Adventures in…Water

I grew up in a desert. As you might guess from the name of my blog, I have a “thing” for water, especially the ocean. When I was a girl, I dreamt of being a mermaid and half-believed it was true. Now that I can choose for myself, I live with water all around me. There’s a river right behind my apartment building, and the Atlantic Ocean is just a ten minute drive away.

So, when “water” came up as a topic in our Adventures in Seeing group, I knew I couldn’t just post one or two photos and feel satisfied. And so I set off to photograph water, on a day that began with rain and ended with fog.

Rainy Morning

Snowmelt

Peaceful Landing

Solitude

Rock, Ocean, Sky

Shore Lines

Then home again, to my river:

Flow

Total Immersion

 

If I did have to choose just one image of the day’s shooting to express the essential humility and grace of water, it would be this, my favorite photo of the day:

This one has no name.

 

 

Winter’s Arrived

It felt like winter finally arrived on Friday, when we got almost ten inches of snow.

Snow Day Afternoon

One of the rules at my apartment building is that we must move our vehicles out of the parking lot by 8 a.m. on the day after a snowstorm, so the lot can be plowed. Saturday morning dawned: it was 7 degrees at 7 a.m. I filled my travel mug with hot coffee and headed out at 7:30 to do some shopping while I waited for the all-clear to go back into the lot.

The sky was blue, every twig was white, the air was crystalline. Do I want to spend this glorious morning at Walmart? No, I do not. Change of plan — let’s take the scenic route instead.

First, Laurel Hill. Is it strange that I love hanging out at this cemetery? It is always so beautiful and peaceful there, no matter the season. Yesterday was no exception. The only sounds were a faint hum from distant traffic, and the songs of a few birds who sounded as happy to be out as I was.

Into the Light

Where Daffodils Bloom

You may remember seeing photos of this view in the springtime, when thousands of blooming daffodils tumble down the hill almost to the water’s edge. The snowy hillside and icy river were just as stunning a sight.

Luminous

Etchings

Victorian Lace

The angel-messenger waved goodbye as I drove on to see what was happening at the beach.

First, to Camp Ellis. Even after fifteen winters in Maine, I’m still enough of a California girl that a snow-covered beach feels like a very unnatural natural phenomenon. But isn’t it pretty?

And on to Ocean Park, my favorite beach for walking. I was not the first, but I did have the beach to myself.

All Mine

Treasure Hunting

Sky Dancing

Up “The Creek”

Sea Wall

Blocked

The pathway to my “secret beach” was inaccessible, so I circled back to my car and that mug of coffee. By that time my fingers and toes were numb and the warmth of a store didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Off to do those errands!

Side note: While I wasn’t paying attention, WordPress has gone and changed everything, and I don’t like it one bit! It looks like they’ve tried to simplify things, but to me it feels more complicated than before. I can’t see half of what I’m doing, categories and tags have moved to the opposite side of the screen, and my sidebar has disappeared completely from the posting window. It’s much harder to format photos the way I want them. I feel like I’m starting from scratch with a completely new blog host. I’ll get used to it, but meanwhile, I’m not happy. And to think, I’ve been telling everyone lately how much I’ve always enjoyed blogging on WordPress…. Okay, rant over. Sorry about that!

 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

I skipped SHS last week and I missed it! Here are my responses to this week’s prompts, which were: Water, Light, Chocolate, Animal, and Crowded.

Water:

Just Like You

I was taken by the echo in the lines of these two boats, and that old song “Cat’s In the Cradle” popped into my head . . . I want to be just like you, Dad, I want to be just like you.

Chocolate:

Afternoon Delight

Does this even require a comment? I’ll leave it to your imagination what happened to this setup after the photo was taken.

Animal:

Above the Dawn

This image could just as well have served as “Water” or “Light” this week, but I’m counting that lone seagull as my token animal for the week.

Crowded:

Tight-Knit Community

Mussels snugged up tightly together under the dock, with barnacles clinging fast on top of them.

Light:

Susan in Sunlight

Saved the best for last, because I love this image. My friend Susan and I went out before the crack of dawn this morning for a photoshoot, followed by our now-traditional after-shoot breakfast. There’s more than one kind of light, and special friends bring that into my life. It’s such fun to have a companion to chase photographic light and share light-hearted moments with. Thanks, Susan! (Does this photo remind anyone else of that scene from Titanic? You know the one.)

That’s it for this week. I’m linking up with Ashley Sisk for Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Can’t wait to see what everyone came up with!