Failing Staircase

 

Due to a sad turn of events associated with my eleven-year-old dog, I now have more time to discover and go places I haven’t explored for a while.  I’ve decided to walk along some of the beaches which I’ve ignored for a number of years, carrying my camera, and looking for interesting things which speak to me. 

So, every Tuesday and Thursday I head out to new spots along the coast and begin the walk.  I don’t have a set time to give, but the walk is both ways, since I park then walk to a point where I need to return the same way. 

But alas, I have renewed an old discovery:  always look behind you for a different perspective or to see what you may have missed.   So going out I am looking from one perspective; returning I am looking from a different viewpoint.  Try it.  It is amazing what you see; also, the light plays differently. 

My goal is to find interesting images to produce a fine arts book associated with the local beaches.  So, in this blog I will present images from time-to time reflecting my discoveries:  From a Series:  A Walk along the Beach.   

The first image is the below:  The failing staircase.  There is an area south of Carlsbad, CA where there are a number of private residences perched on the tall bluffs above the beach.  Some of them have remnants of staircases which wind down to the beach.  Most of these private stairs have become neglected due to beach erosion and the effects of the wind and weather.  Many are totally unusable.  

I stopped to think about the money it cost to construct the staircase, the upkeep and maintenance yet all the fun and happiness that was transported up and down those stairs.  I could almost hear the laughter and joy associated with heading down the long staircase, but it was canceled by the pounding surf.

This particular staircase caught my eye with the various architectural elements:  weathered wood, rusted metal stakes, stained concrete, and a single rock.  The grainy, gritty and dirty wood and other material components provided a wonderful moment for a “Failing Staircase.” 

 

 

A Bit Unusual

Are you always looking around you... looking for the unusual?  If not, you may be missing something nearby.  I was photographing surfers at Beacons, a local surf spot in Leucadia, a beach community located in the coastal city of Encinitas, California, when I saw a large lump of something down the beach.  So I moved down along the beach and saw this large female sea lion enjoying the spring summer warmth and sunshine.  The sea lion are sea mammals characterized by external ear flaps,  long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short, thick hair.

Soon, she became the object of the curious.  As surfers emerged from the water, they couldn't help but check her out.  One young lady decided to lay down and emulate the movements of the large beast.  I noticed that when a male passed by she would rear up and "bark."  Not so with the female human; she tended to ignore them.

So eventually, after taking lots of pictures because I've never seen a sea lion up in this area, I ignored her and hoped she would find peace among the humans sharing her natural habitat.

El Capitan

Meet the "Captain."  I was at the San Diego Embarcadero recently to observe the raising of two yachts which had sunk in the harbor after the recent heavy storm which passed through.  The two old yachts had broken from their moorings and were unceremoniously sunk near the pier.

Sadly, like any other major urban area -- especially those geographically located in temperate climates -- San Diego has its fair share of vagabonds, vagrants and the purposefully homeless.  A harsh reality when homelessness is an accepted part of the moving city.

But I digress; as I watched, "The Captain" slid alongside of me and began to give me a narrative of the salvage operation.  He was quite articulate, funny and informative.  The Captain told me that the sunken yachts were used by homeless people and were abandoned when the winds came and the harbor sea became extremely rough.  He pointed out that the lines weren't frayed from straining against the wind, rather they had been cut, hastening their demise of the old, dilapidated vessels.

While I talked to him, he recounted that he loved the ocean and that before his druggie days he crewed various yachts and working vessels around the port.  But that was in another time.  Now he hangs about the harbor, occasionally yelling a "hello" to a fellow traveler as he talked of the old times.

Before I left, I asked the Captain for a couple portraits; he readily complied.  The rugged face, the large nose, the stringy hair, the ragged beard:  all part of the persona of a man who struggles along the waterfront just like those old yachts did that stormy night.

Aye-aye Captain.


Tech Information:  Fuji x100s; ISO 200; F/8; 1/320 sec.  Black and white from Nik Software Efex Pro 2.