Rockaway Beach,Queens and An Award And A Tag!

I went to the Rockaway peninsula today, which a part of the borough of Queens, New York, where Jacob Riis beach is located. I've been coming to this beach since I was a child, and for the past few years I usually don't visit it until the end of summer. Being fair, I don't sun bathe anymore to avoid sun damage, and going to the beach has lost some of the allure it had when I was young, but in the off season it's a wonderful place to walk and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Atlantic Ocean.

People were still enjoying the beach, sunbathing and swimming, but it is at their own risk as after Labor Day weekend there are no lifeguards on duty.

Summer has not left the New York City region and temperatures have been in the 80's. This time of the year always has some of the best weather in New York -- as long as there are no after effects of hurricanes in the area.

Kite flying is a favorite activity at the beaches this time of the year, as there is always a strong ocean breeze and the beach crowds are less so it's easy to get a running start and do acrobatics with the kites.
The ocean temperature is warm now, too, after a summer full of sun and hot temperatures.

Many shorebirds can be found resting and eating on the beach, and this region is part of the east coast songbird migration route.

Beautiful blue sky and water for miles and miles.

A sailboat on the horizon:

These little birds were fun to watch! They ran up to the waters edge and then ran away from the water as the waves came in, almost as it it were a game.

Locals know that there are many different "bays" along shoreline of the Rockaway beaches and some contain colorful characters such as the man below who kept walking back and forth as a model would, changing his outfits from time to time. If you notice, his little dog was also dressed in up multicolored fur!

Woody Allen's 1987 movie Radio Days was filmed at Rockaway Beach and it is, in many ways, an iconic New York City beach spot!

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Marina, of the Only Cute Things blog awarded me with this cute award! Thank you so much Marina -- I love your blog too! I've seen this on many blogs recently so if any of my readers have not received this award please accept it from me!

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Diane of A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words blog tagged me to "name 6 unspectacular things about myself." I already did this before and again here, but it was awhile ago, so let me think of a few other quirky things about myself...........

1) I've worn glasses since I was seven -- contact lenses since I was 14. I think I miss a lot of edit errors in my blog because my now middle aged eyes are so confused between bifocal glasses/contact lenses with reading glasses, that I just can't see!

2) I hate to drive -- I'd much rather be a passenger and look out the window at the scenery

3) I'm afraid of rollercoasters, but I did ride one once!

4) I love cheese -- I've never tried one I didn't like, and the more pungent and sharp the better!

5) I still have the comic books I loved as a young child -- Archie, Little Dot & Sluggo, Audrey, and Casper the Ghost. Did you love comic books as a child?

6) I can't throw away a magazine without tearing out all the recipes. I'll never live long enough to cook them all, but I can't bear to part with any of them!

Would anyone like to do this tag? Please let me know if you do!