
San Clemente at Sunset + surfer + intentional camera movement created this image which looks electrified to me!

San Clemente at Sunset + surfer + intentional camera movement created this image which looks electrified to me!

I never get tired of ocean views at sunset!

I can remember my first visit to the ocean as a young child- and how my mother taught me to always keep my eyes on the waves (for safety reasons). And now in my elder years I treasure our visits to the ocean, and my eyes are always drawn to the ever-changing yet constant waves as they rush toward shore. At sunset the light turns golden as the sun bids farewell to another day- a soothing presence in these times.

Thinking today about our upcoming trip to Alaska and remembering our 50th anniversary trip 3 years ago. . .

We had a storm today. I mean- we had a STORM! To put it in perspective, this was NOT a hurricane- but it was similar to a very strong monsoon storm, though monsoon season is over. This afternoon at about 1:45, the rain started- and the thunder- and the lightning- and the hail- and finally the wind. I was just about to begin my genealogy meeting on ZOOM this afternoon, when the storm intensified, and a couple of the gals lost power and disappeared from the zoom screen. I had just started our check-in (where we talk about our genealogy progress since the last meeting), when our electricity went out. This was a problem for everyone, since I was the one doing the presentation and then playing a video! The storm continued, Lonnie got out flashlights (it was pretty dark), and I ran outside to capture cushions being tossed about by the wind. After about 15-20 minutes, to my surprise, our power came back on- though the storm continued.
I was able to go back on zoom, and my friends were still there waiting for the meeting to continue! All went on without incident, though it rained and thundered and blew outside.
After dinner, I went outside to our street, which was covered in mud that had washed down the hill from the house construction site across from us. This is a shot of the street below at sunset, after the rain and flooding had stopped. Everything is water-saturated, but the only sign of all the drama from earlier is the tipped-over porta-potty from the house construction down below. Normally, I would clone that out in Photoshop- but I chose to leave it as evidence of the crazy weather from this afternoon!

Some of my favorite images (and memories) come from last summer’s vacation in Alaska when we celebrated our fiftieth anniversary. I have a multitude of photos still to be processed, and I love dipping into the collection and finding new images to create. This one is two photos taken within minutes of each other and layered in Photoshop.

We have just returned from a week visiting our daughter’s family in Alaska. Most of the time was spent at their family cabin on a small lake. I can’t imagine a more relaxing spot- especially at sunset. This iPhone shot was taken after 11 pm, when the light was just beginning to dim. Ahhhh….

I’ve been going through old photos. Like most photographers, I have so many on my hard drives that have never been edited. This is from a trip to San Diego (Mission Bay?) about ten years ago. Our son was living there and was still single- how things have changed!

Above is a diptych I created for my photo group- two images of sunset over Kachemak Bay, Alaska. The assignment was to choose two favorite images from 2021. Sunset over water at 11:30pm was an unforgettable sight as we celebrated our 50th anniversary last July!

Ragged sun, jagged peaks- a new image each minute- each second- as the sun descends toward the horizon.

It was almost sunset in the desert, but the sun was still fiery hot. This was taken after dinner outside the house where we stayed in Oro Valley, Arizona for my birthday.
We are hoping to travel to California in the next month. Our son and wife will both have their second shots, my photography group will be finishing up the semester, and the beaches beckon! It’s been a long year without family, friends, and travel . . .
This image is from one of our trips three years ago.

The assignment for my AAUW photo group this month is Arizona rocks, trees, and plants. I’m reaching back to February for this one- a view from the top of Airport Road in Sedona.
We’ve been having some beautiful skies lately. These gorgeous clouds caused me to grab my camera (not my phone!) and head out the door to capture them before the light changed. I had a 300mm zoom on, so didn’t get the whole expanse of gorgeousness- just one section.