A perfect day . . .

Every year there's a big car show in Florence. It never disappoints. The streets are closed so we can walk around unimpeded, the cars are spectacularly beautiful, and the people are friendly and talkative. One guy had driven his Dodge down from Alaska and referred to "road rash," a new term for me, describing the resulting wear and tear on the finish. Don't know how many cars were there — maybe 150?

Here you see a bright red 1939 Mercury, a pearlescent grey 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster, and a turquoise blue Ford Skyliner Glasstop. I love creating these abstract images, images that rely solely on color, chrome, line, design, and movement.

And then... And THEN! On the way home there was another car show going on in Yachats, with maybe 80 cars. And THEY were gorgeous. The cars were packed in on the grass, maybe 200 yards away from the ocean. It was great.

A sublime day with beautiful subject matter, soft and cool overcast skies, a piece of fresh, grilled salmon for lunch, and Chris being the terrific guy he always usually is. How lucky can one be?

©Carol Leigh

A quick trip inland

 Knowing a storm was on the way, we ventured out while the venturing was good along Yachats River Road, a beautiful stretch of highway that takes you past green meadows where, at the far end, stark white tree trunks contrast beautifully with the dark green conifers. And then we checked out the covered bridge, built in 1938 and looking quite good in the diffused light. Fish and chips for lunch and we're home again. ©Carol Leigh

Be careful out there . . .

A makeshift memorial on the Yaquina Bay South Jetty in Newport, where in November a couple, celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary, were swept from the rocks and killed. Yesterday, down the road in Yachats, two teenagers were washed off the rocks and drowned. We saw the helicopter go by, heard the sirens, listened to the police on the scanner, and heard that our neighbor, a pastor, was on his way to the group to offer what consolation he could. One body is still missing.

Unfortunately, we see people doing this all the time, people walking out to the very edge of the rocks to be close to the breakers surging in. In the blink of an eye, people's lives are ended, others' lives are changed. Forever. ©Carol Leigh

Stormy seas in Yachats

©Carol Leigh

Stormy seas

Late afternoon, no rain, big waves, so we headed down to Yachats. Beautiful. The waves were lined up and rolled in one after the other, big spray, lots of drama. It began raining. Very windy. Very cold. I mean, very cold! Even for me! But we stayed until after sunset, when I had to content myself with doing "sweeps" in the lower light. It was a good afternoon. Just ask Chris — he was the one staying warm in the car! ©Carol Leigh

You'd think gulls would have better depth perception

Long story ... Many, many years ago I was photographing in Pacific Grove, California. In a parking lot there were ground squirrels among the rocks that caught my eye, and, of course, the ubiquitous gulls. I had some bread in the trunk of my car and began tossing bits up into the air so that the gulls would soar up, hover, and I could photograph them against the sky.

It wasn't easy. I'd toss, lift camera, manually focus, click, then toss again. People began watching, gathering about. So I started showing off, holding a piece of bread in my hand, having the gulls swoop down and snatch it away. A near-sighted gull missed the bread and bit my thumb. Blood ensued. The crowd, knowing the show was over, moved on, leaving me alone in the parking lot wrapping Kleenex around my thumb. The scar remains, a reminder of younger, more foolish days, and of my timidity in not asking someone else to toss the bread for me.

In Yachats the other day, a car drove into the parking lot and two men got out, clutching bags of bread. The gulls immediately began gathering. The men tossed most of the bread onto the asphalt, but now and then would throw bits up into the air. Aha! I'm being given a second chance! I start shooting and then asked if they'd toss the bread up into a certain spot for me and could they get the bird(s) to hover a bit. Well, sure! And then one of them began holding the bread up and having the gulls snatch it from his hand. And wouldn't you know? I hear "ouch!" and the guy's shaking his hand.

Concerned citizen that I am, I immediately went over, asked if he was okay, did he need a Kleenex, and then showed him my scar. There we were, two kindred spirits, two fools in a parking lot. And my photos? Well, they're not so great, but I do like this one. Which was the last one before the guy got bitten. ©Carol Leigh

It ain't your dad's Brownie . . .

Chris and I ended our day yesterday at Yachats, watching the waves pound the coast. We were about to leave when this couple sat down on a bench. I photographed him through the windshield as he shot the surf with his cellphone. ©Carol Leigh