Huntington & Newport Beach Drive

Our friends Pamela & John live a mile or so from the Huntington Beach Pier and we drove down there today, along with side trips to Long Beach & Newport Beach.  This section of Pacific Coast Highway is right down near the ocean vs being up on cliffs as around Dana Point.  It was less scenic but nicer to visit since you were so close to the ocean.

Main St & Pacific Coast Highway

 It was a cool and blustery day so we bundled up a bit and went out on the pier.  The pier had a wooden deck until a storm took it out a number of years ago.  They rebuilt the pier and now it is concrete, but still nice to walk on and get a nice view of the area.

Huntington Beach Pier

Checking the surfers on a cool day

 This sea lion was swimming around the pilings of the pier and stayed in the area for a long time.  A couple fishermen were catching anchovies with snag hooks in the same area so I guess the sea lion was feasting on some anchovies, also.  There was another one in the area but I couldn't capture it with the camera.

Friendly sea lion

 There were a number of oil platforms a few hundred yards offshore and from the looks of them, they were in use.  I always thought the environmentalists had stopped them so the beaches would not be spoiled. 

Offshore oil derrick

 Pamela and Gerry were following along behind John and me and chatting up a storm.  It looks like Pamela is camera shy, but that is just how I caught her at the moment. 

Strolling on the boardwalk (concrete)

The island shown below, in Long Beach, is man made just for the large structure to the right which is an oil derrick.  They planted palm trees and the island looks like it will be someone's private retreat in a few years with a multi million dollar estate there.  There were numerous oil derricks along the Pacific Coast Highway between Huntington Beach and Long Beach.  

Long Beach has a huge harbor and many gantry cranes along the docks.  There were many ships in the harbor and a few waiting for their turn at the docks.  The downtown area of Long Beach was very nice with a number of shops and businesses.   Not quite what you would expect from a harbor town.

Man made island for an oil well (Long Beach)

If you like to see what is going on a-round you, then this would be a perfect home for you.  Also, it is for sale and has a nice ocean view. 

House for sale in Newport Beach

Gerry at The Crab Cooker in Newport Beach

One big crab pot

 Gerry and I both love seafood and always enjoy a good seafood lunch or dinner.  One of John & Pamela's favorite places for seafood is the Crab Cooker on Balboa Island.  (I think - the places run together and I wasn't sure where I was all the time.)  We had excellent dinners there and managed to fill our tummies up with the great meals.

The restaurant is quite old and sort of ramshackle with the tables and chairs being of many different makes.  Unmatched would be a good description of the furniture.  Just the sort of place we love to find and enjoy a meal.  Relaxed is the best word to describe the place.

Me, Gerry, Pamela & John

Huge King crab

Tiki restaurant near Balboa Ferry landing

Newport Beach Harbor

John & Pamela gave us a long tour of the area and we enjoyed seeing all the places we've heard of over the years.  It's nice to put a face with people or scenery with an area.

Balboa Beach homes ranged from $1 mil to over $20 mil, so I don't think we will be relocating there in the near future.  There were numerous State Parks in the area with camping for a steep price, but they were right on the ocean.  For the most part they were full hookups on an asphalt parking lot, but the views were great.  It is an area where we would consider camping for a week or so.

We went back to our friends' house and settled in for a while.  It was a tiring day, but we had a great time.  That was our day, how was yours?

Dinner with Old Friends

We were posted to Costa Rica as a Foreign Service Officer in 1986 and met two couples right away.  Carlos was the Marine Security Guard commander attached to the U.S. Embassy there and Maria was his wife.  John & Pamela were an USAID couple and John & I worked together.  We hit it off with both couples and became good friends.

They both live out here in Southern California and we stayed with John & Pamela in their beautiful house.  Pamela set up a dinner party and invited Carlos & Maria over to join us.  It had been years since we last saw them, but conversation flowed freely among us.  The girls went into the kitchen and talked there and we guys sat in the living room and caught up on what we've been doing these many years.

We talked so much that we neglected to take many photos, but we at least took a few of them.

Maria & Pamela

Carlos & John

John & Pamela prepared a great meal and we all managed to stuff ourselves.  It wasn't a buffet, but there was so much food on the table that it seemed that way.

Shortly after our settling into our homes in Costa Rica, we watched Carlos & Maria's son Andy for a weekend while they went on a TDY to Panama.  It was just our luck that was the weekend that an earthquake struck.  Gerry ran for Andy & I checked Larry Jr.  They both slept through the 'quake.  We didn't since it was rocking and rolling.  All's well that ends well.

Carlos & Maria had a long drive back home, so we exchanged emails with them and hope we can stay in touch in the future.  It was great seeing you two.

By this time the 4 of us were worn out and called it an early evening.  That was our day, how was yours?