semillerimages.com - Image of the Week 1.09.06 The Fox and the Splash
Steve
Wow, the year 2006. Time flies... only 17 years ago I was preparing to
graduate high school. Fifteen years ago I started working at Hearst
Castle. Nine years ago I bought my first camera, a Canon Elan II. Six
years ago I had my first show. Seven months ago I got my newest camera.
Twenty thousand files later, I neglected to send out an image in three
weeks. Time flies.
Thanks for all the positive reactions on the last images shown, all of
your kind words are appreciated.
I was quite enthusiastic about the storm systems that swept through in
the last few weeks, although my sympathies are with the poor people in
Cambria whose homes were smashed by trees in the last system.
Storms always bring nice big waves, and this last month was no
exception, although the weather casters were a bit optimistic about the
size of some of the swells unfortunately.
I went out on the 21st of December with a friend of mine to Pismo and
watched the waves at 6:30 in the morning. Some nice shots were taken,
they will probably find their way onto my website sooner or later...
I went out again with my friend to Montana de Oro on the 22nd to see
what there was to see, and came upon quite the unexpected. We walked
down the path admiring the surging, powerful ocean toss itself against
the fingers of rock along the coast when we came across a coyote in the
distance pursuing some prey. It jumped up in the air, and dove down
shoving it's nose into the dirt. It dug a little, jumped a little, and
we watched. When it finished trying to get what it was trying to get,
it started trotting right down the path toward us. Fortunately I had my
longest lens on the camera and I started shooting pictures of it.
Bippity bop, it trotted right toward us and passed within a couple
feet, never twitching a bit. It didn't even glance in our direction. We
were floored. Never have I seen a coyote that close up before except
when I was in a car... and that was when it was running across the
road. This one just absolutely ignored us... must be brain damage from
the Diablo plant :)
Anyway, in all of my excitement I forgot to compose in a dramatic
fashion so I only managed this cool snapshot of the coyote as it
sauntered by:
http://semillerimages.com/iow-link/iow-1-09-06-coyote.html
My friend and I were still boggled when a man and a woman came walking
up from the same direction of the coyote. We both almost fell on the
ground when the man asked us "Was that a wolf?". We told him no and
then advised him if he saw a big yellow cat, that would be a mountain
lion and he should not try to pet it. The man must have been from a
city or something, and he definitely never has watched the discovery
channel.
Thirteen days later, another storm decided to visit the central coast
and on the way to work one morning I left an hour early so I could see
what there was to see in the way of the ocean ravaging the shore. I
think the sea gets jealous of the bit of land it sees and cannot touch
most of the time, so every once in awhile it rises up and licks and
spits on the land out of spite. It is very spectacular when the sea
gets jealous of the land, but then again the land puts lots of nasty
run off chemicals and stuff into the ocean afterwards... so I guess the
land gets the last laugh. Nobody wins.
Anyway, I drove up Moonstone Drive in Cambria and the action was
dramatic. High winds, high swell, lots of splashing and a hope that
work would be closed down for the day... I managed to capture a rather
spectacular splash against the rocks which I will show you here:
http://semillerimages.com/iow-link/iow-1-09-06-moonstonesplash.html
That bird there better watch out!
If you happen to fancy any of these pictures, or the Sanderlings from
the last episode, or for that matter any of the pictures from my
October vacation please drop me a line... I would be happy to sell you
a print or two.
On that note, I just hung seven new pictures at Cornerview Restaurant
in SLO. Corner of Marsh and Chorro St - kittycorner to the parking
structure. Check em out if you like. Also, I will be hanging a small
showish thing at Linnaea's Cafe in March. I will update a bit more
about that later... it will be a new exploration in
mounting/presentation for me...
Until then, take care,