End Radio Silence!

Where have I been all summer? Working two jobs and a dissertation. Thus, I haven't been keeping up with my blogging which is sad, because I have been crafting like a fiend! Anyway, to reacquaint you with who I am, I thought I would take you a journey. A journey to my first surfing experience. A journey which is still ongoing!

Today I went to Newport, RI in search of Second Beach where local surfers own the waves any day, any time. My day started at 10:36 with the local trolley I take to get to the bus depot downtown. Today was VJ Day (VJ = Victory Over Japan...seriously, I am not making this up!) so the buses were on a holiday schedule. By 11:20, it already felt like it had hit 90, and I was melting. After an hour plus bus ride, I arrived in cool breezy Newport refreshed and ready for my adventure. Or so I thought. As I stepped off the bus to the Cliff Walk, the heat and humidity slapped me all over my face, neck, shoulders, and back. Uh-oh!

Here's what I got to look at as I started to regret my lack of a water bottle:

View from the Walk

Cliffy

Whirlpool?

Ugh! I can't see the water for the trees :)

Rock you, mister!

I'd come visit, but I like my neck in one piece, thank you very much!

So sweating and very uncomfortable, I made my way the one mile around to the first beach...nicknamed...First Beach. Teehee...

First Beach

That boat looks so much smaller on film

I was so tempted to just lay out my towel and jump in the water here, but no...I was supposed to find Second Beach and its score of surfers. So I soldiered on, passing two snack shops and finally succumbing to a grilled chicken sandwich and a root beer. Then, I began the TWO MILE death march from the end of First Beach to Second Beach. Upon hearing this distance, I thought back to the Newport Information Tech who swore it was a mere 1/4 mile from the Tennis Hall of Fame...clearly he thought Second Beach was First Beach...boy was he wrong! Sigh... Anyway, now it was matter of pride, so I put on my game face, and decided that no matter how far it actually was, I would get there and surf, damn it! But it hurt...a lot...and I was dying of thirst...did I mention the 90+ degrees and burning hot sun?

The Walk to Second (read: Death March) begins

Death March feels like a cake walk...but it's a little uncomfortable heat wise

Death March feels like death...but look! Pretty flowers...

OMG! Is that shoreline? Really? Not a mirage? Or dehydrated hallucination?

Wha? I thought the Chasm was in MA...whatever, I've got beach to climb down to.

Having spotted the shoreline, I knew I was home free! I stopped for a Del's lemonade which I ate/drank while pottering around in the water as I sought out the surf crowd. One there, one way down there...one in the parking lot packing up. Hmm...where are the surfers and these so called impromptu lessons? The short answer...no waves today, so no myriad of surfers, no impromptu lessons, no surf chick moment for me. But it was a pretty beach, and I did a bit of knitting. So all was not lost. And I found the beach! Really that was victory (HA!) enough :)

Second Beach! Finalement!

Surfers? Anywhere? Hello?

Hee hee...water, that tickles...not in public!

Around 4 pm, the waves came...as I was packing it in.


So, I will have to return to Second Beach at some point to actually meet some surfers and get a lesson or two, but I probably walked off everything I ate today and half of my Love It Coldstone concoction last night! A good day, all in all!

Fare Thee Well

Until next time...