How To Have The Perfect Beach Day

The beach is a care free, laughter filled, sand in your shoes and leave your hair natural kind of place. You don't need to dress up or put on your best dress shoes. All you need is a good beach towel, an interesting book and a retro pair of shades. You can spend your day in the sun and let the rays beam down on you until you're a nice shade of golden brown. You can walk around and venture into the little shops and boutiques looking for that one of a kind piece that a small corner in your apartment is missing or you can spend your day in the ocean. You can ease your way into the cold salty water and before you know it your shoulder deep into the ocean, not knowing what's below you, awaiting the adventure that the ocean brings.

To have the perfect beach day, here's what you need:

1.) A nice early start to the morning 
I'm not trying to cramp your style by setting up a schedule, but waking up with the sun is the best feeling in the world. Take your time, lay in bed, drink a nice cup of coffee, tea or if you're like me, just some plain cold water. Start your morning out with a short meditation and breathe in the warm summer air.

2.) Pack a beach bag or backpack
Bring a towel, some sunscreen, coconut oil in place of tanning oil, snacks, a book, a pair of cheap sunglasses (just in case you accidentally step or sit on them) and an extra shirt because we all know that somehow the clothes you come to the beach in will end up getting soaked, filled with sand or stained with sunscreen.

3.) Walk around the town
Every beach town has cool stores and restaurants that are often unique to that specific area. Venture away from the beach for a while and peak into the boutiques and small stores. Rent a bike or skateboard and ride around town.

4.) Stay till dark
If you're having a beach day, you might as well turn it into a beach night. Get a bon fire going, roast some marshmallows, play some music and tell stories with your friends and family. The beach at night is so calming and relaxing.

The beach is one of my favorite places. You can walk along the bike path, surf, play volleyball or lay on your beach towel all day sipping on lemonade and snacking on cherries.

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Summer

Summer is a time for sun. Summer means laughter, water in your hair, sand in between your toes and watermelon juice running down your chin. Summer is about feeling care free, light and happy. Hot warm nights are perfect for running in the ocean or skateboarding down sunset boulevard. Hot mornings are great for a fruit smoothie and a dip in the pool, a bike ride or a movie.

My summers have changed as I've gotten older. Growing up I spent my summers at the beach eating ice cream and working on my tan. My house was constantly buzzing with 17 year old boys sprawled out on the couch, chairs and the floor eating the entire refrigerator.

When I got a full time job and then a career, my summer turned into three months filled with work, just like any other time of the year. I miss the days of my hair curling from the salt in the ocean and running down the beach listening to music, but that does not mean I don't appreciate where I am in my life now. Though sometimes I feel like I'm looking out at the beautiful summer days through a window.

When I think of summer I think of the song "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. He sings "in every life we have some trouble but when you worry, you make it double. Don't worry, be happy."

I love the heat. I love summer. I love the feeling of the strong sun beating down on my face. My summers have changed, that is true, but summer is still my favorite time of year. This is a reminder to myself to get out and enjoy the sun while it lasts.

Don't Worry Be Happy music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

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Airplane Emissions Are Causing Pollution

Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency issued "a scientific assessment known as an endangerment finding, which determined that emissions from certain kinds of plane engines contribute to pollution that fuels climate change and creates health risks for Americans." Commercial jets are often connected to emissions that have carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide or other compounds. The EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said that this will lead to "aircraft engines that will produce less pollution-not just greenhouse gases, but less pollution and potentially noise pollution."

U.S. regulators are going to partner "with the International Civil Aviation Organization to set global CO2 emissions standards next year." As stated by the Environmental Protection Agency, commercial aircraft contributes about 3 percent of all U.S. emissions.

"The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Earth, represented by the environmental law group Earthjustice, petitioned the EPA in 2007 to regulate carbon emissions from aircraft under the federal Clean Air Act." Earthjustice also sued in 2010 to try and force "regulators to set standards on green-house gas pollution from planes."

According to Dan Rutherford, aviation program director for the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation, new aircraft designs can potentially decrease fuel usage by almost a quarter by 2024 which is more than the required amount.

"Monday's action continues the Obama administration's push to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from a wide array of sectors. Last week, the White House announced new initiatives aimed at making a switch to electric vehicles more attractive for the nation's drivers." Government officials also took a trip to Vienna over the weekend "as part of an international effort to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs-powerful agents that are most often used in refrigerants in car and home air conditioners."

Washington Post Article White House Takes Aim At A Fast-Growing Source Of Emissions: Airplanes: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/07/25/white-house-takes-aim-at-a-fast-growing-source-of-emissions-airplanes/

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Don Knotts Remembered With A Bronze Statue

If you have ever heard of the Andy Griffith Show, then I'm sure you've heard of Don Knotts. I grew up with the Andy Griffith Show and I still watch it today.

Don Knotts played the character Barney Fife. Without him, I don't think the show would be half as funny or memorable. He was a great actor and comedian who won five Emmy awards. Though he had a hard childhood and a hard adult life, he was still a great man who has become an iconic character and symbol of the 1960s.

Over the weekend a statue of Don Knotts was unveiled in his hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia. He has been bronzed and placed on a bench outside the town's Metropolitan Theatre. Don's daughter Karen was there to unveil the statue.

Don Knotts would have been 92 on July 21.

Hollywood Reporter article: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/don-knotts-statue-unveiled-his-914170?facebook_20160725

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The Beach Sunset

Last night my two daughters and I drove to the beach and watched the sunset. We watched the sun go down from the walking path above the beach which in my opinion has the best view. I grew up at the beach, ran at the beach, cleared my head at the beach and made great memories at the beach. The salty air has a special place in my heart.

For a minute, while the sun was setting and the cars driving down below were stopped, all you could hear was the crashing of the waves, people laughing and the sound of hands hitting a volleyball over a net. It was like time stopped and all I could focus on were the pink clouds in the sky and the falling sun. 

The salty air, the sound of conversations and the smiles spread across our faces were enough to make my night. 

Humans Are Moving To The Water

Pack your bags, we're moving to cities built on water. "By the year 2050 about 70% of the world's population of 10 billion people will be living in cities, according to the United Nations."

Jason Pomeroy, the founder of the architecture firm Pomeroy Studio believes that climate change and rising sea levels will lead humans to build on water.

"Not only will waterborne communities solve problems of inner-city densification and be energy efficient, Pomeroy believes they could be flood, earthquake and weather proof."

Living on water is not a new idea. Italy and Thailand have been living on water for a very long time. Pomeroy suggests "creating floating communities of self-contained futuristic-looking pods, which create their own energy."

The Netherlands has already begun experimenting with floating communities and "the Ijburg neighborhood of Amsterdam is home to a community of 75 multistory "houseboats"-that look nothing like boats-supported by buoyant underwater concrete tubs."

Water might be the next place we're going to build homes and buildings. Gather your floating devices and inflatable pool floaties because the next stop is the water.

CNN Article Living On Water: Are Waterborne Cities More Resistant To Climate Change: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/20/asia/water-cities-jason-pomeroy/index.html

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General Motors Is Driving Into The Future

I read an article in the July/August issue of Departures Magazine titled General Motors Speeds Ahead that explained how GM wants to eliminate "waste in the manufacturing process, a proposition that has both limited landfill output from GM's plants and netted the company $1 billion via wast-management efforts." GM chairman and CEO Mary Barra also explained that she wants to reduce the weight and increase the efficiency in all of the new GM product releases.

The Chevrolet Bolt is going to be the "world's first affordable long-range electric vehicle when it goes into production later this year, with the ability to go 200 miles on a charge."

General Motors is driving down the road of driverless cars, electric vehicles and reducing their carbon footprint. 

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