Life’s A Beach~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, TRAVEL REVIEWS

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At least in the Caribbean it is! Please click to enlarge and check out the beautiful beaches of San Juan Puerto Rico~

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And St Croix…..

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I grew up by the ocean, and get alarmed sometimes at the risks some people take. Look closely in the above shot for the two people standing on the rocks…YIKES!

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And last, but surely not least, Tortola!

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I know it is important to stay out of the sun, but this man’s castle seemed a bit pinched. Still, a man’s beach-castle is never the less his castle and nothing to be trifled with, besides, maybe this was for his kid? I didn’t see the kid though……
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Laughing and sending sun, sand, and silliness, your way from the sunny (but buggy) Caribbean! Even paradise ain’t perfect after all, and I have the no-see-um bites to prove it! Cheers and sunshine to you~

148 thoughts on “Life’s A Beach~”

  1. Beautiful! I’m not an ocean/beach person. I grew up with prehistoric beaches, lots of sand, but not much water, so when I go to a beach at the ocean there’s just too much water for my liking.

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    1. In a way that’s good, because caution is prudent with the ocean. I have always been flabbergasted and sometimes alarmed when I see people who aren’t used to the ocean, barrel right into the water at a new beach without watching first to see whats what with the tides, swells, rocks etc. The people on the rocks in the photo above took major risks and it was a 2.5 mile hike to this beach…….that’s how long it would have taken me to run for help if they got creamed on the volcanic rock!

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  3. You conveniently missed all the snow and icestorms while you were basking in the sun. There was even an earthquake in the Southern US! Blue, blue skies and water and swaying palmtrees always make me homesick for the Caribbean…I used to live in the Southern Caribbean for a while since my first husband was from Trinidad & Tobago. While I don’t miss him, I miss the islands 🙂

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    1. Oh I can well imagine missing the islands and T&T is so gorgeous! I certainly knew about the storms in the southeast, the drought in the west, but not the earthquake! Yikes, makes no-see-ums pale in improtance! Stay warm and safe~

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  10. Reblogged this on Spirit In Action and commented:
    Thank you Cindy! How beautiful and how amazing the difference in colors of the ocean between places. Its a dark green here usually in the gulf but I guess it changes. The Bay can look brown to deep blue. The San Juan pictures make me think that water is deep while the pale green blue of the other seems shallow and likely bathtub warm like the bayou in August:-)

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    1. Yes, I also noticed the color variations while flying in puddle jumper planes from island to island. The color changes with the depth, reefs, clouds and currents……all these shades of azure blue….so gorgeous! Thank you my friend and hugs to you~

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    1. Yes we stay usually on the windward side and there was wind that blew up like sudden sciroccos, and lots of good sized surf….People avoid the windward side of islands, so there were far less people and lots of fun playing in the surf!

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  13. The shades of blue are amazing! The fourth photo is particularly beautiful, framed by leaves and the mountains beyond.

    I clicked to enlarge the photo with the couple yet couldn’t find them at first haha…they were hidden behind the waves. Yes that does look dangerous. They could have been thrown against the sharp rocks.

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    1. Exactly, you can see just a bit of two shoulders, right before the wave slammed them. Someone died in this spot recently and I thought they were in serious trouble. They ended up okay thank God~

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  15. Novemberschild

    Beautiful & awesome, I would love to have you doing a photo essay for my blog as a guest contributor. You can write to me directly at onlymeinc@yahoo.com and big hugs and zillion thanks for liking my posts – Thewhitescape 🙂

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      1. I would have thought not, but I also believe having always sun , Switzerland in Winter is appealling too!
        At the moment in England we have not much so I am yearning for sunshine and warmth!

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    1. I am in love with PR. This is our fourth visit and I want to go back to see Ponce. We are staying in El Convento and exploring the old city, so gorgeous and such incredible history, not to mention fantastic food. I want to come back with my kids and spend time in San Juan and Ponce. Your memories must be so wonderful! How long were you here?

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      1. We made several trips ranging from two to four weeks each. The time period was from 1964 to 2002. We stayed either in a small hotel (El Portal) in San Juan, with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, or a vacant home that my brother-in-law owned. We have not been back since 2002 when my wife’s sister passed away. There remain only my wife and her brother (who lives in Rio Piedras) out of 13 children.

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      2. 40 years! You saw the island consumed and commercialized. But it’s soul remains in the beautiful old walled city, in the rain forests, and in the more distant and ethereal beaches. You have a lifetime of memories here and your wife generations. No wonder I like you so much. Puerto Rico is one of my favorite places. It’s unusual, part of the US, sort of, but still it’s own country and culture. You know this all so much better than I. I would be fascinated to know more about your years here. One of the oldest cities in the Americas, we toured Ponce de Leon’s house today. It is The Fountain of Youth! Old but still vibrant and alive. I will look and see if El Portal is stll here and photograph it for you. Thinking of you, your wife, and your family here Wally and sending you Puerto Rican warmth and hugz~

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  23. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing the beaches. The cold and snow by me has been really bad this winter, so it’s nice to see the world isn’t all cold and snow!

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  26. I always say I grew up on a beach, but actually we just went there every day. I live in a mountain valley now but still ache for the sand between my toes. Your spectacular photos bring up childhood memories (and buggy ones too of course) but I love the reminders of my warm beginnings, especially now, when sunshine is at such a premium. Thanks Cindy!

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    1. Neither could I!!! They had me seriously alarmed. They and Jim and I were the only people on that beach and we hiked over two miles to get there. They could have come to serious grief. I am so glad they didn’t~

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      1. Yes, it reminds me of the rock fishermen here on the coast – so stupid for the sake of a fish! I get annoyed for the people the endanger who have to rescue them if anything happens. We have enough people getting hurt and killed rescuing those who don’t think enough about what they do,
        I’m glad you are enjoying your holiday, it really looks superb.
        Susan x

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      2. Rescue would be tough there, as the waves and the rocks were implacable the day we were there. It is known as a great tide pool area, so I imagine the people assumed it was safe, which I am sure it usually is, unless the waves are up and the tide high. A young woman died there recently which is tragic. It’s a remote spot, so people are on their own. I am just glad they weren’t torn up on the rocks…..I have seen this happen before and it is awful.

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  29. After this past week’s article in the NYT about Puerto Rico’s slow-motion economic collapse, proportionally increasing crime rate and accelerating brain drain it’s nice to see that there’s still an appeal to the island, assuming that one doesn’t have to stay isolated in a resort. Great photos, very appealing. Ken

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    1. We are staying in the center of Old San Juan and I am completely comfortable wallking alone at night to the shops, sights. The people are warm and welcoming in that uniquely Latin way. I am in love with Puerto Rico. The economy is in dire straits which is terrible, but it feels much safer here than downtown San Diego at night. St Croix had some more serious crime issues in the two major towns, which we only briefly visited. But on the windward side of the island, all was very safe. Like anywhere, it matters where you are. My son is in grad school in a city with one of the highest crime rates (murder, assault etc) in the US. I would be leery visiting many US cities. Sad, but reality. Cheers to you both and great to hear from you!

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  32. Beautiful! I can’t get over just how blue the water is in the first few pictures, and then a gorgeous shade of turquoise in the next. And I had to laugh at the beach castle. I think I would have opted for a nice beach umbrella instead. I wouldn’t have wanted anything obstructing those gorgeous ocean views!

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    1. It was pretty hilarious…….and yes I am struck by the color variations in the Caribbean……remarkable azure hues, different at different depths, times of day, currents, quite amazing. The only read ocean color changes where I live are after the rain when the runoff pollutes the water…..sad! As for the man in the shade, to each his own castle! Laughing…..

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  33. Not only standing on the rocks near the breakers but with their backs to the ocean. I’d say that’s a recipe for disaster. That is quite the graveyard. I’ve been in many doing genealogical research and have come to appreciate how much they vary. As for the castle, I get It! I love wandering on beaches but about the only way I’ll hang out in one place is in the shade.:) Great photos, Cindy. –Curt

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    1. I hate seeing this stuff. Not only were they in danger from the waves, the tide was coming in while they were exploring, and their only way back was over volcanic rock being pounded by waves and they had no shoes. When they made it back, the woman said, I thought we would just have to wait for the tide to go down. Of course it was a rising tide, with no place to shelter. Not good. I was fully prepared to run back for help, (2+ miles), knowing it would be pointless…Very glad they were okay.
      I confess to liking the guy in the castle too!! He was an original!

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    1. Of course!! I am a native La Jollan. I have salt water in my bones and can’t stay out of the water, brought my kids up on the beach too. It’s a place of respite and relief for me. NoCal is different as you well know, because the water is colder and at Stinson Beach there are those cute little great whites! Don’t swim up your way. You must have already planned your next trip…….wonder where your going? Cheers to you my friend~

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  38. The blue of the water is simply incredible!
    I am spending the weekend at Whidbey Island in Washington State and am right on the beach, but my view is nothing like that! It’s a wild wind storm so the waves are crashing against the bulkhead and the flag is straight out. It’s been in the 30’s so my morning walk was very brisk! No shorts or wading for me!!

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    1. That is such beautiful coastline! You described it so well and I can picture myself there. I have never been to Whidbey but would love to go. Been all over Olympic National Park though and know how gorgeous it is up there! Enjoy! A different type of ocean experience than the Caribbean, but oh so beautiful~

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    1. Hi Sheri! Great to hear from you! I can imagine you truly do. It is pretty impossible to compete with the beauty of Big Sur and Monterey. Heading over to your blog to catch up~

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    1. Jim has NOT ONE no-see-um bite and uses no repellent. I am getting annihilated and lather myself with poison. All the bites below my knees. They don’t itch though and are not, excuse the pun, bugging me. Every place has it’s problems, and this is a minor one. Cheers to you~

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  41. Gorgeous shots, Cindy! I had to really search to see the people on the rocks. I was in Puerto Rico many years ago, and I fell in love with it, too! Es mi gusta!

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  43. I met my first no-see-ums in Florida while trying to help trim a bush. The bite swelled to the size of a quarter…I like bugs I can see! I think I read some where that if you eat to many bananas in the warm weather that that attracts buggies. Be careful!

    Cheers, Jules

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  44. This was so great to see on a cold winter’s night! I am always happy when someone gets a chance to escape and go on vacation. I am glad I have had chances in my life to do so, too! Take care and hope your return is safe and sound! Smiles, Robin

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  48. Cindy–are you pullin’ my leg? Even enlarged I didn’t see the 2 peeps on the rocks above…! Were they washed away since you posted..hehe…lovely blues, from one beach girl to another–lucky duck!! 🙂

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    1. You have to look closely, you can see their shoulders as they are getting whacked by the wave. Thank God they weren’t hurt, we were far from anywhere. I know you are a saltwater sister too my friend! Cheers to you~

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  52. On the first photograph it looks like there is not much (nice sandy) beach to be found, but having a closer look at the other lovely photographs, there seems to be little heaven over there, hidden for us if you did not captured it and shared it with us. Thanks.

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    1. Thank you so much! I was just over at your blog and am still reeling over the blogger who stole your work and posted it as her own. Can you imagine the dearth of self esteem? How does their thinking process go? “I have no talent, so I will steal from someone who does and take the praise intended for her?”
      How utterly self destroying.
      Not to mention awful for you. So sorry~

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    1. I finally am moving to get blogs I love (yours for ex.) to appear in my email. Such a huge relief, no longer dependent on the flaky reader……Possibly this is related? I’m just glad it’s working. Cheers my friend~

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  63. Cindy, Wow those are some great looking spots, and being honest I am not much for the beach. But put me in a condo overlooking these places I would be quite happy. Please take care, Bill

    ps — you have stopped and visited my blog again and liked one of my posts I do appreciate your time. Take care

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  65. I am enjoying your photos so much. It makes me want to travel! Thank you for visiting my blog and your talent shines with these images. 🙂

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