First Time at Santa Monica Beach 8-28-2011

this was the first time I actually was up to making the "long" 12 mile trip to the beach at Santa Monica/Venice though it was 1 yr. ago on Aug. 30th that we left PA to move to LA & we went ON the beach the day after we got here, but not swimming- too cold! we got here late on this day, (I can't get anywhere before 4 or 5 pm & that's pushing it,) and though the temperature had been one of the highest of the year, (it peaked at about 78 that day,) it drops drastically beginning at around 4, and when it does, no matter what time of year, it will always drop at least 10 degrees. I love swimming & the water, (though not thrilled with getting pelted in the face with salt water and sand or the chlorine in pools, both of which make my Sjogren's eyes, lips & skin worse,) but it was already a bit chilly for me when we GOT there, and only about 74. The temperature dropped even more, of course, as the sun got lower & I didn't realize just how cold I was until I finally got out-my hands were WHITE and numb & not long after that, they started to tingle. I have Raynaud's, & when I want to do something fun, I tend to forget the caution I need to use!
I also was surprised at how high these waves were compared to the Atlantic ocean & had wanted to swim out past where they break, but in the end, I couldn't after I'd been thrown face down when a big one hit me in the back, because even though I started swimming toward shore, another wave followed & hit me again,pushing me down into the water- it felt almost like an avalanche of water & I admit, it kind of scared me, so I didn't go out as deep after that, when you see me with my hair already wet, heading out. We were on the south/Venice side of the Santa Monica pier, though we'd walked over the pier from our car. On the way back, we went UNDER the pier, which was cool & a bit creepy, seeing the now rising tide come crashing through the pillars.

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Entertainment

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• beach
• SantaMonica
• CA
• California
• pier
• PacificOcean
• Ocean
• waves
• sand
• water
• swim