In the Cool of the Evening

When the Sun Goes Down

Grey Day on the Coast

Grace and Joy

A rare sunny day at the beach in Oregon's Seaside. The sun set just as this young girl discovered the joy of ballet in the waves.

A Fish Story

There's a story to this series of pictures.

While sitting on the beach in Florida, I watched a man walk back and forth across the sand at the edge of the waves, casting a huge, Biblical-style net into the gulf waters. He'd pull the net in and check it for fish, then send it back out. Over and over he did this. Any small fish he caught, he put in a small, clear plastic tackle box that he carried with him.

One bird caught wind of the smell of fish and began to follow him. Up and down the beach this bird walked, like a puppy at a master's heals.

Soon other birds began to notice and they joined in.

Before long, the man had a flock following him. At first, they pecked around his net when he'd bring it in, but it didn't take much time before they discovered the tackle box.

One bird fluffed his feathers in an act of ownership and fiercely fought others when they came too close.

He could smell the fish. He could see the fish. They flopped right at the tip of his beak. But he could not get to them.

And then the fisherman took his nets and his fish, and he walked away.

Twilight

Spin Art: Earth Rotation Style

We sat on the beach this week and watched the sunsets: one of my favorite activities. My kids were amazed at how fast the sun disappeared once it reached the horizon. All day it seemed to creep across the sky in almost imperceptible increments, but once it sets, you can tell how fast the earth is spinning, swallowing the sun in a gigantic, quick gulp.

A Pier to the Horizon

A pier at a crab restaurant on the Potomac River. I'm standing in Maryland; the land you see across the water is Virginia, where I live.

The water looks pretty due to a little post-processing magic. The recent rains have stirred it up and it's a bit muddier than this photo would lead you to believe.

Not the Usual Bathroom View

Taken from the bathroom in Puerto Rico. Not too shabby.

What's the Point?

I spent Friday down at the Tidal Basin in D.C. taking pictures of the cherry blossoms. They were beautiful, but not quite peaked, which lent some pictures to more bloom than blossom. 

There's no doubt that the reason people go to take pictures there is the gorgeous color of the cherry trees. So why the black and white?

In a few of my photos, the colors just didn't mesh well. The sky was all grey, the water too murky. The backs of the flowers were more greenish-orange than white and pink. I think by taking out the color, it emphasizes the composition and subject and gets rid of the "Eww... those colors just don't go together" aspect of the originals.

Tomorrow I'll post the color pics, but for today, here are my two favorites in black and white.

Unadulterated Joy

Surface of the Moon

Well, not really. Those waves in the distance give it away as earthbound, but still - doesn't that sand look other-worldly?

More of the Same

The Quiet That's Not

There's no suburban noise out here. No traffic and honking cars. No airplanes overhead, machinery chugging and whirring and screeching in the near distance. The people are spread apart, their voices lost in the vastness of the beach. But there are gulls and roaring waves and howling wind. And in that, there is peace.

Nature's Lamp

A Boy and his Dog

When I went out to shoot the sunset tonight, there was a little boy, maybe six years old, playing in the frigid Pacific waters with his yellow lab. The joy was so contagious, I must have taken 50 pictures of them.

Morning Yoga

I woke to snow on the beach this morning. Who sees this thing outside of Alaska? Snow... on the beach. It seemed an oxy-moron. I dashed out in the early morning light to capture it before it melted, and there was this man, doing his morning exercise. I loved his contrast against the white.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I'm in Oregon, in a hotel right on the beach, and it's rained since I got here. All day I watched the drops drizzle down the windows, the fog so low the mountains and water were not much more than a suggestion of what might be. And then - ten minutes before sunset - the clouds suddenly broke and the brilliant light turned the entirely gray day into a blaze of orange and cobalt blue. So gorgeous!

A Place to Rest

Reflections

 

A pond near the elementary school where my kids attend.