When I miss you the most, I look inside and there you are.
For thirty-two plus years, we were a team to be reconded with! She was a fantastic individual who I adored with all my heart and soul. There are days I get angry because she was taken away, but then again, her suffering from all the pain was excruciating.
Sue was a caring lady who gave of herself all the time. The phrase “Pretty as a picture” always comes to mind.
We were a team!!!
Today I worked in the yard for a while before going over to Mary’s at noon. She is a US Army Vert and suggested we go to the American Legion on Balboa Island and walk the Balboa Pier. Since it was going to be in the ’90s all day, I thought that to be an excellent idea.
We took the 55 Freeway to Newport and then followed the main drag until we landed at the American Legion, where we got a great parking place and a wonderful table adjacent to the water and the bar!.
We had a bite to eat and a glass of wine and enjoyed the local entertainment. Mr. Ghoose and his Dad were swimming back and forth in the water. We asked about Mr. Goose, and it seems he cannot fly, but he likes the young man, so they swim together.
While having a glass of wine at the Legion, we spotted a goose and his friend swimming. The goose cannot fly, and they are buddies!
Off we go, but after talking the local, they suggested the Newport Pier as it was closer. We will do Balboa on a cooler day.
We indeed took a walk from the LEgion to the pier and back.
Mary knew one of the guys, and we got a snapshot before we headed down the boardwalk towards the pier.
We look fresh here, not knowing we had a two-mile walk ahead of us.
As we walked onto the pier, the gentlemen was making bubbles. Look carefully as there were hundreds of large bubbles every time he waived the two sticks in the air. The little kids and we watched him for several minutes.
Look carefully for the bubbles. The gentlemen made a bazillion of them.
It was Newport Pier!
The year is now 1940!
Did You Know? The Newport Pier is one of two municipal piers located within the city of Newport Beach, California, at the center of the Balboa Peninsula. It is 1,032 feet (314.6 m) long. The pier replaced the McFadden Wharf (1888-1939), and the site is registered as California Historical Landmark number 794.
The original pier was known as McFadden Wharf when it was completed in the summer of 1888 by local landowners James and Robert McFadden. The wharf served as a shipping connection for the McFaddens to offload lumber, hides, and other merchandise. In 1890, they connected it to the Santa Ana and Newport Railway for commercial transport into Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties. The McFaddens sold the site in 1902 to W.S. Collins, who began to transform the area for residential and recreational use. The expansion of the Los Angeles passenger railway system to the wharf in 1905 catalyzed the development of the city of Newport Beach as a tourist destination.
In 1922, the pier was remodeled by the City of Newport and remained a shipping terminus until 1939 when it was destroyed in a hurricane.
The current pier (Newport Municipal Pier) was reconstructed on the same site in 1940. Located at Oceanfront Boulevard and 21st Place, it is popular for angling, strolling and dining. At the end of the pier sits a restaurant called the “Newport Pier Grill and Sushi.” The restaurant has an outdoor patio called the William Wright Terrace, which adds 288 square feet (26.8 m2) and can seat up to 28 with a view of the water. The Newport Pier Grill and Sushi has been closed since 2012. At the base of the pier is the Dory Fishing Fleet, a beachside fishing cooperative founded in 1891. Also, at the base of the pier is the headquarters of the city fire department’s Lifeguard division.
Well, the Newport Pier was closer, so we chose it instead of Balboa.
It was hot in the city, so loads of people came to the beach. They looked to be spread out quite a bit, and larger groups were likely family.
The beach was full of folks!
We had to stop and study this interesting contraption. The device was dropped into the sea and then pulled up by two people to pry the barnacles off the pilings. The shellfish were too dirty to eat (contaminated), but they apparently were a delicacy for the fish, so they became bait.
Some folks built a device to scrape the muscles off the pier so they could use them as bait.
Time to head back to the Legion and our long walk down the boardwalk.
Time to head back to the Legion Hall.
Heading back, we decided to go by Mary’s and fix a “Meals On Wheels” for Jan, our good mutual friend. So we dropped off a great chicken dish and talked for a few minutes before returning to Mary’s home, where we watched a Bruce Willis movie entitled “Red” before I headed home.
Meal time at Jan’s!
It was a great day and a perfect way to escape the heat.
