now my friend.Love Jill xx

Wanda said...

Very nice beaches. I did have to laugh, as we lived in Santa Barbara, CA doing the "Hippie" days, and there was a nude beach by the Big Sur...I kept my kids going in the other direction..HaHa

New York Erratic said...

Mo! I'm really, really landlocked this summer... made me miss the beach!

Nice post!

The Poet said...

Dear Leslie,
Great, great job with your post this week. I love the beach...but no, not the nude ones (LOL)!. Thanks for sharing.

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

I love the beach and miss living within driving distance of one...but, I'll be home on Molokai soon and will get a 'beach fix'!

Hazel said...

Bird-watching on the beach, and the biking on the trails sound a lot of fun. If I could do one of them right now... *sigh* Ok, back to work :)

Chubskulit Rose said...

I love your B's but I certainly love the avatar dancing in your sidebar hehehe.

Set of B's
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team.

Shooting Parrots said...

I enjoyed your slideshow and did a double take when it came to Wreck Beach and had to go back to read your explanation!

Jama said...

I love going to beaches but not for swimming, just photographing.

Carola said...

BRILLIANT !
What a fantasting beach post. All the wonderful Bs.
The slide show is GREAT. All this fantastic shots mixed up with nice music. I loved it!
And a great remember from my Vancouver time. Isn't that a special place! Vancouver in summer is one of the best places in the world! Yes, "it's almost perfect here"!

Reader Wil said...

Beaches are always beautiful and hopefully not dangerous and the habitat of crocs like in Australia!
Thanks for your comment! I am back after a delay of 26 hours due to a typhoon in Hong Kong. We spent one night sleeping on the floor of the waiting area of the airport and one day talking to fellow passengers. Now I am going to have my mail sorted out.

http://www.peripheralperceptions.org/2012/07/25/b-is-for-baptism/ said...

Ooohhhh!!! Beaches! My favorite place to be. Loved the slide show.

Hildred said...

Wonderful post, Leslie, and some beautiful pictures. Brought back memories...

Leslie D. said...

Hello other Leslie! Neat post...very clever.

Joy said...

Great beach-side views and a lovely variety of photos, can almost feel the sand between my toes. I live on a peninsula so happily am surrounded by beaches.

Janet said...

Now I'm yearning to go to a beach!

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

What a bevy of beautiful words. I love beaches too.

Cheri said...

Some beautiful shots there. Last summer, my husband and I had one day to spend in Vancouver--we spent the majority of it just walking the shore and into Stanley Park. Your post makes me want to return.

Roy Schulze said...

I have got to out to B.C. I live by a Beach in Toronto, but that's Bollocks compared to the ocean. Thanks for the tour guide, it might come in handy some day. My ABC Wednesday this week is Begonia Pope.

Shrinky said...

Ahhhh, what a great choice for the summer! I'm looking forward to wetting my toes on a beach in Portugal, just a few days after your visit with us here (smile). Not long to go now, eh?

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