We had such a wonderful time seeing friends in California- and it was especially nice to be staying in Benicia- our home for over 25 years. I made sure to go walk down to the water each morning to enjoy the fog and sunshine. Today’s photo was taken with a slow shutter and a tiny bit of motion to create this impressionistice view.
We have just returned from Benicia- our home for so many years (26!). We love where we live now, but miss our little town on the Carquinez Strait and all the friends we left behind in the Bay Area! We were there for a dear friend’s son’s wedding and managed to see many of our friends during the few days spent in Benicia. The water was less than a block from the Air BnB, so we took many walks along the shoreline and downtown. I’ve photographed the Carquinez Bridge many times over the years- here’s a muted impressionistic view- created just by moving my camera.
Waterfront Impressions
Just a little memory of our April visit to Benicia. We lived in Benicia longer than anywhere else (26 years), and when you add in the 12 years of living in Sonoma County, that makes the San Francisco Bay Area our home for about 38 years! The older I get, the harder the math is getting: We have lived in Arizona 11 years. We lived in Sacramento for 6 years too (not quite the Bay Area, but not far away). Chico was home for 23 years (including my college years at Davis). Don’t add it all up- it makes a really big number! I wish my math was off…
We have just returned from a wonderful trip back to Benicia to attend Morgan and Matt’s wedding. We took the opportunity to visit as many friends as we could in town, as well as driving over to Sonoma County twice to visit our Petaluma and Santa Rosa friends. I captured this beloved view of the Carquinez Bridge through the window of Sailor Jack’s on the Benicia Waterfront as we ate dinner with Debbie and Dale (Morgan’s parents) on our last night in town. I have taken hundreds of photos of this view, and I never tire of it!
Click here if you can’t see the photo- this is a photography blog, after all: https://melinda365.com/blog/
How many times have I taken this photo? We passed through Benicia, where we lived for almost 30 years, on our way to Petaluma for my friend, Georgia’s memorial. We ate lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant (Sandoval’s!), running into two people we knew! This almost never happens in Arizona- and that’s one of the things I miss most about living in Benicia. One of the other things I miss is this scene! This view of the fog-shrouded Carquinez Bridge, where the waterway leads out to the San Francisco Bay says home to me!
Tech Support: If you are viewing this post on your phone, it is possible that the photo is missing or is just a thumbnail. I have made WordPress aware of it, and they are thinking it is an iPhone problem. However, I can see my friend, Carol’s WordPress blog just fine on my phone! I believe WordPress is still working on the problem. I have put a link to my blog right under the photo, so if you can’t see the photo, that link should take you to my blog.
Does this scene look familiar to you?
That’s right- it’s the Carquinez Bridge as photographed from the Benicia waterfront! After our trip to Alaska last month, we were in the SF Bay Area for two days on business. I had a wonderful reunion with some of my teacher friends, and then came back later for sunset photography. The Benicia waterfront was one of my favorite photography haunts from the beginning of my photography journey, and I miss it! I know I was shooting some of the scenes I have shot many, many times- but couldn’t help myself.
Here is a different take on a familiar view- the sunset and bridge shot through the waterfront fence.
I’ve moved to Arizona and love it, but I still miss my friends and the beautiful Benicia waterfront.
Last week, I accompanied my husband on a spur-of-the-moment (for me anyway) road trip to the Bay Area. We took two days to drive each way- and were only there two days- but we managed to pack a LOT in! We stayed in a hotel in Benicia for the first two nights, and then drove over to Petaluma for the second day, staying with friends for some R&R after Lonnie’s meeting. We somehow managed to pack in get-togethers with most of our good friends during this short time with only a few days notice- amazing!
Here’s the morning fog rolling in over the Carquinez Bridge- a sight I have photographed many times over the years. So great to see it again- I do miss the waterfront!
melinda anderson photography 