[Francisco]

I live on the Outer Banks, off the coast of NC.

And as long as you stay close to the shore it shouldn't pull you in. I just kinda sit on the bank and let the ocean wash over me. I don't go in, I'm petrified of stepping on crabs. >_>

[Coda]

One time I was playing in the Pacific Ocean with my son when he was little. I was sitting in the water near the beach with him in my lap, and we'd let the waves make us float around as they washed in. I took good care of him, I'd make sure to hold him up out of the water if a wave was too big, and I'd move out of the way if I had to.

One wave was really big, and it knocked me over onto my back. I had underestimated how big it was. I had enough time to hold my breath and hold my son above the water, but I ended up flat on my back and the water dragged me through the sand a little. It was a brief moment of panic, but after the water receded I was fine. And my son laughed -- and a giggling toddler makes everything better.

We played out there for a while longer and had a lot of fun, then I decided to go up with the rest of my family to take a break. I felt like I might be getting sunburned.

Nope. That wasn't a sunburn.

My back was bleeding from dozens of small scrapes where I got dragged through the rocks hiding in the sand.



Overall that's a really good memory. It never really hurt, and it's one of my favorite times I spent with my son when he was little.

[Kory]

Oooh! That's cool, Francisco!
I liked the east coast oceans better than the ones here on the west. My dad is from Virginia Beach and every summer I would go and visit my family there and I'd spend a lot of time in the water! It was fun, but I would always have to rinse off like three times in the shower because I would get sand all over my body and in all kinds of crevices...

@Coda
I remember as a kid, my best friend (who is white) told me that I couldn't get sunburned because I have brown skin. I guess I thought she was right, but I remember the first time I got sunburned on my shoulders. It was painful and it was scary to see the skin peeling oAo
When my dad would take me to the beach in the summer, we always went at night and I don't know why. But I never got sunburned in Virginia because I always went to the beach after the sun went down..

I had to start wearing sunscreen a few years ago because my skin got so uneven from years and years of sunshine/brightness from the snow. Every part of my body is a slightly different color. >:T
I tried so many skin treatments and such, but it really boiled down to; I had to wear sunscreen to prevent further discoloration...

[Francisco]

I've never seen the west coast at all haha. I'd love to see California at some point, but vacations are pricey, and I suck at saving.
I used to live in Norfolk too, that's pretty much VA Beach. :P
We have a beach that's actually a highway, I think it leads up to VA, or close to it. It's a trip and a half I tell ya. Loads of fun. It's near where our wild horses live. Well, one of the areas at least.

@Coda: Ooof, yeah, the beach is a dangerous beast underneath lol. Broken glass, needles...crabs. >_>
Glad yer alright though.

[Merskelly Metalien]

The sands on the beaches of Catalina Island, just off the Long Beach coast,
has particularly soft sands. -u- <3
At least the last time I visited, they did... >-> ..which was several years to a decade ago.

[Francisco]

My sand is.......not soft. But it makes a nice firm chair if you settle in enough.

[Merskelly Metalien]

o-o;? Isn't not-soft sand just gravel??

[Francisco]

Maybe veeeery fine gravel. There's also lots of tiny shells that can hurt if they get you in the wrong spot. Not the most quality sand. It's also remarkably brown. >_>

[Merskelly Metalien]

Sounds like fishtank gravel. >u> But not dyed green, pink or blue.

[Kory]

@Francisco
No way! My dad I think is from Norfolk too (if I'm exact)
I haven't been to Virginia in a long time. I think last time I visited I was probably 11 years old? I'm 24 now. I was never really close to my family there.. and they never came up to visit us in Minnesota. So I'm sure they definitely won't come all the way to California to see us either! lol
I'd like to go back just one more time, to see if it's really as great as I remembered it.

@Merskelly
I feel like I went to Long Beach once!
I don't remember it well, but it was quite a drive from LAX. ;-;
Is it really beautiful? :D

I'm used to the soft sands like they have in Venice beach.
I always wanted to go someplace with white sand and really, really clear water

[Francisco]

From what I remember of Norfolk it was smelly and mean. >_>
But to be fair I was a middle schooler at that point so everything was smelly and mean from my POV lmao.
Let's not think about those times, yes? :')

@Merskelly Metalien: It's just very sad sand. :'D My elbows have the tiniest bit of sandburn from leaning so deep into it.

[Coda]

I was at Santa Monica Beach, which isn't all that far from Venice Beach (a few miles north). I worked within walking distance of Venice Beach for a couple years and somehow managed to never visit it. (I have to wonder if its reputation for being "Muscle Beach" might have discouraged the thought.)

I never went farther south to get to Long Beach.

[Merskelly Metalien]

Originally Posted by Francisco

@Merskelly Metalien: It's just very sad sand. :'D My elbows have the tiniest bit of sandburn from leaning so deep into it.

Originally Posted by Ava

I feel like I went to Long Beach once!
I don't remember it well, but it was quite a drive from LAX. ;-;
Is it really beautiful? :D

I'm used to the soft sands like they have in Venice beach.
I always wanted to go someplace with white sand and really, really clear water

@ Francisco: o-o Sandburn??? That sounds like hell.

@ Ava: Long beach is nice depending on when you go. >u>; It can be dirty or clean, crowded or clear, overcast or sunny, high tide or low tide, cold or colder, have sea lions or have jellyfish, and events or bonfires.
If soft sands and blue waters are what you like, I would try Hawaii. >u> That's definitely the place for you to visit. It's like Long Beach if Long Beach actually lived up to it's name, and was a long long beach...
But Hawaii has soft sand, volcano rocks and shells to pick up, tropical fish, blue waters, and gorgeous waves.
What both places have in common...water and surfing. x} And people.

[Francisco]

It's just carpet burn but with sand lol. Friction shite. My elbows are smooth now though. .3.

[Kory]

@Merskelly
Is your avi sick? :( I noticed they look like they are sick with the tissue and the face mask.
;-;

Long Beach sounds like most of Southern California then! Lol
I noticed here in California, you can drive one block and it's really nice and clean...
A block later and the neighborhood is dirty, gross, covered in graffiti and such.

In my home state, the whole neighborhoods are considered "good", even the whole city themselves are considered "good"... Meanwhile, here, each street looks almost completely different. XD

[Death by Mirrors]

Finished the last snowman. Yay!

Now to continue with holiday wreaths. (Anyone know how to tie a decent decorative ribbon?)