Moonlight Beach is one of the many jewels in the beach-community crown of Encinitas, California. It’s located in a residential neighborhood at the bottom of a steep incline that gently slopes into the Pacific Ocean. The word “moonlight” in the name comes from the fact that in the early 1900s, residents used to come to the area for midnight picnics.
This well-loved beach receives a lot of face-time by local volleyball players because of the three beach courts. And with a large playground, ample picnic tables, lifeguards, and snack bar, it’s family-friendly and perfect for a picnic or a day in the sun. The icing on the cake? Plenty of clean restrooms and showers.
Thinking about hangin’ ten? Just click on this LINK for the current weather and surf forecast.
Cowabunga dude!
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Tuesdays with Laurie 
Laurie,
Cool! Another great space to wander and wonder!
Jeff – You and your camera would have LOVED it there!
I really like your pictures. I will be daydreaming of the beach all day.
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Kim – I’m back home (about an hour north of Chicago) and it’s started to gently snow today. I, too, am dreaming of the beach today 🙂
OK
Thanks for inviting us to the beach party!!
Next time I want a picture of myself on that beach chating with the Divine,MMI or a good friend…..
Oh hoW this feeds the soul.
Kim – I could sit for hours on the cliffs by the beach and the sound of the waves alone would feed my soul.
Me too….I love it…….
Laurie your photographs are divine. We do not have any beaches this grand on Mayne Island. Tofino on Vancouver Island would be similar but not as populated. Here is a rather long link with images http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=.long+Beach+tofino&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=_vElTdiMNYHQsAOGhuD-AQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQsAQwAA&biw=1042&bih=664
Mostly I thinking of you getting up and walking down to the beach everyday or most days that you were away. Did you do your tai-chi on the beach? A morning meditation? Or write love notes to Len in the sand before the tides came in and washed them express post to him?
Terrill – Thank you for sharing that link here – I followed it and enjoyed it a lot! I didn’t get to walk down the beach every day that I was there (I gave myself 2 my-time hours each morning), but on the days I was at the beach, I ate it up – body, mind, and spirit. And while I didn’t do tai chi on the beach (I did it from my dad’s front porch that faces the sunrise in the east), I did see it being done by a group – in unison – on the beach. It was a definitely a graceful sight to behold.
I wish I’d thought to “write love notes to Len in the sand before the tide came in and washed them express post to him.” I love how you said that!
I enjoy my day trips to the small towns along the Gulf of Mexico and in the past have frequented pretty spots around Long island Sound.They are charming but the Pacific coastline and beaches have a majesty about them.you have managed to captured their tranquillity very well indeed.
Roamer – My few brief experiences in the Gulf of Mexico were exquisite because of the warm water. You’re right about the Pacific coastline – I’m familiar with it from southern California all the way up to Washington state — including Oregon in-between. In my experience, the farther north you go the more dramatic it becomes. I’m glad for your visit, thank you.
Thank you again, Laurie, for sharing such lovely pictures. Your father lives in a beautiful, peaceful setting. I may have to venture there some day and see it for myself. Your pictures remind me of the ones that Jeff often takes and give a visual flavor of what we could experience.
Barbara – Ohhhhhhhhh, to have my pictures mentioned in the same breath as Jeff’s makes me giddy with happiness. Thank you for the high compliment 🙂
Ok Barbara.count me in…I could schedule a talk session and we could meet on that bench…..it looks divine…
Nice…..I have frequent flyer points to pilfer from Hubbys account…lol…
Oh Laurie how beautiful!!! It reminds me of receiving pictures from Emily in Ft. Lauderdale.
I’ve been fantasizing about running my feet through sand since my poor right foot has been trapped in a cast for well over a month now.
Just stepping down on it again will be so nice! I look at my foot and it seems like it’s not even part of me anymore.
Beth – Once you’re foot is out-and-about you’re gonna be light a bolt of lightning flashing here and there! And this past month or so of having to be extra careful will be a dim blur in your memory.
Okay, I have my towel, my book, suit and flip-flops at the ready. 54 degrees you say? Forget it! No way! I love the winter beach though, especially after the storms come through and wash all the neat stuff ashore. Maybe not all the plastic mess that seems to have infected beaches in the last couple of decades, but the sanddollars, driftwood and seaglass keep me beach combing as far as I can see. Beautiful photos, Laurie, even if I never make it to the West Coast, I will have seen some of it through your eyes. Thanks.
Sandi – I love what gets washed ashore too. There’s a woman on Etsay who sells handmade jewelry that’s made from nothing but naturally polished sea glass that she collects along the beach. It’s stunning! I’m glad you enjoyed the photographs. I sure had fun taking them!
Thanks for the beautiful pictures Laurie. I looked this area on the map to find out just how far south it is in California.
California can be a pretty expensive place to live. What is your impression of the cost of living for this community?
Ben – It’s extreeeeeeeeemly expensive (at least as far as our budget is concerned). When we moved to Illinois in 1991 we sold our small (2 bedroom, 1 bath) condo in Poway, California (inland from the beach about 30 minutes, maybe a wee bit less). We couldn’t afford to buy that same condo if we moved back there today. And if we wanted to buy anywhere near the beach, we’d have to win the lottery first.
There is definitely an exotic flavor to the flowers, and the beach is breathtaking. Well Laurie, the white stuff has blanketed us with about three or four more inches today in the NYC/northern New Jersey area, so this view of aquatic Encinitas gives visual heft to our dreams, much as oppressive heat would induce to think of autumn or winter settings. Our annual family vacation to Wildwood Crest, New Jersey in Cape May County gives us some comparable oceanfront eye candy, but there’s some supplemental beauty here, as you so well testified in these magnificent photos!
Sam – We got some of that white stuff yesterday (Fri). Today it’s just blanketing the ground and the sun is out (it’s darned cold, but it’s still nice to see). What season of the year do you and yours take your annual vacation to Wildwood Crest? I’m assuming it’s in the summer when you’re all out of school and the weather is nice and hot. I have never been to New Jersey – does it have a dry type of heat, or humid?