Beautiful California Coast
Capturing the changing mood over the ocean as night falls.
A salute to my friends and readers: I have been traveling in the North, Alaska
and Canada, quite extensively during the summer and my blog has been
quiet. I want to thank you for your
continued interest, and your supportive feedback. While I brought back many images, coming back
from travel I always look forward to revisiting my favorite places here in
California: the mountains with Lake
Tahoe and Yosemite Park, the coast with its rugged cliffs and beautiful
sunsets. During the summer the coast is
often shrouded in the marine layer fog, so when the evenings are clear and the
stars come out, it can be special. I was
hoping for those special clear nights as I went to Pacifica and its old pier
several evenings – alas, it did not happen but even with clouds and mighty winds, these trips were worthwhile
and I want to share the images with you.
Pacifica is a small coastal community a bit south of
San Francisco. The ocean front is a
State Beach and is graced by an old pier where the local fishermen cast their
fishing poles to catch the evening dinner.
The southern end of the beach butts against a rocky outcrop so typical
for he California coastline.
Late afternoon along the beach, you will find many
people walking their dogs on the coastal trail where windswept trees adapted to
the fierce winter storms reaching away from the water and stretching their
limbs to the calmer meadows in the adjacent marsh land.
At the southern end of the beach are remnants of an
old hotel where fishermen found refuge from storms a century ago. Now, only a few walls are still standing
graced with colorful graffiti.
As sunset nears, I hustle back to the pier to see the
sun dipping beyond the horizon and it appears that for a moment the world is at
peace. The dog walkers stop and join me
in gazing out to the ocean, with their dogs sit quietly at their feet as the
ocean waves sing their eternal song.
Each trip to the pier offers different moods,
different light, different clouds in the sky.
Flocks of birds appear out of nowhere on their way to their nesting
ground.
As the light drops it is quiet here on the pier. Pacifica is a small coastal community and
people I have talked to like their sleepy town.
After sunset, the hazy ‘marine layer’ or fog often
creeps from the west often covering the town in a misty shroud.
At other times, angry clouds roll in, and the sky
colors in the afterglow of the disappearing light.
As night falls, the lights on the pier reflect on the
waves below. The fishermen take their catch home, and the waterfront soon will
be deserted.
The occasional walker often wonders why I am still
here with my camera on the tripod and I welcome their stopping by and wondering
what I am still capturing with the light gone.
I invite them to see the images appearing the back of my camera.
Each evening on the pier is unique and I never tire of
capturing the different mood over the Pacific Ocean.
Although I came for starry nights, I am happy to capture
the ever changing clouds and moods offered by the ever changing ocean and sky.
Til next time,
Meggi
