Posts Tagged ‘sunset’
Favorite Foto Friday
This is one of my favorite photos from my journalism endeavor to Egypt, Syria and Qatar back in 2009. A dear friend of mine is in Cairo this week and her photos brought many visions and memories from my trip to the forefront of my mind which inspired me to look through my photos from my time in the Middle East.
This particular photo was taken the night before my birthday that year. A few of us separated from the group, bought some beers and went on a little night cruise on the Nile. This photo was taken as we were walking down to the docks to the boat in Luxor, Egypt.
We had traveled to Luxor in order to see all the ruins, which I’ll save for another day, for they are a phenomenon in themselves.
This photo is so great because while the modern boats are in the forefront, the setting sun, the mountains and the Nile in the back are timeless and the colors create a very magical aura. Being in this place so rich with history, you can almost transport yourself back in time. It was certainly a humbling experience in that our lives are really just moments in the history of the world.
Treasure Island Flea Market
This past weekend was another gorgeous one here in San Francisco. In need of some fun and some sunshine a dear friend and I headed out to the Treasure Island Flea Market where the weather was impeccable. After a morning spent running and writing it was an all around pretty fabulous day.
I am certainly happiest and at the most peace when on the ocean, so after the Flea Market we headed down to the rocks to swap stories and laughs on the rocky island coast. For a minute, it almost seemed like we were back on another familiar rocky coast, except, the view was vastly different.
I hadn’t used my digital SLR in a while and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. Check out some of the treasures and the amazing view…
Favorite Foto Friday
This photo was taken a few weeks ago on Ocean Beach, one of my favorite spots in San Francisco. I’ve never been to a beach as big as Ocean Beach. Furthermore the Pacific coast is so vast. It’s a truly humbling spot. That mixed with the fresh air and the sunshine; is there anything better?
Not only was it a perfect day outside, I also found two whole sand dollars! I’ve never found ONE whole sand dollar in my entire life. Turns our Ocean Beach is littered with them! Just another reason to love this city. 
Point Reyes/Marshall, CA
This weekend, for a certain someone’s birthday, we took a trip out of the city and up the coast to a little town called Marshall on Tomales Bay, just past Point Reyes.
Weekend conclusion: I REALLY like California. And champagne.
We spent the weekend exploring the coast, taking a nice little bike ride/hike around Point Reyes National Park, enjoying the famous local oysters, reading in the sun and by the fire, cooking and enjoying good food.
It’s tough when you have weekends like this past one because it’s hard to find a balance. Okay tough and this weekend shouldn’t be in the same sentence, but it brought up a very good life lesson to try and remember.
I found myself asking is this as good as it gets? Because I mean, it’s pretty damn good. But if you settle for that being as good as it gets you don’t get any better. So the lesson? Find the balance: enjoying the really good moments as they pass but remain confident that more are to come. It’s much easier said then done.
Reality was sure tough getting back to today. Luckily, I got to go on an outdoor photo shoot back over the Golden Gate bridge this morning for one of my clients. It was a nice way to ease back into real life.
Enjoy the photos!
Psychedelic Cityscapes
San Francisco cityscapes. These pictures remind me of the song “Psychic City,” by Yacht…
“I used to live live in a psychic city,
I never knew what would happen in a day.
I might be looking out the window
And a friend might say,
“Come on over over, come on over over,
Come on over we’re having a party for you.
Come on over over, come on over over,
Come on over we’re having a party for you.”I used to live in a voodoo city,
Where every little thing had it’s own secret life.
I might be washing up the dishes
And the kitchen might say,
“Hang around baby baby, hang around baby baby,
Hang around baby we’ll be baking a cake for you.
Hang around baby baby, hang around baby baby,
Hang around baby we’ll be baking a cake for you.”I used to live in a heartbeat city,
I swear I’d fall in love every minute on the street.
You might be walking around the corner
And our eyes might meet.
Where you been darling darling? Where you been darling darling?
Where you been darling darling we’ve been holding this moment for you.
Where you been darling darling? Where you been darling darling?
Where you been darling darling we’ve been holding this moment for you.I told you your dreams would come true
I told you your dreams would come true
I told you your dreams would come true
I told you your dreams would come true”
Utah, Nevada, Cali-for-ni-a!
We spent our last nights of the trip in Park City, UT followed by Reno, NV (which I don’t suggest you visit unless you want to see America at its worst) and Lake Tahoe, CA.
Park City was great, though we didn’t spend much time there we did see some awesome live music and have a great dinner. Reno was like walking into another world. We ended up staying in a casino due to the cost. The place was nice, but it was a little depressing to see over-weight Americans chain smoking and drinking Buds in front of the slot machines at all hours of the day. We were definitely a little out of place when we walked through the casino headed to the gym in our workout clothes. Still, we managed to find a pretty happening restaurant that was as farm-to-table as Nevada gets, which isn’t saying much, but was great none the less. Finally, we ended our trip on Lake Tahoe. We were fortunate enough to stay with friends of Carters at a beautiful spot. It was a relaxing way to end our journey and start our new CA lives!
Favorite Foto Friday
This photo was taken during one of my favorite Maine moments and seeing as I only have a few hours left in this state for a while, it seemed appropriate.
When I first started dating my boyfriend, he rented us a house on Higgins Beach one weekend in February. It was so amazing peaceful. Hardly any people around and only the sound of the ocean. The sunsets created some amazingly serene moments. We often look back on that weekend with envy.
Anyway, I am really proud of this photo I took, on my iPhone no less! It capitalizes on the photography rule of thirds quite nicely if I do say so myself. The lighting creates soft colors that perfectly replicate that whole weekend. I also like how the waves seems to be reflecting the clouds, or vice versa, depending on how you interpret it! If you look very closely just above the horizon you can also see the trail left from a jet.
Favorite Foto Friday
I spent Monday and Tuesday up in the midcoast. This picture was taken of my friend’s dragger, the Capt’n Lee. Sarah and Jackie and I rode down the penninsula to catch up with Buzz down on his pier where I took this shot. Buzz had the net laid out as he was mending it like he does a couple a times of year, tedious work but necessary.
The beauty of Port Clyde is truly breathtaking. I guess that’s why so many artists used/use it as their muse. I got down to the wharf and was kind of sadden and also taken a back at my blatant ignorance of the drive. I spent the whole time on my laptop writing blog posts. I was acting just like those business obssessed tourists we hated while growing up.
Slowly, as I’ve grown up, the midcoast has lost some of it’s charm. To me it’s not a beautiful tourist destination. The beatuy of the landscape and the ocean still blows me away and puts me totally at peace, but every road, every turn has a memory. Most of them, very pleasant. But that is a part of my life that is over and my path and journey are taking me, literally, very far from the place I grew.
While it is my home and I’ll always be damned proud to call midcoast Maine my home, it most certainly was a place that caused a tremendous amount of pain for me growing up and still stings from time to time. Lost friends, bad memories and a culture that is largely doomed by alcohol and drugs continues to consume many that are close to me. Learning to realize I can’t control it I imagine brings the same kind of frustrations that the fishermen feel when they can’t control the seas.
In this photo everything is calm and picturesque as it should be and that’s how I try to always remember it.
Favorite Foto Friday
Today’s photo is from my camping trip on Hermit Island last Sunday night. Though we were only camping for less then 24 hours, the weather was absolutely beautiful and given the time of year, the place was so peaceful with hardly any other campers. Besides the big group of kids partying on another part of the island…but hey, they supplied a lovely fireworks display and were far enough away where we couldn’t really hear them. We had stopped to chat with them earlier and they had said this was the second year they had done this and that they were mostly local kids. Good for them I say!
In other news…today is my grandparents 67th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!! How incredible! The love they still have for each other is astounding and oh so admirable! I can only hope to find the untouchable, everlasting love that the two of them have for each other. Happy anniversary, Grandpa. I love you!
Favorite Foto Friday
Today’s photo is of a surf competition in Camps Bay, Cape Town that I stumbled down the hill upon on my third day in South Africa. Tough to see why I quickly fell in love with the country isn’t it? The beauty of the landscape, of the people and of the general atmosphere that breeds respect and love for life left a permanent stain on my heart that keeps me constantly remembering what life is all about.
I remember when I decided to go to South Africa it was a go-after-your-dreams moment. I always wanted to go to Africa to write and had heard great things about South Africa. So, I researched this Projects Abroad program a friend of a friend had been on and suggested to me. It looked like a good program and I would get to knock off a HUGE bucket-list item- to live in Africa and write.
This morning, while ever so coolly listening to some Frank Sinatra, as I do from time to time when my heart starts to ache for adventure, I started perusing my photos from my travels. I hold my travel to South Africa very near and dear to my heart as it was at a time when I didn’t even necessarily want to leave the life I was leading. I was splitting my time in Boston and Portland, working in Boston and living with my best friends in Portland. I was a waitress and dating the guy I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Turns out this was exactly the time I needed to leave.
Even though this was a dream of mine, I remember having feelings of resistance. Of not wanting to get on the plane. Maybe it was because I knew that South Africa would be the start to a year long awakening. Where my entire life would change and I would realize that I needed to get back on track to the life I was meant to lead, one filled with adventure and writing.
Today, I feel as though I’m on that track again, but it’s time for the next big move. I’m longing for that euphoric feeling of unknown, of adventure, of raw life. The feelings that were present as I took this photo then walked down that hill into Camps Bay to find the friends I’d known for all of three days.
