Tag Archives: beach

Public Privilege

I spend a lot of time on the beach, walking and thinking and taking pictures. In this public space, even in a crowd, I feel a sense of solitude. Wrapped in the sounds of the sea, the wind on my face and the sun on my shoulders I pay attention the rhythms of the earth. I notice the ways the landscape changes, the habits of the seabirds, the movement of the sun and the moon, and the way the tides ebb and flow. No two days are ever the same…and yet this place is always the same.

I also notice the people who come in many shapes and sizes. I notice that they are more the same than different, looking like the people who live in my neighborhood and attend the school where I work. Of course there are visitors, vacationing along the shore…and the ever present #beachpeople who constantly interest, inform, and surprise me with all the things they do at the beach.

In this place, people shower in public,

play in public,

hangout in public,

and learn in public.

And with my camera in my hand, most people pay little attention to me even while I pay a lot of attention to them.

After all, this is a public place. Everyone is welcome. Or are they?

Sometimes I wonder about the gulls, often looked upon as pests. I’ve heard them called “rats,” a nod to their role as scavengers…and maybe to their highly adaptable behavior.

But who else is not welcome here? I notice patrols on the beach, mostly lifeguards but sometimes sheriffs in their vehicles cruise the beach. Are they keeping beachgoers safe or looking for troublemakers? Do those mean the same thing?

And where does public end and private begin? At the no trespassing sign?

What does my privilege allow me to see? And what does it blind me to?

So much to consider as I walk this beach…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Formation

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As I walk on the beach I often notice the pelicans flying above. I never tire of watching these pterodactyl-like birds. They are huge and graceful, soaring over the shoreline, often in formation with one or two or a dozen others. They exchange places seamlessly, the front fliers moving to the rear, always regaining their formation. (You can tell from my photos that the marine layer has been thick here…gray and damp, blocking the sun.)

Here’s a triad flying by in formation…

Looking low formations also came into view. These rock sculpture formations crop up now and then on the beach…this one was standing all alone and caught my eye.

A demonstration lesson by one of the SI participants had us exploring wind and air pressure through an experiment with a soap cap on a coke bottle. When we placed the bottle in warm water, a bubble formation appeared at the top!

And today we engaged in an activity that requires the formation of thoughts and responses to some provocative quotes from readings we have done. We still call it Chalk Talk even though we use markers on chart paper!

So, go on a search for formation. You might spy some that form naturally or they might be manmade. Be on the lookout for esoteric formations too–you might find evidence of the formation of thought or action or change!

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 #formation for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

So grab your camera and find formation in your world this week. You can look indoors or out…or maybe combine with last week’s prompt of #makeart and create a formation of your own!

Musings

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I am definitely drawn to photograph some images over and over again. Anyone who reads my blog regularly will recognize the beach where I walk regularly. There is an endless supply of seagulls, surfers, sunsets, hang gliders, and more. And I am drawn to photograph them again and again, trying new angles, different light, close ups and vistas. But is the beach my muse?

Yesterday after a long and busy week keeping me mostly indoors and mostly away from my camera, I just felt the urge to go outside and take some photos. I was exhausted, my brain full after finishing our first full week in the SDAWP Invitational Summer Institute AND still trying to keep up with and participate in the CLMOOC, and yet I could feel my camera calling.

My husband was in the kitchen performing his culinary magic, the cats lounging nearby (never wanting him beyond their line of sight), so I grabbed my camera and heading into the backyard.

I noticed the lavender first. It’s not growing as well as I would like, but that didn’t stop me from learning in to get close to this beauty.

I love playing with macro, the way the lens focuses in on the near and blurs out the background. The afternoon sun allowed the vibrance of the greens and purples to come through. As I looked down I noticed a succulent in a pot that I hadn’t paid any attention to before. I got low–on my knees–and tucked in under the scented geraniums to get close enough. I’m remembering that succulents use those small leaves to conserve water, a great adaptation for an environment like this one where water is scarce…and water restrictions are limiting our elective watering too.

I continued to wander, aiming my lens at whatever caught my eye. I unlatched the gate and headed toward the front yard. There are usually dandelions there–much to my husband’s chagrin…and my delight. I noticed this yellow bloom.

and then later, played with the image with the sketch app.

And this later stage dandelion, with most of its seeds blown away caught my eye. I found myself thinking about wishes and how we often make wishes on a dandelion puff just before we blow the seeds away. Do those wishes take root or do they float away beyond our reach?

I like the idea that there are still a few wishes left hanging here…and posted this on a friend’s Facebook page to send her birthday wishes last night. Later, I played with Waterlogue, a watercolor app just to see what effect it might have.

But as I continue to think about this idea of muse, I find myself rejecting the idea that the dandelion is the muse. I do and have taken plenty of dandelion photos. But I think that the muse, for me, is the camera itself.

With a camera in my hand, my senses are heightened. I notice my surroundings–with my eyes and my ears…all my senses seem to fire. And even when I don’t capture an amazing photo, I feel like I see more, hear more, am more present in the moment.

And, as I seek an interesting photo, I find myself looking beyond the beautiful. Those golden sunset moments are pretty reliable…and I think I will never tire of them, but I am also seeking images that make me think, that help me see beyond the surface and find the beauty in what I might have dismissed as ugly, disposable, a nuisance…

which reminds me as an educator and a human being that we all need to look past the obvious, make a connection and get under the surface to see what we haven’t noticed before. This dandelion plant caught my eye and drew me into the dry remnants of the puff, the lone seed hanging on, the bud getting ready to reveal the brilliant yellow flower that doesn’t even hint at becoming a puffy seed ball. It would be easy to yank this week out and toss it into the green waste (and my husband might when he heads out to mow the lawn), but I’m glad I got to lean in, look closely and discover some of the wonders I might have otherwise missed.

I feel lucky to have my camera as my muse…and even without looking through my lens, it’s teaching me to pay attention, look closely, and connect to better understand myself and my world…and better yet, give me insights into the experiences of others as well. I may not walk in the shoes of the people I encounter, but by listening carefully, looking closely, and opening my heart, I can do my part to be inclusive, accepting, and strive to understand beyond my own experiences.

How does your muse influence you?

The Vibrance of Walking

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There is something about putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward, heading somewhere–even if the destination isn’t clear. I’ve really only learned to appreciate walking in the last few years…before that it was simply a way to get from one place to another rather than an activity in itself.

As I read Brainpickings today, this piece about walking and wanderlust caught my attention. Rebecca Solnit wrote a book called Wanderlust: A History of Walking…and though I haven’t read the book, this quote caught my attention:

Thinking is generally thought of as doing nothing in a production-oriented culture, and doing nothing is hard to do. It’s best done by disguising it as doing something, and the something closest to doing nothing is walking. Walking itself is the intentional act closest to the unwilled rhythms of the body, to breathing and the beating of the heart. It strikes a delicate balance between working and idling, being and doing. It is a bodily labor that produces nothing but thoughts, experiences, arrivals.

And for me, walking is a way of paying attention. Paying attention to my thoughts and feelings and to the world around me. That “nothing” of walking works as production for me. It generates creativity, increases my energy and problem solving, and generally increases the vibrance of my daily life.

Walking some dusty urban trails in our downtown park yesterday, I was struck by these vivid desert flowers. They’ve taken advantage of the rains in May and blooms are in evidence.

Up hills and down, following the twists and turns of the trails I noticed the dryness and imagined what the brush would look like in August. But for now, a carpet of color explodes calling to the bees and other pollinators…and reminding me to notice and appreciate beauty in unlikely spaces, beyond the park’s groomed landscapes and curated exhibits. Geoff and I were noticing the differences in the yellow flowers…and naming the ones we have come to know, natives (like me) to this dry and wondrous place.

And in the formal park, we walked by many beautiful blooms. This hibiscus caught my eye–not only because it is vivid and beautiful, but because of the way the stamen cast a shadow onto the petals. It would have been easy to walk by, but because I was walking with no particular destination, I took the time to lean down and look closely–finding something wondrous!

Walking, ideally, is a state in which the mind, the body, and the world are aligned, as though they were three characters finally in conversation together, three notes suddenly making a chord. Walking allows us to be in our bodies and in the world without being made busy by them. It leaves us free to think without being wholly lost in our thoughts.

[…]

The rhythm of walking generates a kind of rhythm of thinking, and the passage through a landscape echoes or stimulates the passage through a series of thoughts. This creates an odd consonance between internal and external passage, one that suggests that the mind is also a landscape of sorts and that walking is one way to traverse it. A new thought often seems like a feature of the landscape that was there all along, as though thinking were traveling rather than making. And so one aspect of the history of walking is the history of thinking made concrete — for the motions of the mind cannot be traced, but those of the feet can.

Today’s landscape for walking was quite different as I headed out in the early morning light, beckoned by the low tide and time pressures. There was a stillness beneath the rhythmic roar of the waves, quieting the shouts of work that needs doing and responsibilities to deal with, creating space for thought…and no thought.

And while I find my peace though the lens of my camera, Geoff finds his in his call to pick up litter in this beautiful place. There are plenty of plastic straws, baggies, and food wrappers…and the occasional vibrant red ball left behind, bounced onto the shore by the waves. We are both engaged in our art, in the rhythms of our body, and in the vibrance of the walk.

Life in Motion

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Sometimes life seems to be taking place in fast forward–moving at speeds that make it impossible to catch up (or keep up, for that matter). Weekends offer opportunities to reconnect with loved ones, squeezed between chores like laundry and grocery shopping…and when I’m really lucky, time for an adventure or two.

I love the way my camera makes time stand still for an instant, but today I was trying to capture moments of motion. We headed north to the San Onofre State Beach, also home of the now defunct nuclear power plant. I’m always surprised by the multitudes of treasures I’ve yet to discover not far from my home…how have I missed this place I have passed by on the freeway so many times?

The day was gray and threatening. The weather forecasters had dismissed the rain for the weekend, but the clouds hung dark and heavy in the distance. We saw a couple of cars with surfboards on top heading away as we pulled in, and my husband joked that the surfers were done for the day. Until we turned the corner and saw the sea dotted with wet suited surfers afloat on their boards.

And a few were in motion.

I love watching sea birds, and I wasn’t disappointed today. I saw egrets and cormorants as well as the usual seagulls and pelicans.

I also caught this sandpiper frolicking in the surf.

Further north, we strolled out on the San Clemente pier with the wind whipping my hair and making me wish for the heavier jacket in the back seat of my car. The colorful flags danced in the breeze, in constant motion.

Surprisingly, there were no seabirds on the pier. But there were lots of pigeons. I noticed these bobbing their heads to drink from this sink. (Notice the sign…hmmm, were they drinking salt water or were they sipping from tiny pools left from the increasing drizzle?)

I love to go under a pier. There is something about watching the waves through the mussel-laden pilings that I find mesmerizing. The color of the water, the sound of the rocks, and the rush of the waves creates a musical performance of constant motion.

As we headed to the car, the rain began in earnest. And after all that motion, I am now sitting, near motionless, listening to the rain fall outside as I cuddle with the cats, chat with my husband, and try to stock up on some much needed rest to fuel the week ahead.

Staying Afloat

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I love my job. And yet, I still need time off to refresh and recharge…to stay afloat amid the demands of the work I love. Sometimes I am tempted to use my time off to catch up on the work details that build up in the course of my daily work life or to tackle those cleaning and organizing projects that take so much time. But this week, I mostly spent time exploring, enjoying…and not too much else.

And for this week staying afloat meant climbing the California Tower with my sister and looking out over the beautiful city where I live. The tower, that has been closed to the public for most of my life, offers 360 degrees views…to the ocean, to the mountains, and more. And because of the unique flight path in San Diego, I was watching planes descend right over the city skyline.

We also met up with this mallard duck couple enjoying a private swim in the small garden fountain. The morning light in this unedited photo seems to emphasize the beauty of the ducks and the surrounding fountain and gardens.

We found these overturned boats and flowers near the place where Geoff and I lived many years ago, right after we first got married. In the background you can see the boats that are afloat and the brilliant blue of Mission Bay.

And as much as I love this place I live, getting away helps me to unwind and push work into the background. So afloat, high in the air (is that a stretch of the word afloat?), we journeyed up the coast to San Francisco. This is one of those places I have been to many times, but sometimes forget to “see” it. As we headed out of the city to a destination further north, we took the time to stop and appreciate the towering icon that is known as the Golden Gate Bridge.

I love San Diego beaches…but northern California beaches are a different breed. These are rough and wild…and in the springtime, adorned with beautiful wildflowers. As we stood looking off the cliff near the Point Cabrillo lighthouse, we watched an osprey soar toward us with a fish gripped in his talons. We heard about the migrating whales another couple had just seen, and watched this squirrel nibble near the edge of the cliff.

A highlight of our trip was a visit with my son and daughter-in-law. They treated us to a hike up a local mountain…Mt. Diablo. As we drove the curving mountain roads, dodging intrepid bicyclists, my son told us about this peak’s unique qualities—including unobstructed views for miles around. Our day wasn’t crystal clear, but the views were breathtaking!

And all too quickly, our trip must end. As we drove back to the airport for our trip home, I caught another glimpse of beautiful San Francisco and its golden gate…from the Bay Bridge. And with a bit of editing on my iphone photo, you can see what my eyes noticed as we said goodbye.

I’m wishing for one more day…to wash clothes, pick up some groceries, and maybe catch a nap. But alas, I will be back at work tomorrow…loving every minute and squeezing those essential chores into the creases of my day, and I think that’s where they belong anyway.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Light and Shadow

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I notice light…the way it washes over images, bringing vibrance to colors and highlighting details. And I notice shadow, spaces between light and color that create texture and definition. I love the interplay of the two…and the challenge of capturing what my eyes see through my camera lens.

I came home today to my tulip plant opening in the light of the late afternoon shining through the window. The yellow blossom seems to bring the spirit of spring right into the house.

Last week when I was back east, I was mesmerized by the shadow of bare tree limbs. Spring wasn’t much in evidence, but the beauty of nature in all its shadow was. I love the way that looking up into the tree branches creates images of lace.

And when I looked up inside the the train station in Baltimore, I noticed light playing with the intricate stained glass ceiling. My photo doesn’t begin to capture the beauty of the glass and the light!

Earlier this week at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum my students and i entered this Native American kiicha made of willow branches and wetland reeds. Looking up I noticed the way the light played with the shadows inside.

And after school today I treated myself to a short walk on the beach–this is the beginning of my spring break–a much needed week off to gather energy and inspiration for the rest of the school year. It was warm today…and spring breakers were out in full force. I noticed the kites flying above the lifeguard tower and the way the sun created silhouettes in the distance.

So, whether you are on spring break or yours is long over, take some time this week to notice light and shadow. What time of day does the light catch your eye? What do the shadows reveal?

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 #lightandshadow for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

So go into the light and explore the shadows in your life. I can’t wait to experience light and shadow through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Study

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Anyone who reads my blog with any regularity knows that I spend plenty of time on the beach. And with my camera in hand, I find that I often begin to study the things that I see through my lens. I’ve been drawn to seagulls lately…as evidenced in the photo gallery above (all images posted on my blog over the last few months).

And as I take photos of seagulls, I have also studied them. Noticing their habits, their preferences, their personalities…and more. As I walk along the shore, I am drawn to the crowd of seagulls. They seem to be social creatures, gathering together to hang out. They seem to have some favorite spots…and I walk through them on a regular basis.

I love the way they casually walk away from me as I come near. Seldom do they take flight as I approach, they just seem to shuffle over a bit as they keep a close eye on my movements.

I am always surprised by their adaptations. The runoff from the storm drains flows into the ocean near the lifeguard station at our local beach. I am assuming that this is fresh (ish) water (at least not salt water). I often see seagulls taking a drink from this runoff–in spite of the fact that we humans get regular warnings to stay away from this water–especially after the rain because of the risk of bacteria. I caught this guy in action, taking sip from the flowing runoff.

I love to watch seagulls in flight. They seem so carefree and graceful in the sky…when they are not squabbling with one another over a bit of food. This guy today was nice enough to fly right in front of my camera.

And there are times when it seems that the gulls take to the sky in a carefully choreographed dance, floating on the air waves, dipping and turning, swooping and gliding. I notice this most often in the late afternoons when I squeeze a walk in after I am done with work. There was a beautiful performance going on this afternoon as I headed back to my car for my drive home.

So…what are you studying through your lens? Nearby birds? The light in the afternoon? The way snow melts? The plants in your garden or the tree you pass on your way to work each day? If you haven’t yet studied…this is your week for a mini study!

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 #study for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

So take a look around…what are you noticing? What questions does it raise? Use your lens as a tool for closer study… I can’t wait to see what you are learning as you study through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Action!

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Summer has come early here in southern California…with temps in the 90s on the coast today! This is not our normal weather…but it has people flocking to the beaches to play. People are shedding their clothes and there’s lots of action on the shoreline.

The water is not warm yet, even though you wouldn’t know it by looking at people playing in the surf. The sign on the lifeguard tower said 64…and my feet agreed as I walked along the shore. These boys show the contrast between the air and water in they way they are dressed…one in a wetsuit, the other in trunks…as they pull the kayak up on the shore.

I love the spring in the step of this little guy. He just exudes energy!

There are lots and lots of games to play on the beach…frisbees and footballs and smashball are usual. I’ve been noticing this game lately…where you bounce the ball off the mini trampoline, with the goal of keeping the ball moving within the group. These boys were playing an extreme version, throwing themselves to the ground to assure the ball stayed in play!

And there’s lots of fun to be had just playing in the waves, jumping and screaming with each surge of water.

And when the tide is low, the bikes come out.

And people aren’t the only ones in action! These birds, pelicans I think, must have found something good to eat as they gather, hovering and plunging into the waves.

And if you look closely you can see both the action of the seagull in flight and the waves rolling and crashing here.

I love this one where the seagull is still and the waves are caught in action, I love the colors that are so hard to catch in a photo!

So, for this week, be on the lookout for action. What’s going on in your little piece of the world? Are people playing? Working? What about plants and animals…are they in action? Or like me, you might even notice the action of water…or weather.

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 #action for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

So take a look around, where is the action in your life this week? I can’t wait to see what action you find through your lens!

Rainforest Serenity

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Where I live it seldom rains…and when it does, it creates all kinds of havoc because we are not equipped to deal with it. And our environment reflects the lack of water, with plants that take the least water–cacti, succulents, sages and other brushes–thriving, while others only survive because we take the time (and expense) to water them.

Today we snuck away for the long weekend to a place known for rain–and specifically headed off to explore the temperate rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula in the Olympic National Park. We knew that rain was likely for the entire weekend, and still headed off to spend time outside in this environment so different from the one we are used to.

Somehow, we managed to avoid rain today, but had plenty of evidence of its presence. As we walked among the giant evergreen trees (spruce, cedar, and firs) I could feel the calm settle over me. Out in the cool, damp air among the towering trees, the sun had to work to reach the ground. The serenity was tangible, but seems difficult to put into words.

I started to notice the water droplets hanging from tree branches as I brushed against them and caused my own little rain storm. And then I became fascinated with the jewel-like quality of the water, trying to capture it with my camera.

I noticed ferns and mosses and lichens all around me and I started to play with my camera, trying to capture the light as it danced and played hide and seek in the forest.

And I started wondering about mushrooms…why hadn’t I seen any? At about that moment, I came around the corner and noticed this beauty growing on a fallen log.

There were more…and more as I began looking closely. I love this entire colony we found growing on the flat face of this stump.

Geoff caught a picture of me leaning in closely with my camera trying to capture the unique beauty of fungi!

We left the rainforest and headed toward the beach…hoping to catch both the low tide and sunset before darkness pushed us indoors for the night. And you know that I spend plenty of time on the beach…but these wide, wild, untamed beaches are very different from the beaches I frequent. The tide was low and sand seemed endless. Instead of driftwood, drift logs were in evidence! We spent only a short time walking the beach as we took in the sunset.

And as we headed off to a tiny town that would be home for the evening, we made one last stop after sunset, but before darkness had settled. I love this post-sunset glow that shines pink through the silhouettes of trees that frame the ocean beyond.

I didn’t know I was looking for serenity today, but it found me as I explored the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring!