Two SUPs standing sentinel at the 24×7 L.L. Bean Bike, Boat, and Ski store in Freport, ME this past October. It was hovering around 40 degrees with a hint of breeze. The last thing I could think of was paddle boarding, but I did give these two a look over.
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Couples, Twins, Two of Anything
A long boarder and a short boarder getting great waves at Linda Mar in Pacifica, July 2011.
A few years ago I thought my surfing days were behind me. Bad back, torn shoulder. But the beach was still a place of joy. A place to walk along the shore, take a few photos, get sand between my toes.
I shot this image into our beach-front Taco Bell on one of those days. Pedro Point and people chowing on tacos shows through while a solitary surfer reflects back.
I’ve surfed twice the past week. On a Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) and am so grateful that a board is under my feet again. Every day I wake to check out the surf. And from time to time get to ride on it.
The sky is clearing the waters calm. Fresh color brings great pleasure protected by the watchful eye of the lighthouse. It is the season of promise, of change, of renewal.
This is the Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. The locals say the harbor is in Princeton-by-the-Sea, but the signage says Half Moon Bay. Note the round radar dome in the background. On the other side is the world-famous big-wave surf spot, Mavericks.
This afternoon I walked the beach to greet the incoming swell that will pump through Mavericks tomorrow. It’s not expected to be the gargantuan size that they sometimes get, but a 20 foot face would certainly get my chest thumping.
Today, with an outgoing tide and plenty of shore birds, I got a few SUPs against some crisp jazz. Enjoy.
My son has a dog named Zeus. He’s my part-time pet, like when our grand daughter was born two weeks ago. Zeus stayed with us.
On our very first SUP outing, noted in my very first post, I stayed on the beach with camera in hand and Zeus went out with Matthew. It didn’t start out this serene. They were both in the water at the start, but cruised in with style. This is the Princeton Harbor, next to Mavericks where tomorrow’s big wave surf contest will be held.
My future daughter-in-law took me to the beach to watch the birds, chat it up, and see some SUP surfing. Here’s a bit of our morning set to the contemplative jazz of Scott Wilkie.
Once inside the Musée d’Orsay time didn’t seem to matter. Until I came face to face with Renoir’s Woman with a parasol.
It took me by surprise. It stopped me in my tracks. I was afraid I was going to lose it, and then I cried. I left the gallery and found a large group of people looking out a round window that turned out to be the face of a giant clock. After a bit of time looking out toward Sacré-Cœur I returned to Renoir and had the same experience. I couldn’t handle this painting for more than a short time.
Back in the fall I shared a post about a couple in a kayak that had a breath-taking encounter with a breaching whale in the Monterey Bay. You can see the post here.
Today a friend from my writing group shared a post that was just as close. It’s a guy on a Stand Up Paddleboard keeping cool while being frisked by an Orca. You can see it here.
And he was recognized by GoPro for his heroics.
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