Notes To My Mother

This past year has been full of adventure for me, seeing new and exciting places like Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, the island of Kauai, Europe from Amsterdam to Budapest on the Rhine and Danube rivers, the Oregon Coast and finally Utah’s Arches and Canyonlands national parks along with a first time visit to Monument Valley. I felt like my plate had been filled to overflowing. These were all wonderful topnotch places to visit and photograph. But the one that stands out in my mind and that I would like to get back to as soon as I can is Bandon, Oregon. The beach here is a very special place. Photographer's Paradise It wasn’t just the location of lodging across the street from the beach, although that was definitely an attractive convenience. What I liked about Bandon, or Face Rock Beach, was the gentle slope of the beach. A wave would come in and simply glide forever over the sand, at times providing a glass like surface to reflect the rocks and the c...

This morning I am still in Bandon, Oregon, and plan to grab some images, get cleaned up, eat breakfast and drive to Manzanita. First its grab the images. There is a minus tide this morning so there will be some unique opportunities: starfish. When the tide goes out it exposes the lower levels of the rocks on the beaches along with the pools of water surrounding them. I have heard the starfish population has been suffering of late due to, I am told, some kind of virus.  I am hoping they are not all gone.  I am anxious to get to the beach at first light, and since it is right across the street from where I am staying I am very pleased. The beach is so different this morning from the night before. It as if I had relocated to and entirely new location. One of the signature images here is Face Rock which is what the beach is named after, Face Rock Beach. There is beauty here in the mornings that was totally unexpected given what I had experienced the night befo...