September 13 - Not all second-hand stuff comes from the thrift store.

I have a confession. 

I haven’t been my usual happy-go-lucky,  up for anything self lately, but more of a moody, don’t talk to me or I might snap at you, don’t want to go anywhere, kind of jerk  

I checked. Mood swings and depression are some side effects of the medication I take for RA, so I just have to try not to kill anyone (or have anyone kill me) for another three weeks until I see my rheumatologist, so she can get me on something that will make me opposite. 

So, that’s part of the reason I’ve been having difficulty writing this blog every night (I hope), and the reason I’ve been hauling up the used words from years ago. 

Like I’m doing right now. At least there’s pictures  

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Friday, March 2, 2012

I really needed a beach, and I knew there was one in White Rock, so that became my plan for the day. I walked to the bus stop to catch the 321, which would take me to Surrey Central, where I would transfer to a White Rock Centre bus, then planned to catch a Shuttle Bus to take me as close as possible to the beach. It just didn't seem to be a walking-kind of day today.

After catching the 321 Surrey Central bus to Surrey Central, I found Bay 10, where I would board the 321 White Rock Centre Bus. That is when I realized that if I had caught the 321 on the other side of the street, I could have bypassed the trip to Surrey Central. It was the same bus. Duh. Just another Tamar type of thing to do.

While on the bus, Steve called and, coincidentally, I found out that is where he was working. He invited me to Fatburger for lunch. I hadn't been to Fatburger before, but assumed the Fat refers to the size of the burgers, and not the contents, so I accepted with relish (and catsup, mustard, sauteed onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and cheese.) As I got closer to my destination, I kept my eyes open for either Fatburger, or the McDonald's directly across the street from it, and got off the bus at the nearest stop.

Good choice for lunch. And the Fatburger website is almost as good as its food - give it a listen -

http://www.fatburger.com/home/

After lunch, Steve sent me off in the right direction to find the beach. A  five minute walk, he said, so I wasn't going to bother taking the bus. Should have known better, but despite the rain and wind, it wasn't too bad, I suppose. I passed a mall with a Zellers, so decided to go in and get some warm gloves and a hat, as I was slowly getting really chilly, and knew it would be even colder by the ocean. Steve said I'd know when I was close as the road would start going downhill, and boy, he wasn't kidding.

...yeah, way down there- see the ocean?

The road started to dip a lot - the muscles in my legs started to complain a lot.

Well, at least there are some stairs here.

If you look really closely, you  can see how steep this hill is. I had to walk close to the wall and sort of hang on as I slithered down. Doctor's Hill has nothing on this one, let me tell ya.

One more flight of stairs and I'm almost there.

The most prominent thing on my mind as I minced my way down hill, was where the Shuttle bus picked up people for the trip back to White Rock Centre. I was really happy when I saw Bus Stop signs on the street above the beach, in front of this restaurant.

Isn't this cool? Much nicer than a fast-food joint!

Lots of rocks - but no clay pipes

and this is what all the fuss is about - the White Rock

The White Rock:White Rock's namesake, is located at west beach, just to the left of the pier, and the result of a glacial erratic that migrated south during the last glaciation. The 486-ton granite boulder was kept white by shellfish-eating seabirds, whose guano covered the rock, so much so that sailors in the 19th century used it as a beacon. However, it now remains white through frequent applications of white paint by the city parks department. It has been a popular graffiti target for over thirty years and is enjoyed by children throughout the year. - excerpt from a web site

I like this one better, though. the other one is a bit crappy.

The community of White Rock is named for the very large white rock on the beach. Legend has it, that a Sea God’s son fell in love with a Cowichan Indian Maiden. The lovers after being rejected by both fathers, vowed to make a new home. The Sea God’s son on seeing the big white rock, picking it up, threw it across Georgia Strait and then with his Cowichan princess, they followed the rock to begin a new life and a new tribe.

I had to walk out on the jetty before I went home, no matter how cold I was, no matter how red my hands were, no matter how runny my nose was. 

And what did I find when I got out there? This:

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

On the way back, the batteries died for my camera, but I  was smrt enough to remember my phone had a camera, so I was able to take a portrait of this fine feller

The waves weren't really fierce, but they still roared - a little

Walking back along the pier

I had to warm up a bit before I hit the road, so I went into an up-scale cafe for Coffee and a Scone. I felt a bit out of place there in my earflap hat....

... but it wasn't very busy, and they were very nice. I could have bought a dozen cupcakes for $15,  but I didn't. 

Then I was just in time to catch the shuttle bus to the town centre, where I bought some goodies from Hillside Bakery http://hillcrestbakeryanddeli.ca/ and met this fine feller.