Tag Archives: beach

Weekly Photo Challenge: Close to Home

It’s hard to believe that the summer is coming to a close. And even though I work during the summer, this last week has been filled with those beginning of the school year meetings and classroom preparation. All of that has kept me close to home, squeezing a few photos in here and there, mostly using my trusty phone as camera.

As I checked out our classroom garden bed in front of the classroom, I noticed the native milkweed has started to take off and the tropical milkweed is still going strong. There weren’t any monarchs or caterpillars around, but I did noticed this tiny snail crawling on the plants. (I did play around with prisma a bit, trying to create more color contrast to make the snail “pop.”)

And then of all crazy things, my husband and I decided to go to a concert on a Tuesday night! We are lucky to have this wonderful concert venue in town that is smallish and is outdoors. I caught a glimpse of the sun going down in the distance as we headed to the amphitheater.

It is such a treat to sit outdoors in the comfortable late-summer evening, listening to good music…and even singing along. We saw Melissa Etheridge and Pat Benatar…two great shows in one! It was fun playing around with trying to capture the action, distance, and lighting (this is unedited).

Yesterday, to end my work week, I grabbed my camera (Sony a6000) and headed to the beach for a quick mental health break on my way home. The tide was high, so the beach was narrow, but there were still plenty of people enjoying the water and sand. These sneaky seagulls found an apple…probably someone’s unattended snack and managed to carry it to the water’s edge. They were having quite a party–snatching a bite, keeping an eye out for people and other seagulls, then heading back in for another bite. At one point one of the seagulls picked the whole apple up, spread its wings and moved it down the beach. It was quite a show!

I see this rock pretty regularly as I walk down the beach. D and T must be quite committed to showing their love to have spent the time to carve it so deeply in this sandstone. I do wish they would have considered a way to show their love that didn’t mar the natural beauty of the beach! You can see that my walk was shortened–there was no way to get around that corner ahead without getting wet!

But the short walk was a perfect way to shift from preparing the classroom to coming home to enjoy a weekend of relaxation before the kids arrive on Monday. And I couldn’t resist a shot of the ordinary–the railing along steep ramp up to the parking lot with the puffy white clouds in the blue sky.

So, what are you noticing close to home? What might you capture with that phone in your pocket? What do you see on that daily walk, at the corner park, or even from your car window (not when you are doing the driving!)?

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

You don’t have to venture far this week, what will you discover close to home? I can’t wait to see what you find through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Climb

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sound

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I tend to be drawn to silence, those quiet spaces where my mind can wander while my feet move. But it’s summer in San Diego, crowds gather and space becomes a premium. The sounds of the waves are dwarfed by the screams of delight as kids rush into the cool, salty waves, families laughing and talking over chips and sandwiches, and the loudspeaker of the lifeguards reminding swimmers to stay in the zones deemed safe from the dangerous rip currents.

But early in the morning, the quiet remains. The beach is mostly empty, wide open for exploration and introspection. Damp morning air kisses my cheeks as my feet delight in the almost warm summer surf. (I did say almost–probably not warmer than 68 degrees!)

I notice others who revel in the sounds of the morning beach too. A seagull tucks his head as I appreciate the mirror-like effect of the wet sand.

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I wonder about the sounds the surfers hear as they ride the waves. Are their ears filled with the whoosh and roar of waves and water? Or is there an exquisite quiet that happens when the waves wash away sounds from the shore?

And what is the sound of dilemma? Rock or surf or smile? You pick which direction to head!

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I can hear the sounds of conversation in these windows, fun artistic silhouettes I found in these warehouse buildings.

So…take a look around for sounds. Sounds of silence, of delight, of pain, of loneliness, of summer–you decide.

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

Listen with your eyes this week–what sounds do you hear and how will you represent them in your photographs? Be sure to share…I can’t wait to hear your sounds with my eyes!

Weekly Photo Challenge: One

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When I’m out taking pictures I tend to depend on two cameras–either my trusty and ever-present iPhone 6s or my mirrorless Sony a6000. And although I have more than one lens for that Sony, I mostly use my 16-55mm lens. So on Sunday, I broke out of my usual and put my zoom lens on as we headed out onto the beach for a walk.

I noticed right away that I was looking at things differently. The change in focal length meant that I had to look into the distance for my subject. As I walked down the ramp from the parking lot, this kite caught my eye. I was able to zoom in on the single image…a butterfly on a string!

And sometimes it’s just about timing. I looked up and this seagull flew right into my line of sight. Just one bird on the edge of the frame.

Later on my walk, I spied this pink bucket sitting solo. There was something about this bucket, alone that had me zoom in and focus.

But as I looked at this week’s photos, I realized that I didn’t need my zoom lens to focus on one. As we stopped by the botanic gardens to enjoy the sunny afternoon, I found myself mesmerized by this swallowtail butterfly. It’s hard to take pictures of butterflies. In my experience, they seem to want to fly away as I am trying to get them into focus. But this guy seemed to want to pose. He let me come closer and closer as I snapped away–so I could see the intricacies of his wings as he sipped nectar.

Geoff and I decided to visit a new outlet mall on Saturday evening–one some distance away from home. As sunset grew close, we grabbed a coffee and headed to a nearby beach. He walked the rocks, searching for sea glass and picking up trash and I snapped photos of the sunset. Here I captured a single lifeguard tower silhouetted in the setting sun.

And Tuesday’s foray away from the most traveled path took me to the Mt. Soledad park. There’s a veteran’s memorial, a controversial cross, and amazingly breathtaking views of the coast and the city. I noticed this one American flag fluttering against the puffy white clouds.

So…what one subject will you capture in your photo(s) this week?

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

Head out with your camera and look for one…and capture it in a photo (or two or three…). What one will you choose?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Here

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Exotic photo shoots just don’t happen very often for me. Most of the time I take pictures here…right where I am. And most days the only camera at my fingertips is my phone, so I take it out and look for something interesting or just ordinary and snap away.

On Monday when I stopped to check the mail on my way home from work, the magnolia blossoms caught my eye. In particular, I was drawn to this one that seemed to be unraveling–well past the prime of the bloom. I pulled out my camera and captured this.

Light traffic on Tuesday meant that I arrived for an appointment with plenty of time to spare. So I headed to the beach nearby to take in a breath of two of salty air. Right here I found a secret pathway down to the beach. I love the way the ocean peeks through.

But right here I also found an abandoned mylar balloon. These things are simply too common on our beaches. I picked this one up and placed it in the trash.

This week has been beyond busy with too many meetings, too much to do, and Open House! (I love Open House–the perfect celebration of learning, but it definitely involves a push to get ready and to help students be ready too!) With a few minutes to spare before I needed to get back to school for Open House last night, I stopped by the beach (you might notice a theme here). I didn’t have enough time for a walk…but I did have enough time to stack up some rocks and watch the waves roll in. Sometimes balance means taking available minutes here and there to let my mind wander and refresh my perspective.

My students got some of those minutes today. Our third graders had won extra PE by averaging the greatest number of laps at our school jog-a-thon, so here they are enjoying the parachute with our PE teacher.

And right here, outside the classroom door, the monarchs are back! The butterflies we saw last week obviously laid some eggs and now the caterpillars are munching away on the milkweed. This is a favorite place for students to stop and study the caterpillars in action. No chrysalis yet…

So, what’s happening in your here this week? Where’s your go-to “here” for a mental break, for a moment of relaxation, to enjoy the moment?

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

So here you go…find here with your camera and give us a glimpse! I can’t wait to see what you find.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Alive!

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Some weeks I take pictures of buildings and places…but a look at this week’s collection of photos suggests…alive!

I love the way that springtime is all about new growth and flowering. And while our persistent drought is far from over, about average rainfall this year means that things are blooming. I spied this beauty peeking through the chain link fence at school.

With no kids or grandkids–or even my mom–home for Mother’s Day, my husband and I decided to visit the Birch Aquarium. I had been a number of times with students on field trips, but my husband insisted he had never been! It’s a small aquarium, but it is alive with interesting sea life. These jellies are so much fun to watch as they pulse through the water.

And I am always amazed at the size of this sea bass! I love this kelp forest tank, it is such an accessible view of the intricacies of the kelp forest ecosystem that sits right off our coast.

I had a more eventful than usual walk on the beach last weekend. In addition to spying some sandpipers in action in the low tide, I managed to step on a bee…ouch! (It was alive when I stepped…dead after it stung me!)

I was greeted Monday morning by this fellow…just hanging out on my car door! (Anyone know what kind of insect it is?)…and yes, it was definitely alive! I love how it is also a selfie of sorts as I found myself reflected in the paint of my car.

I love the days when I get a chance to walk around campus when I’m at UCSD. I was noticing the rows of eucalyptus trees. I remember these trees from my years as an undergrad. I wonder who decided to plant these trees on campus?

And today’s adventures took me out and about in Burbank with my son and grandson. This yellow butterfly caught my eye…and I tried my best to catch it with my camera.

So, with so much life all around, what will you chose to represent alive this week? You might choose plants or animals…or people engaged in something that makes you feel particularly alive. Can something inanimate be alive?

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

What is alive in your life this week? I can’t wait to see what you find!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves

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When your week throws you curves…take photos of them! It’s been one of those stressful weeks. Our third graders grappled with the mandated state testing, tensions are running high as decisions are made about staffing for next year, and the oft-promised rain actually came yesterday…the day before our annual (outdoor) ice cream social!

In spite of wanting to go home after work and just sit…I stopped by the beach to walk. I’m so glad I did. The rhythm of the waves and the wind in my face seemed to wash the stresses of the week away. I didn’t walk far or fast, but my walk was deliberate and healing. I went as far as this “corner,” and looked back on the beach from the curves in the wall.

There are plenty of beach warnings after the rain–the surf is rough and unpredictable and the run-off from the storm drains introduces bacteria into the ocean water. I sat for a few minutes watching the water run through the large curved drain pipes that allow water from the watershed into the ocean at the beach where I most often walk.

Lucky for us, the rainy morning turned into a glorious afternoon and allowed students from our other school to come down for the promised band concert. It’s fun to watch former students play their instruments…and then stop by afterward to give a hug to their past teachers! The towering piles of curved clouds suggested there still might be storm to come…

Our school is a place of much natural beauty. While I was on playground duty earlier this week the curves of these roses caught my eye. I love the hint of pink…

And I continue to love the way the late afternoon sun comes in through my dining room window. That light even makes the curves of a dying sunflower beautiful! I love the contrasts of darks and brights, reminds me of paintings of “old masters.”

When I did finally get home last night and took some time to sit and do nothing, I noticed this shadow and the curved lines of light and shadow. Was it a reflection from the blinds? A recording of my brain waves? Abstract art?

So, what curves were thrown your way this week? Grab your phone or camera and start snapping!

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

What curves will you document this week?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Between the Lines

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Open an book and you will find words on a page…but there is so much more to reading than decoding words on a page. There is meaning behind the words, under the words, and between the words. We often refer to reading between the lines, the act of interacting with text–both inferring and bringing our own experiences and understandings to the texts we read.

And while photos are not made of words, they too can be read. We can do a literal reading of an image or read between the lines. Playing with this idea this week–here are some of my examples of reading between the lines.

In a literal sense of the phrase, I found myself playing around with looking through the spaces in the steep stairs at Swami’s beach. You can see the lines of the wooden planks going in different directions, and looking between them you can also catch a glimpse of the sea, the sky, and even a person down below.

Last weekend out near the Oceanside pier, I played around with capturing the sun between the lines of the pilings, railings, and deck of the pier. As the sun set, it flirted in a game of hide and seek between silhouetted lines.

I love the storytelling element of the idea of between the lines. I have my own version of street photography that I call #beachpeople. As my attention was drawn to this couple having wedding photos taken near the pier, I found myself imagining the narrative that went with the wedding dress, the bouquet, the bare feet, and the football. (And I loved capturing the couple “between the lines” of the pier structure…with the beautiful lighting provided by the setting sun!)

I was also drawn to some more traditional lines…like these of the classic neighborhood sign in Encinitas. Because a street fair was going on and the streets were closed to traffic, I was able to walk into the street and approach the sign from a different angle than I usually am able to. I am also fascinated by the lines of the tree branches intersecting with the lines of the street sign.

I noticed all the products hanging from lines at the street fair. These bags are not only hanging from lines, they are also made of lines–intersecting, crossing, weaving here and there. And what is between them? The lives of the makers? Do they reap the fruits of their labor?

And the unexpected often lies between the lines. I wouldn’t have been surprised to look up at the telephone wires and find shoes hanging from their shoestrings. But when I looked up this time, I saw birdhouses hanging from the wires! What is the story of the birdhouses? What narrative lives between these lines?

Then, sometimes lines are not lines at all. Instead they are wings, clouds, waves, and cliffs; the lines of the seascape that are both familiar and new each time I see them.

So your challenge this week is play around with the idea of between the lines. You can be literal and find lines to capture with your lens, or interpret something you see between the lines of your photo.

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

So grab your camera and start reading between the lines! What will you find when you are thinking through your lens?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Vitamin N

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Today is Earth Day, a day to celebrate the beauty of the natural world and remember that it is our duty to take care of this place we inhabit. This week, for me, has been an odd juxtaposition of long days of meetings interspersed with intense periods out in nature. Earlier this week I came across a blog post about a new book by Richard Louv. He’s a local author who is known for writing about the need for kids to have experiences in nature (he wrote Last Child in the Woods). His new book, Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life includes 500 ways to connect with nature…and it appeared in our classroom, signed by the author shortly before our field trip to the lagoon on Wednesday.

It is affirming to know that others recognize the powerful learning experiences that occur when kids head outside…and it doesn’t take much in the way of materials to make it happen. And I am reminded that heading outside wasn’t just good for my students, it was good for me and for the other adults too.

We watched lizards, found a beehive (a hole in a rock wall), saw an extraordinary display by some great white egrets, spied a fish (at least a foot long), smelled sage, and were treated to a riot of colorful flowers in less than an hour at the lagoon. Students used binoculars and took field notes…and couldn’t wait to research what they had seen when they got back to the classroom.

To practice, the day before we headed out the garden with the same tools (a notebook and binoculars). In addition the dead crow (eeewwww!), we saw ladybugs and other insects.

We uncovered brilliant red strawberries, observed birds perched on fences and wires, and noticed the delicate laces of plants we don’t know the names of.

And of course tall, stately sunflowers always catch my eye…and in this case directed my attention to the gorgeous clouds in the distance.

I haven’t spent much time at the beach lately, but today, after school I rushed home so we could head back out for a low-tide beach walk. Blue skies, gentle breezes, and mid 60’s temperatures created the perfect backdrop for walking and talking and exploring.

Somehow I managed to forget to bring my camera with me–luckily my phone was in my pocket! I noticed the wet cliff walls (even though the tide was low) and wanted to capture the abstract art quality of them, with the natural sandstone textures above them..

In spite of my crazy schedule this week, I managed a substantial dose of Vitamin N! (And I definitely benefited from the time outdoors and from observing the wonders of the natural world!) So this week’s challenge is to give yourself a shot of vitamin N, head outside and explore a bit of nature around you. What captures your attention?

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

Sometimes we need an excuse to treat ourselves to something wonderful–even when our schedules are feeling compressed and hectic. A dose of Vitamin N might be just what you need! Grab your camera and head outdoors…what wonders will you find? Share your discoveries with us and expand nature’s reach through your lens!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Burst

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Sometimes it seems that life happens in fits and bursts. Things roll along as usual, routines dictate daily activities, and even when life feels busy it still fits into the expected schedule. And then there are the unexpected bursts…of activity, of color, of life itself.

Last week I traveled to Washington, DC for some writing project work. When I arrived it was sunny and warm, beautiful springtime weather. As I walked around capitol hill, bursts of colorful blooms caught my eye. Pinks of all shades contrasted with the white of the stately legislature buildings. You might notice that this is the first burst of spring–bare trees stand in the background, still awaiting their brilliant green dresses of leaves.

When I returned back home on Sunday evening, I knew my week would be filled to overflowing…with parent/student/teacher conferences. I have a love/hate relationship with these meetings. I love talking with parents and supporting students as they share their learning with their families…but conference after conference is exhausting. We end up cramming a full day of teaching into a minimum day schedule, wolfing down some lunch and then settle into afternoons full of these meetings. To help brighten my week I couldn’t resist the daffodil stems at Trader Joe’s…they are like a burst of sunshine!

My schedule was simply too full for my after school walks on the beach, but I did manage to squeeze in a few minutes to stop by the beach on Tuesday just to get a glimpse of the surf. I stopped at a beach that has steep stairs to the shore and as I walked down them I noticed the native bush sunflowers bursting along the railing. They seemed to pose, begging me to take their photo!

To add to my already full week, I had an evening meeting scheduled too. After fighting rush hour traffic, I noticed that I had a few minutes before my meeting and that the sun was getting ready to set so I took a little side trip to find a viewing place. I was treated to a cute little park filled with people, some doing yoga, some with their bikes, others walking dogs, and some just sitting back on benches watching the sun dip into the ocean. My photo captured that burst of activity in silhouette with the sunset in the background.

And I noticed that the tree in my front yard…the one I have documented as #onetree…has had a growth spurt, a burst of bright green leaves. I guess spring is bursting out all over!

I have also been noticing my students interests and learning bursting at the seams. They can’t get enough information about the birds and eggs and feathers and nests we have been learning about. (Our science teacher brought in a collection of nests today for students to get a close look!)

And to end my week I longed for another burst of nature. I talked my husband into a short walk along the beach to watch the sunset after our trip to Costco for some groceries. We wandered down to the rocky jetty and sat for a while as we watched the sun sink lower and lower and the waves rush up higher and higher. I caught this burst of water while I watched.

So…what is bursting in your life this week? Colors? Blossoms? Learning? Or something else entirely? Take a look around and see what you can capture through your lens.

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

Be on the lookout for bursts this week…and share what you find with the rest of us! I can’t wait to see the bursts in your life.