This boardwalk crosses over the dunes to Nokomis beach. Whenever you go to the beach here along the gulf coast you see these walkways. They protect the dunes which in turn protect the islands during storms. I like how they appear to provide a grand entrance to the beach. The sand at the beaches around here is a fine white silica, almost like powder. I’m not aware of any other beaches that have this type of sand. My car has black floor boards and the white powdery sand gets all over it. When I was in the Caribbean I learned a trick from a local tour guide. That is, to keep a brush in the car to brush the sand from my feet before getting in. Not that sand is a big problem, but I’m a bit of a neat freak so little tricks help. The sand on the east coast of Florida is completely different. The first time I walked along the beach in Fort Lauderdale I was amazed at how hard it was. Your feet sink six inches with every step making any long walk a real chore. This west coast sand is much easier to walk on. Anyway, that’s probably way more that you ever wanted to know about sand.
On Christmas day, we did something out of the ordinary and headed over to a nearby horse ranch for a picnic and bonfire. The horses there spend days in their stalls or with riders out on the trails; however, in the evening they are free to roam the property. As it was a holiday the horses came and went as they pleased. That meant they would come up to the picnic table looking for handouts. At night, the only light was from the bonfire so when I stood up and turned around there was usually a horse looking right at me. Someone turned on their iPhone flashlight and I snapped this profile. It might look staged but it was just luck on my part that I was able to get this shot. I’m an animal lover so I’ll jump at any excuse to hang out on a ranch. In addition to horses there were sheep, goats, pigs and at least one ostrich. It was a fun way to spend an evening and if I’m not mistaken, the horses thought it was pretty cool too.
This is from St Paul de Vence near Nice France which is an art colony on a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean. It’s an ancient village with narrow streets lined with shops and studios of every type. I snapped this of a random artist as I walked around one day. Having spent so much time processing photos, watching an artist at an easel seems a little familiar to me. What I do with photography is different, yet I think I get into a similar mindset as say a painter or sculptor. As I work with photos I create something new, mostly from an idea I have of the scene. Even though it’s a photograph I alter it through post processing to achieve a certain look. So, while it’s very different than using paints, my head is probably in a similar space as other types of artists. That’s the thought that struck me as I watched this artist quietly from behind. The solitary pursuit of his vision seemed very familiar to me; so, I took a picture and started the whole process over again.
