Some days I need an oasis: a place to refresh and hydrate, to lie in the cool of the shade, to set my worries and must-dos aside and just be.  This week, with my camera in my hand, I found some of these spaces and places…

With the change in the month, in these parts we have shifted from May Gray to June Gloom–our affectionate terms for the pervasive marine layer that blocks the sun and dampens my energy level.  This week I have found myself revisiting this image of a lily pad (a lotus flower?) that I took when the sun was shining, feeling the energy of the sun through the image…creating a mini oasis for myself.

But in spite of a gloomy weekend, I did find some spaces of oasis.  I know I can never go wrong when I head out to the Torrey Pines State Reserve. This is an amazing natural resource and place of beauty not far from home.  Walking here feels like a vacation, even when it is gray and damp. (And bright yellow native flowers always help!)

And not too much further south you can find seals enjoying a swim in the ocean…or laying on the nearby rocks or beach.  These wild seals were playing, racing each other in the surf and rolling in the sand, and brightening this gray day for me at the same time.

Who doesn’t love a parade?  This week was Ocean Week at my school, an opportunity to teach students about the importance of the resource that lays outside their front door.  We end the week with a parade (walking around the field wearing “costumes” and singing ocean songs).  You’ll notice the “duck butt” hats our students are wearing…highlighting our study of the lagoon and its importance to the ocean environment.  And in spite of the gray and fog, we had an amazing time!

Jack reminds me that animals also seek oasis from time to time. It’s not unusual to find one of my cats laying in a patch of sunlight on the floor–his own private oasis right in the middle of the kitchen floor!

So…where are your moments of oasis?  Are they indoors or outdoors? Places of beauty or interesting and unusual?  How do they help you breathe, unwind, regain your perspective?

You can post your photo alone or along with some words: commentary, a story, a poem…maybe even a song! I love to study the photographs that others’ take and think about how I can use a technique, an angle, or their inspiration to try something new in my own photography. (I love a great mentor text…or mentor photo, in this case!) I share my photography and writing on social media. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter using @kd0602. If you share your photos and writing on social media too, please let me know so I can follow and see what you are doing. To help our Weekly Photo community find each other, use the hashtag #oasis for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

Where will you find oasis through your lens this week?  Head out with your camera and share your your images with us!