Alaska Beach, California Beach

Quite a few years ago, when I was subbing at an elementary school in Alaska, they had 'Beach Day' where all the students and teachers were invited to wear beach attire to school. When the day arrived, students arrived clad in shorts, flip-flops and other such beach clothing. They were surprised when one of the teachers showed up in a long sleeved shirt, rain gear and waders up to her armpits. She explained that she was dressed for an Alaskan beach.

Recently we drove partway up the California coast on a beautiful sunny day. The sky and ocean were blue. The ocean was still. We even saw some surfers practicing. Definitely a California beach.


The very next day, it looked more like an Alaskan beach with gray skies, rain, gray ocean, whistling wind, etc. Even though it was in the 50s, I had to get my winter parka out and wear it. When we went past the surfing area the 2nd day, the intrepid surfers were still there wearing wet suits to keep warm.