With record high temperatures in southern California during December, the beach was alive with sun soakers and castle builders during the Christmas holiday.
Near crystal clear skies; the result of Santa Ana winds, made for pristine sunsets where Anacapa Island could be seen without a curtain of coastal fog.
A lonely lifeguard shacks sits quietly on Hollywood Beach, in Port Hueneme, CA. A sailboat can be seen in the waters, and a solo jogger, stopped to watch as the last of the sun's warmth dips below the horizon. Sunset kisses, dreams and colors envelop the eye of the sand covered admirer.
Light and layering. Yesterday's blog referenced the lighting and the lust it provides for a photographer's eye.
While in Port Hueneme, CA in late December, we were blessed with pristine weather conditions, Santa Ana winds and no on-shore fog.
The Port Hueneme pier, originally constructed in 1956 is a familiar face along the seashore. Being held hostage to the powerful tides that surge along the Hueneme coastline, especially during the winter/rainy months, the pier was partially destroyed in 1995, 1997 and then restructured in 1999 to what beach-goers see today.
It is not uncommon, on any given day, to walk the length of the pier and see various fisherman with their lines cast in hopes of catching dinner. The duality of the pier is not only its attraction for fisherman, or lovers walking hand in hand, but also for solitary sun & sea stroller who can catch a glimpse of the surfers waiting for the next series of waves to appear. Even seagulls and pelicans have a "bird's eye view" to all the happens at the end of the pier.
This photo was shot just as the sun was setting, and by allowing the shutter to remain open a little longer, I was able to garner the smooth appearance of the ocean as it laps on to the shore. In the distance you can see the Anacapa Island, part of the Channel Islands State Park and once home to the Chumash Indians, with Anacapa being only 12 miles from the Hueneme shore.
..."Be not impatient—a little space—Know you, I salute the air, the ocean and the
land,
Every day, at sundown, for your dear sake, my love..." Walt Whitman, Out of the Rolling Ocean, the Crowd.
