Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Very Pacific Northwest . . .



The next four or five days here on the coast are supposed to be spectacular, with lots of sun and, of course, lots of tourists. So we scurried out this morning for a quick walk around the fishing boat docks, then to run a few errands, and then we'll spend the rest of our week at home, probably going absolutely nowhere.

Most of the boats are out fishing right now for tuna, shrimp, and salmon, which is rather nice because their absence gives me unobstructed views of some of the boats across the way. I used a 24-85mm lens and, with a full-frame sensor, was delighted by the wide-angle-ness of the whole experience. When I shot film, my 24-85mm lens was my go-to lens. It quickly turned wimpy, however, when used with my digital cameras where the sensor "magnified" things by 1.6%. Thanks to John W. for selling me his "seasoned" Canon 5D Mark II so I can now experience the "true" focal length again of this lens.

Here you see the blue F/V Caremi, loaded up with pots, ready to fish for slime eels (hagfish). Two years ago almost to the day I photographed slime eels being offloaded from a boat, an experience that was interesting, but, frankly, one I never want to have again. Here's a link to that post: http://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2010/06/not-for-squeamish.html

In the second photo you see a photo of F/V Finn, out of Brookings, Oregon. I like the simplicity of the boat sandwiched dead center between sea and sky. (This boat is also the very last one on the far left in the upper photo.)

Our morning continued over at a fishnet storage/repair facility, a quick stop at the library, then for groceries, and then home. The combination of weather and boats and fishing nets and lighting today made me feel like we are truly living in the Pacific Northwest, where water and sunshine, coastal pines and cool fresh air come together beautifully. As much as I grumble about our winter weather, it's days like these that make me feel exhilarated and that life is full of possibilities.

©Carol Leigh, wishing you a week of wonderful weather and lots of possibilities . . .