Alamitos Bay, Long Beach

I used to do a lot of deep-sea and ocean fishing for years but for some reason I lost my enthusiasm for them after I retired. I still do fresh water fishing which I find more relaxing. The catch is not as plentiful but the scenery, depending on where you fish, more than make up for it.

Last Sunday, I was at Alamitos Bay and I saw one of the fishing boats I used to take when I go ocean fishing return from a half day of fishing. It rekindled a desire in me to go ocean fishing again!

This is the boat returning from a half day of fishing

I observed most of the debarking fishermen did not have their gunny sacks filled with fish. This is not unusual at this particular landing. Their rates are low and the parking is free but their boats do not go as far and as deep as the other landings do for the big ones.

These are battery powered boats you can rent ($60/hour) to cruise the bay

I used to dream of owning a sailboat like that to sail across the Pacific Ocean. It is still a dream but it is not going to happen - I can't afford to own one, I do not know how to sail, and my wife will kill me before I kill myself sailing solo across the open sea LOL.

A view to the entrance of Los Alamitos marina

Los Alamitos marina

That is a saliva watering sailboat! Some boat owners live aboard their boats instead of renting an apartment or owning a home. Like turtles, they take their homes with them wherever they go LOL. Isn't that a fun way to live until you settle down and raise a family?

South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa

On some days, I make the short trip to South Coast Plaza to do my daily walk inside the mall (when it is hot and windy outside) or leave my car at the parking lot to ride the free bus to the casino (when I want my wallet to lose weight) LOL. I took a few pics while walking inside the mall and I thought I will share some of them with you.

These foreign currency exchange places get you coming and going - they buy low, sell high and charges you a commission or a service fee.

They looked artificial but they are for real!

Roses

My wife loves to spend her time in our yard puttering around, while I enjoy staying inside the house to watch TV and take naps between commercials LOL. Not really. She particularly adores her roses and when they are in bloom, I will admit that they are more pleasant to look at than my kamote plants, which she convinced me to get rid off. Here are some of her roses around our house.

April 12, 2009

Happy Easter !

Huntington Beach, April 5, 2009

I went to Huntington Beach Pier to satisfy my curiosity about a paintball tournament that was being held there. I had no idea what this tournament was all about; I thought this was as good time as any for me to find out.

I parked my car several blocks away from the beach (to save the $10 beachside parking fee - an economic recession move on my part or... I am just cheap LOL) and walked 10 minutes through Main Street (shown above) to the pier.

A fisherman patiently waiting for a bite

Beach volleyball, a popular activity at the beaches in Southern California

I zoomed in slightly left of center of the previous pic. Isn't a camera with a 10x optical zoom great?

The paintball tournament was right at the beach so I have to go down to the sand level to check it out.

At the SW corner of this pic showing the concrete pier posts, is a homeless man (we have them, too!) who covered himself with a white sheet to continue his sleep undisturbed. Cops usually ask them to leave the area whenever they see them.

One of the tournament venues

Members of two opposing team try to "kill" each other with paintball guns. They advance toward each other, sneaking behind those blue and red plastic covers and shooting at their opponents whenever they get the chance. That's as simple as I see the game.

Some of their play guns are more expensive than the real Macoy! I saw several at vendor booths for sale for more than $300! I can buy a decent semi-automatic handgun for less than $200 at local gun stores in California.

I don't think this is a popular sport to watch. Only the participants apparently enjoy this game as you can deduce from the number of spectators, most of them their friends and relatives. I'd rather go to a gun range and watch shooters drill holes at paper targets. But that is just me. A lot of young ones want to experience the feel of armed combat without actually killing or getting killed. I noticed that right there at the tournament venue, there's a huge booth for US army recruiters and I saw many young men talking to them.

Interesting sign

I do not understand the reason why tobacco chewing is a no-no here.