No, this is not about the 1956 Vincent Minnelli movie, “Tea and Sympathy,” starring Deborah Kerr. As you may have gathered by the photo to the left, of the line of pelicans flying along just above the ocean and beyond the breakers, this is about the ocean and beach.
Election Day afternoon, I visited Westward Beach again, to soak up all the good vibes and negative ions derived from the crashing surf. And, I went barefooted, walking in the sand. Anyway, I returned home, wearing flip flops, and then discovered I had a small area of tar stuck on each foot.
Getting “tarred” at the beach has not happened to me in a few years, and I was not aware of stepping on any. What it made me realize is, how lucky we are in Southern California, that we have mostly clean and wonderful, inviting beaches! I felt a huge surge of sympathy for the folks living on the Gulf of Mexico, having to experience and fight the extreme oil and tar pollution happening in the water of the Gulf, in their wetlands, and on their beaches. May this never happen again!
Post and photo by Janna Orkney
Jeanne Cope // Jun 12, 2010 at 7:28 PM
First of all I remember a time when pelicans were endangered. When I was a teen to see a pelican was rare. Now just look at your picture!
Small pits of tar is naturally occurring here I have been told.
Finally, our beaches are clean looking but still have a lot of work to do to get bacteria levels down. They could be cleaner.