Summer is almost over and most vacationers have returned to their homes. I don’t enjoy Folly when it is crowded but love to spend time there out of season. Yesterday was a beautiful warm evening and it felt good to walk the beach again. I have so many images of this shoreline, as do many of us locals, but it never tires, and they are never the same.
One has to time one’s visit to this location carefully, otherwise you run the risk of driving an hour South from Charleston, walking the trail to the ocean, only to find that a high tide has rendered it completely impossible to access the beach. I saw a low-tide opportunity during the late afternoon yesterday and decided to pay a visit. The weather had been unsettled and was overcast in Charleston, but at this time of year it is so changeable that it was worth a try. The beach is always wonderful, and I so enjoy just being there, but the air was hazy with smoke from the Canadian wildfires, and the colors were pretty dull, so I decided to convert the images to black and white. Here are a couple.
I had the opportunity to swap houses with someone who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, and since that is one of my favorite towns, I decided to take a quick trip on the I-95 south for a couple of nights. This is one of my favorite American beaches, Marineland. I just managed to get there in time to see the sun as it cleared some clouds on the horizon. It’s good to be alive!
Last week friends and I traveled down the 17 South and I-95 to the St. Augustine area of Florida. I particularly enjoy these beaches because of the unusual rock formations found here. Specifically Coquina rock is a type of sedimentary rock (limestone) formed by deposits of mineral or organic ocean floor particles that merge into wonderful shapes and textures. They also create many tidal pools which are fascinating to explore. These images are from Marineland Beach and also a little further north at Matanzas Inlet.
Last Saturday morning has got to have been one of 2021’s photographic highlights. We had scheduled an early morning trip out on the water off Wadmalaw Island to photograph shore birds and shrimp trawler activity. This was nothing new, but rarely do conditions come together to offer the best weather, light winds, gentle tides, and great subject activity, the subjects being the birds and shrimp trawlers. It was hard to pick a few images to showcase here, because we came back with hundreds of keepers. The thrill of a successful morning more than makes up for the many early rises and time spent drifting on the water in less than perfect conditions, having spent hard earned cash for pitiful results. This is the challenge of photography. The outcome is never a given, but this was a treat. Thanks to photographer, naturalist, and boat captain extraordinaire Eric Horan. You can find information about his lowcountry tours here: https://horanphoto.com/lowcountry-photo-tours-adventures
As we roll over another year and look ahead to 2020, may we learn from the mistakes we have made and make amends where appropriate. Life is like potpourri, the good all mixed up with the ugly and the bad. Take the good and build on it, leave the rest behind. This was the western end of Folly Beach last evening, CCPRC’s Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve. Dominion Energy lit the lighthouse from 6pm until 10pm for New Year’s Eve.
I have been very busy exploring the Northeastern part of North Carolina over the last few days. Yesterday and today was spent in the Southport area. Southport is a charming and picturesque town south of Wilmington, on the Cape Fear River. Of course I have been taking hundreds of photographs, trying to cover as much of this territory as possible in the time that I have. These images are all of Oak Island Lighthouse at different times of day and from different perspectives. It makes a change from my beloved Morris Island Lighthouse!
I am a sucker for full moons, a hint of lunacy perhaps 🙂 Anyway, it was a beautiful evening with a warm breeze blowing, and it was a treat just to be out on the beach. As the moon rose, it was almost as bright as day, with the trees, dritfwood, and people casting long shadows on the sand.
So today a mandatory evacuation order goes into effect for pretty much the entire southeastern coast ahead of monster storm Dorian, still a powerful category 5 hurricane after roaring through the Bahamas. As I start to pack stuff up and move things to more secure locations on higher ground, I thought I would post these images taken a couple of evenings ago out at Charleston’s Folly Beach. A few clouds scudding across the sky, but a beautiful balmy summer’s night, the calm ahead of the storm. The last stars we will probably see until the storm passes. Prayers for safety for all.
