Every run has a story to tell.

After spending the last 40 days or s running up and down mountains following other people paths I returned home to the freedom of the beach 

Now I am not complaining I had a awesome adventure, I went to some beautiful places and shared experiences with amazing friends.

But?

There is no place I would rather run than in the warm soft soft sand of the South Bay.  Nothing better than running slow, sinking deep and feeling the warmth of the sun absorbed by mother Earth.

 I was in search of shovels but founds hearts.

 Do you like my new shades?  What does this mean? Is love in my future?

 Yes I did find some shovels but I also found the girl of my dreams.

"Ooh La La"

Too bad she is only 8 inches tall.

I guess I will have to try again tomorrow.

:)

#SweeneyDoes

Guardians of the Galaxy star Found Dead of a cocaine overdose on the shore of Manhattan Beach.

The weather report said that we were to have the biggest storm that southern California had seen in 3 years.  It rained for like 15 minutes last night and their was a bit of drizzle lingering this morning.

I didn't plan or not plan on running.  I don't really plan on anything other than avocados. 

 (it sucks when none of them are ripe)

I got to the beach around 10:30 and the weather was quite pleasant albeit a little breezy but the sand was warm and the sun felt good on my back. 

 The beach was empty and the surf was violent.  As for me? I trotted along optimistic about the strange crap I would find today.  When you get crazy surf, stuff comes out of the ocean that has been there for a long time. 

My first find was this little Lemur.  I almost stepped on her and for a second I thought It was a real rat which creeped me but quickly made me smile.  

(I think she shall reside in the back window of my car where she can bask in the sun all day and scare people from tailgating me)

A few miles later I spotted somthing just passed the tide line.

What could it be?

"Rocket" from Guardians of the Galaxy

I'm not sure if it really is him but i'm not a trained veterinarian?

I don't think it takes that much cocaine for a raccoon to overdose and that movie made a ton of money.

I had never seen a dead raccoon on the beach before.  I need a beer.

Empty, Bummer!

I have to pick these up or else the city will blame me for it

(the plight of having a Beer sponsor)

After another mile I saw another Raccoon.  This time it was all furry and rigamortis had not set in.  I didn't take a picture because well one dead raccoon is anomaly 2 starts to feel like a plague.  

(I was in denial)

 I kept running

I found some of the usual crap which took  my mind off the dead raccoons.

 4 shovels, some scratched up Unicorn glasses, a rake and a turtle.

I also picked up no less than 20 mylar balloons which I despise. 

 I decided to let my little lemur friend play on the rocks realizing that she way less creepy than a dead raccoon.

 I found some balls.  The Patrick one is my favorite. 

(what a surprise)

 I also found a genuine Hermosa Beach Frisbee. A few of the local Liquor stores still sell these.  I'm guessing this one had been in the ocean a at least a year or two.  I think this is the 4th one I have found and they fly pretty good. 

 (I was able hit a trash can with a lucky throw from about 150 feet with ferocious onshore wind.)

As I finished up my run I took one more peak at raccoon number 2.  As I stared at it from about 30 feet away.  It began to move.

 "Holy Shiznits" 

 I thought for sure it was dead?  I told the nearest life guard about a half mile later and he said that  he would contact animal control and that they would try and help save it.

My last find 

An unopened Natural Light

Cheers!

:)

Some days I run a smile, other days I run with a big old giant F'N Grin :)

 Hello little Dude

 Usually I found Lighters, this time I found a torch

 Look at that handsome devil,  I dare ya?

Some things just aren't meant to be pretty

(namely me)

Bonus FLASHBACK from earlier in the week.

All I found on my run tonight was one tiny little yellow bead and that's okay with me. I'm a patient man. I have a place for this bead and am currently working on my third beach bracelet.

Back to the present

I found another bead.

All the stuff so far is great and all?

But this is way better

Heart handled shovels are my very favorite thing to find.  First I found the tall green one.  Then about 5 minutes later I spotted it from a couple hundred feet away, 

I started laughing when I saw I it, could it be?

2 heart  shovels in one run?

Really?

I knew it the second I saw it!

 the 2nd rarest off all shovels.

The single tang with heart insert.

(My collection of Heart shovels now stands at somewhere between 10 and 20 but as much as I love finding them I also like giving them away)

What's the rarest shovel you ask?

The two tone heart inserted shovel. 

It's believed that there are only 4 in existence!

 One was awarded to my friend Sam at the Leadville Beer mile,   I still have 1.  One is looked up in the Smithsonian.  and the 4th?

Well?

That's why I keep running

:)

Group photo

(I guess I found some other shovels too)

Bonus Photos's

It was a pretty night and I had nowhere to be but 

right there!

LIFE IS GOOD

Anyone have a Ghetto blaster I can borrow?

Have you ever seen one of these before.

I'm dying to know whats on it 

but I haven't found player yet.

I hope it's the Fat Boys cover of

 "Wipeout"

either that or

some  wacky answering machine messages.

It had been awhile since I found any cash. 

Look out COINSTAR here I come.

Bonus find 

W/ no photo 

As I am running some dude waves me down.  I'm horrible at remembering names or faces.  It seems like the dude knows me so I wave back pretending that he is some long lost friend.

It turns out the dude doesn't know me.  (HA HA) He had lost his car key in the sand and wanted me to keep an out for it.

The chances of finding it were almost ZERO.  That is unless you have the worlds greatest shovel collector on the job.

:)

15 min's  later I found his key with only about 5% sticking out of the sand.  I jogged back about a mile, the dude was calling me a hero and I was pretty happy someone could benefit from my skills.

The last thing I found was a new Bumper sticker.

Stop Hermosa Beach Oil

Yes I s see the irony in a a stop oil sticker on  my car

:(

The end

Sharks in the Ocean, free Beer and a battle between Omega Penis and Dongzilla. Just another day at the beach.

Today was supposed to be my day off running but that wasn't gonna stop me from going to the beach. (or running for that matter)

Ever since getting home a few weeks I have ran for at least a couple hours every day. My plan was to go down to the beach to relax and go for a little swim. 

Well when I got there I went for a real easy one hour run 

(I couldn't resist)

Time to swimming right?

Then this happened just as I was about to go in the water.

A sheriff's Helicopter starts circling around Blasting out on his loud speaker "

"Get out of the water sharks are swimming your way." 

I'm not really scared of sharks, but I might as well go for another run to they swim away.

 Check out my Synchronistic find.

  Shark Week sunglasses really? I couldn't help but laugh. 

Surely that pointy shovel will protect me from any Sharks?

 By the time I got back to my towel and hour or so later I went for swim and guess what?

  I'm still alive 

WOOHOO!

Amazing
(the amazing spazz)

I also found some fairy cards.  Umm Just what I always wanted???

My new lucky card.

Follow Tinkerbell

(my camera ran out of batteries after the first take so this is what you get)

I had weird dream last that I was dealing 3 card Monty in some back alley, Perhaps that's where my fortune lies?

My day of not not running was not over 

(no that wasn't my standard grammatical error)

After coming for 2 lb salad, some green curry and a few beers I was back at the beach.

 About 3 miles into my afternoon run I kicked somthing? 

OUCH! 

It kind of hurt,  after taking a few more steps  I decided to go back and see what it was. Almost completely buried in the sand was an unopened 3 pack of Coors light tall cans.  I decided I would pick up those up on the way back.

I'm use to running with a six a pack but usually it's already inside my belly. (HA!HA!) It was a little awkward to carry but if you have ever seen my arms you would agree I could use the work out :) So I endured.

I also found a couple of beach toys along the way

Did you know Tonka made rakes?

 This might be my new favorite spoon?

(that's because I can't remember what my old favorite spoon was.)

After running for about 4 hours total today, the sun was setting, the tide was low and I decided to take my cell phone with me and go on little walk to check out the beach art.

Some of my favorite  beach art I like to find:

  Creepy happy faces, misshapen hearts, stars made by people that screwed up, losses at tic tac toe, and maybe someday an 

"I heart Pat"

 :)

I also enjoy just about  anything absurd or obscene.

First up

 Yep It's a dong!

 Correction:

It reads

"Omega Penis"

"I know you want it"

"Just Note  it 's not REAL"

One problem with Beach art is that it's often so grand that it can't fit in the frame of my camera.

 One last look at "Omega Penis" 

You see it's so big it doesn't fit in my frame.

Anyone want to buy me a wide angle lense?

 This person started out writing army real small

 and then went big

Just six blocks away omega penis I ran into this Behemoth.

What is going on here?

 It simply reads "PENIS"

(it's about 25 feet long)

If the other was Omega Penis then I crown this

"DONGZILLA"

As I was taking this picture it's artists were coming out of the water laughing.  I complemented them on their penis (two dudes and a cute chick) and told them it was way better than "Omega Penis"

 This is"Amerika"

2014

 I found another rake

Then just when I about to turn around and jog back on the soft sand,

Is that a rocket ship?

 Nope it's another Penis 

(the balls are kind of hard to see)

Here's that same penis with a nice background

I found one last rake on the way back home

The End.

These are a few of my favorite things (you're supposed to sing that tittle)

Guess what happened today?

Did you guess that I went for run on the beach?

If you did

Congratulations!

time for some dancing babies.

Enjoy

On to the crap I found!

Today I found three of my favorite things?

Favorite thing 1.

 I have started a collection of bubble wands. 

I dig this simple crown motif.

(4th wand in 7 days)

Favorite thing 2.

 Next up I found back to back to back yellow crooked handle shovels.  The yellow plastic shovel is the most common variety but the crooked handle variety makes them a bit more rare.

 Colorful but I'm a shovel snob

 Go Angels!

 I think I will use this tonight?

 I am not a Giants fan but I am a fan of anyone playing the Dodgers.

 You would be amazed at how many monster trucks I have found over the years.  

Easily over 20 

 I found this torch thing.

  I didn't know what it was, I was hoping it was some sort of lighter or flashlight. (it says LEGO on the side)  I almost threw it away but I kept carrying for a reason that hadn't yet become apparent to me?

 Vegan Stake

Dumb joke I know.  

I always break my tent stakes, lucky for me I find at least one a week.

 (this week I found 3)

 Favorite thing 3

Beach Fortunes.  

"YOU WILL MAKE A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER"

I didn't plan on making any changes for worse?  

That would be pretty dumb!

(Random Fact: I have never eaten at a Panda Express)

 That's what that torch thingy was for.

Worlds best Beach fortune carrier if you ask me!

(Mind blown)

My run was over I was tired but somthing caught my eye off in the distance so I kept going.

It turned out to be a couple of whom I assume (Hey that's fun to say "whom I assume") European girls expressing their right to equality with a silent protest.

I love Equality!!!

So much so I ended up running 4 more miles.

Then I found me some bubbles,

 (wand included)

Factory sealed.

Life is Good!

The End