Month: January 2016

CEE’S BLACK & WHITE PHOTO CHALLENGE: LINES AND ANGLES

~ tomadaonline ~ 12 Comments

Violet Mae was born on Tuesday.  I am a very proud grandfather.  To support my son and daughter-in-law, I am taking care of their dog Zeus.  Today Zeus and I went to the beach.  The ocean was large, the sand was dark, and we found lines.  We found angles.  We didn’t have to move a thing.  We just watched and shot.  Mother nature was most accommodating.  And our lead off shot, shows the soft lines and natural angles of an angel.


Violet Mae

busted and rusted


stick

 bird tracks
 drift wood

driftwood and Zeus Dog
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Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Lines and Angles

Daily Prompt: The Takeoff

~ tomadaonline ~ 1 Comment

The daily prompt is for the Key Takeaway, but Takeoff, a surf term describing the moment of catching a wave, whether on surf board or SUP, is what you may want your blog to do.

If I could only make one suggestion, take the Blogging 101 class.  For one it will engage you with the community.  Your blog will blossom under the guidance of those who know and you’ll build a community by simply taking the class.  If you’ve already taken Blogging 101 then take Blogging 201 Branding and Growth and blast your blog forward fast.

But if you don’t have time for these classes, which pay hearty dividends right out of the gate, then get involved in events, and comment on those who participate.

And if you don’t have time for events, then spend 10 minutes a day, ten measly minutes, and just write what’s on your mind.  Here’s a video from Blogging 201 by Andrea Badgley, who got way busy with work but found ten minutes a day and it worked.  You can watch it here.

If you don’t have ten minutes a day, then I’m sure you’ll do the best that you can.
Key Takeaway

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Anything that Starts with the Letter S

~ tomadaonline ~ 4 Comments

SUP Days are better than others, and this afternoon I may just SUP, but in the mean time, here are some coastal black and whites that start with the letter S.

Sand
Skimboarding
Surfing
Seagulls
SUP

Clockwise from upper left, Sandy Steps, Skimboarding, Surfing, Seagulls, & SUP Surfing

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Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Anything that Starts with the Letter S

Brown Pelican

~ tomadaonline ~ 3 Comments

I found the most beautiful Brown Pelican yesterday.  It was posing patiently in front of the Chit Chat Cafe at the base of the Pacifica Pier.  I’d gone there to scope out the storm damage.  Sure enough, a chuck of the sidewalk was missing.  The waves blasted rock through the sea wall and sucked out the material under the sidewalk, which promptly collapsed.  Our public works group was jolly on the spot.

I posted the Pelican on Facebook and got a comment that this bird was famous.  It had it’s own web site.  It’s a rehabilitated bird banded K-15.  I reported it this morning.  Hope to see it again.  Such a stunning sight.

If you see K-15 or any blue-banded bird please report here.

Pelican-1

Pelican-2

New Brighton for Fun

~ tomadaonline ~ 2 Comments

Remember New Brighton?  We’ve had so much fun there, but that was in summer with warm water and small surf.

Yesterday the surf was unruly up and down my coast, but there were hints that it might settle down in the afternoon.  It was a play day and my gills were dry so I gathered my gear and hit the road.  Every beach had monster waves, but I was not going to any beach, I was going to the one that might be small enough for me.

Santa Cruz was on fire with wild waves from the west side to Capitola.  When I arrived at New Brighton the tide was low, and there were no fewer than 40 surfers riding smallish fast waves, with not A SUP in sight.

(SUP is an abbreviation for Stand Up Paddleboard.)

So I waited until the tide started to rise, and watched the surfers leave one by one until it was my size, and uncrowded.  I caught a couple of waves and had plenty of paddling.  Good thing too, since the storm is back today with heavy wind, strong surf, and sideways rain.