That there is the Pacific Ocean. Photo taken yesterday afternoon during a bout of playing hooky from my responsibilities.
Sometimes, I forget the ocean is right nearby. I mean, I live within about twenty minutes of those rough rolling waves.
How can I forget that?
Sure, I know the fog that creeps over the hill is there because of the ocean. But daily ensconced in my suburban life, doing what I do, I forget that I live so damn close to the gorgeous and perplexing Pacific Ocean.
Needing to clear my mind, I took a drive on a sunny day to listen to the waves and do some real hard thinking.
Due to all the storms we've had this week and last, the water was very high and the waves were crashing. There wasn't even room to walk on the beach, the water level was so high.
So I had to content myself with this little discovery. Someone, I'm guessing a child, put together a lovely little collection of shells.
I inspected every shell in the collection, some nice finds, but left the group where it was. The collector would want it that way.
So, disappointed with my inability to walk and think on the sandy beach, I turned my attention elsewhere.
Half Moon Bay, where I took my jaunt, is a prime grower of pumpkins. So this is high season in HMB.
Man, when I pulled off the road to the pumpkin patch, the light was just perfect. A photographer's dream. I didn't get to shoot any of the pretty little starfish that grow down by the sea, but I was content to shoot bright orange punkins grown large by that healthy sea air.
They had big punkins, medium, punkins, some round, some flat, some tall, some squat.
They had a box of little bitty punkins too. And the sun was so beautiful.
Man, that orange is the color of Autumn.
Well, looking at all that fleshy punkin glory, you know I had to buy one!
This guy will become our jack-o-lantern about three days before Halloween.
I don't often admit it, but I kind of love Autumn. At least while it's still warm and we're still on daylight savings.
My tune may change in November.
Today I've got that "been to the coast" mellow meditative vibe going.
Much needed.
All photos by Karen Fayeth
