The climate in Seattle and Southern California are very very different. In Seattle it rains a whole lot and in Portland about 1/2 as much as Seattle and in California it might rain maybe 5 to 10 days a year or 20 at most in Southern California. But, when it rains it often floods in California so if you are visiting the state remember this one fact about California especially if you are in the deserts right next to the mountains with rain clouds over those mountains because it is very dangerous when this happens. Also, if you see rain clouds anywhere within 25 to 50 miles of you never walk in dry washes in California because you could die from Flash flooding without warning. This is also true in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and likely parts of Texas as well.
Back to the title of this article:
Growing up on the ocean is very different than growing up inland. There are always large bodies of water to deal with and to relate to if you are growing up near an ocean. So, a lot of your waking hours might be spent walking along an ocean or lake and walking in the water or swimming or snorkeling or surfing because of this if you are an out of doors person like my father and I always were. So, I grew up always swimming in oceans playing with seaweed and friends and relatives around beach fires in Seattle and California a lot. And once we moved to San Diego we went to the ocean a lot in San Diego and later at Santa Monica I used to go with my Aunt and her son my cousin who is 5 years older than I. Then in summers relatives sometimes would drive south from Seattle to visit my father and mother and I and my cousin and his mother too in the Los Angeles area and then we would visit the beaches and one time my three cousins and I were taken out in a rip tide at Zuma beach with a girl cousin who was 15 and I at age 8 on a plastic mat before I had learned to swim and we needed to be rescued by several life guards at that beach then in 1956.
So, after almost drowning and being beaten to death by big waves coming in after almost drowning out there in the ocean it took a lot to overcome my fear of drowning after that but I did because I was always a risk taker and an adventurer. So, I went to Verdugo Pool and taught myself to swim and eventually learned to surf on a surfboard by 12 to 14 years of age and to become a scuba diver and snorkeler as well. After a while I realized scuba diving was pretty dangerous and the same for surfing when my friend was run over across his back by a fin or skeg from a surfboard and had to heal up for several months. So, I started mountain climbing and rock climbing after that and skiing and riding motorcycles in the desert. I also still love to body surf and boogie board in the ocean even at this age but mostly I like snorkeling in places like Hawaii and skiing both downhill and cross country skiing now at age 71. I also still have a KLR 650 motorcycle that I like to ride sometimes too. Seeing my friend riding his bicycle long distance yesterday might have inspired me to start riding my mountain bike again too. I have also wanted to buy an electric bicycle for riding along the beaches where i live too. So, I'm still thinking about all that too. After all, I'm still an adventurer even at 71 like most of my male friends still. It's the adventure of life that keeps us alive into our 70s and 80s and being physically active.
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