Laguna Sunsets

Linda went off to AZ to help Jeni out, (and to get away from me), leaving Pearl and me to fend for ourselves.  I had a few commitments including working in the PC Workshop, the Camera Lab, assisting in a Windows 7 class, and attending a volunteer dinner and taking pictures.  I also got the car serviced and bought new tires.  Linda now thinks she should go away more often!

The weather was cool and unsettled all week, and on Saturday afternoon we had a break in the weather, but an interesting cloud layer.  I thought that it could create a pretty sunset, so I fed  Pearl and headed for Laguna Beach, and Heilser Park in particular.  The park is just north of downtown Laguna Beach and includes a promenade on the bluff above the beach, and stairways down to the beach.  There are many rocky areas and tide pools to explore and picnic areas for groups and families.

Here’s the view when I got there.

It seems that many photographers had the same idea.

And the kids were playing in the surf.

And of course there was a beautiful sunset.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  I know I enjoyed taking them.

Linda’s Getting Better & I Go On a Field Trip

Linda is slowly getting better, but she’s still not well enough for any activities.  It’s better to take it slow and easy until she gets her energy back.

I decided to assign myself a photo project.  I had visited the Laguna Beach visitor center while I was at the library, and picked up some brochures & maps.  As anyone who has known me for a while realizes that this is pretty normal for me.  I can’t seem to drive past a visitor center.  I knew there was a lot of beautiful beaches here, but because of all of the development they’re hard to find.  One beach that was rated high was Crescent beach, north of the town.  So with some clouds in the sky promising an interesting sunset, I took off for some sunset beach photos.

I drove past the beach by mistake and ended up at Crystal Cove.  The $15 entrance fee caused me to turn around and head south again.  I know California is hurting financially, but that seemed like a lot for an hour on the beach.  As I got back into town after all of the gated communities I started to take side streets towards the beach.  I found a pathway down to Crescent Beach, and it was beautiful as promised.  At one end was a point going out with palm trees. And at the other end was another point. I saw people standing on the point towards the north and I thought that would be a good place for a sunset picture.  I had to hurry because the sun was setting fast.  I finally found this little park in a residential area.  There was a nice area of grass and some beautiful plantings.  I was surprised there was still an iris blooming. At the end of the point there were nice views south towards Laguna Beach. And north towards the sunset. Next to those palm trees was a beautiful house with all windows.  It had a 180 degree view of the ocean and the rocks down below.  It was fun to watch the sun make it’s progress towards Hawaii.

I wonder if those people in that house really appreciate what they have in their living room every night.  It’s really beautiful, but I still like waterfalls and the mountains better than the beach.  And it’s more affordable.