Late Afternoon Clover

Trapped

Dreary Sign of the Times

Not a terribly scenic photo, but it is a sign of horrible economic times in south Alabama. All Gulf Coast beaches have been closed since March 27. Most businesses have closed and tourist rentals stand vacant. There were no spring breakers, no Snowbirds and the Hangout music festival has been cancelled. This portable sign sits at the edge of the Foley Beach Express about ten miles north of the Gulf of Mexico beaches at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

Yard Work

No point rushing into it. In four or five months it will be fall; I’ll just have to do it all over again.

Brilliance from Within …

… just look for the light.

Some Things are Still Right with the World

Dreary Winter Day on the Gulf of Mexico

There were a few people walking barefoot on the beach, but they were wearing their winter coats and avoiding the frigid water.

Wading in the Fog

Visitors wade in the Gulf of Mexico at Gulf Shores, Alabama this afternoon. The fog added a kind of mystery to the beach that brought out a few explorers, including a Great Blue Heron almost lost in the mist.

What Happened to Thanksgiving?

More than two weeks before Thanksgiving and local businesses have already put up their Christmas decorations. Halloween to Christmas overnight. What ever happened to Thanksgiving sales and displays?

Quiet Chat

A quiet chat
on the beach
in November

October Light

(Click on photo to see a larger image.)

Light in October is different than in June or February. The trees, the fence, the little trailer; they all plead, beg…like me…to hold on to the warmth even after the sun goes down. There’s no need for begging in June – the warmth will hold on. In February, there’s just no point in begging. But in October, in the deep south, leaves are still mostly green, the light is warm in every sense, but after the sun drops below the horizon…

Gulf Coast Beach in September

(Click on Photo to see a Larger Image)

We were here first. There’s plenty of room; do you have to sit so close? Or maybe the story is: Come! Join us we’ll all have a good time. But more likely it’s, “How’s the water, Mabel? What does George have in his hands?

I’ve often read that “great photos always tell a story.” But I don’t think a single photo can ever tell a complete story. Stories have a beginning, middle and end. A single photo can only capture a small fraction of the story. Without context, this is simply a photo of a group of people at a beach with a vast ocean of water in the background. Are they family? Friends? Recent acquaintances? Are they stranded on a desert island? What is the story?

 

Quietness Buck Rose

Photograph of a Quietness Buck Rose growing beside the Wilbourne Antique Rose Trail in Foley, Alabama. (Click on the photo to see a larger image.)

Summer Fades

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The quality of light is changing, the air smells a little bit like autumn. Hardwoods are still in full-leaf, but they’re getting ready for the changing season. It’s difficult to put a finger on precise changes, but they are coming. Nature’s aromas are different, the air feels different, the light isn’t quite so crisp.

 

Gulf Shores Beach

Click on the photo to see a larger image.

Took a drive down to Gulf Shores this morning to capture some photos for my Alamy collection. Surprisingly, it wasn’t overcrowded. A beautiful day, just right for being on the beach.

Santa Rosa Island

The beach at Santa Rosa Island, Florida, yesterday, March 12, 2019.

Daylight Shades of Midnight

Where long strands of Spanish Moss drape a Live Oak forest in the deep south. It’s where water moccasins and alligators target prey, and generations upon generations of Cajun families raised their children and taught them to capture delicious seafood in nearby shallow bays and inlets.

Fish River

A foggy afternoon with the camera pointed downstream on the Fish River from the pier at the National Estuarine Research Reserve Pitcher Plant Bog. Just beyond the bridge, fresh water from the river flows into the brackish Mobile Bay before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.

Mobile Bay

Looking south across Mobile Bay from the east shore at Daphne, Alabama. It was a dreary, foggy, winter day, but the light was fantastic.

Winter on the Gulf of Mexico

Fort Morgan, Alabama – Mid-day, the end of January. It’s cold, but calm. People come down to the beach for their morning walks, to collect seashells or driftwood, perhaps. Two men at the far right, near the horizon, were fishing from beach chairs while a Great Blue Heron closely monitored their activity.