When the going gets cold and wet, Barbara and I head for ocean calm. We dressed for windy and cold ocean weather—gloves, hats, scarves, double jackets, etc—and drove down to Long Beach to follow Charles Fleming's August 12, 2016, L.A. Times oceanfront walk. The surprises began the moment we stepped out of the car. Instead of anticipated low 40s temps, it was bright, sunny, and downright balmy—temps in the 50s. Ditching excess gear, we started at Alamitos Bay Beach, south of downtown Long Beach at Ocean Blvd and Claremont Place. But, surprise #2, instead of walking along the Pacific, Fleming guided us to the west side of the Long Beach Peninsula, a narrow (maybe 1/4 mile?) strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Naples Canals. First stop, the Leeway Sailing and Aquatics Center, a youth sailing program and staple on the peninsula since 1929, the place to rent gondolas to explore the Naples Canals. No history to cite here, every delight about this hike and the area is here-and-now. We strolled East Bayshore Walk bordering the channel into Alamitos Bay, the vibe "beach friendly" and the view...snow-capped mountains in the distance, gondolas skimming the channel, boats docked in front of luxury Naples homes, and, on our side of the water, a sandy beach with joggers, dogs romping in and out of the water, and sandpipers lingering on the sand. Homes we passed ranged from stunning, glass-front contemporaries to charming, well-kept beach bungalows and cottages. Landscaped mini-parks separated the streets from 55th Place to 65th place; locals greeted us with smiles and "hellos." Utterly warm and charming, the Peninsula neighborhood community won us over. At 72nd Street we left the inland beach facing Naples and walked west to greet the ocean. We climbed sand dunes lining the shore and, surprise #3, fishermen casting lined the coastline. A pause to take in the view of Long Beach Harbor to the north, and then we followed E. Seaside Walk's wooden boardwalk to complete our hike, choosing the beach homes we wouldn't mind living in. One of my favorite houses had a pathside Book-Shop-on-a-Bench, featuring only Nora Roberts novels. What else would you read at the beach? We finished the morning with mochas at a Starbucks in Belmont Shore, a quintessential SoCal seaside community that gave us one more reason we love living in SoCal.