“Things take the time they take. Don't worry.” – Mary Oliver
A beautiful seaside pier has come to symbolize that things will work out and expectations fulfilled.
The pier also represents goals achieved and success as well as joy and love of life. Seaside piers challenge us to put an end to our worry and angst and have patience. And wooden piers especially, symbolize abundance of food and peace within the family.
This is the perfect time of year to show gratitude for one or both of those blessings.
Generally, piers are classified by their function. Three main types include working piers, pleasure piers and those meant for fishing. Many piers pull double duty or start as one type and retire as another.
SoCal features a trio of historical wooden piers built around the turn of the 20th century.
Built in 1872, the beautiful Ventura Pier spent her first 64 years as a working wharf before a late-career change to pleasure pier.
Seems like she finally followed her heart.
Down the coast a little bit was where, in 1905, Frederick Hastings Rindge built the Malibu Pier as a receiving dock for his Rancho Malibu, 13K acres of pristine coastline.
No longer handling cargo, today it’s all fishing and pleasure with a café and shops.
Continuing just south 10 miles is a much larger pleasure pier drawing crowds from all over the world.
The Santa Monica Pier holds an amusement park, restaurants and even an aquarium. But it wasn’t always so amiable.
Originally built to mask a sewage pipeline in 1909, the Santa Monica Pier has lived many a lifetime: as home to a dance hall, activists and even the city jail.