Cannon Beach

There are days that I miss living close to the coast. I think I took it for granted when we only lived about an hour and half to two hours away from the coast. I always knew in the back of mind it was always near by, waiting for a visit from us.  I remember loading the kids up on a whim and taking them over to the beach for the day.  Even now I remember the smell of the salt air and the feeling of the sand on our feet as we walked along the beach.  The water was freezing no matter what time of year it was but it was always a refreshing break. 

There is something magical about the Oregon Coast.  It is a wonder to behold.  It is a very rugged and wild place.  The intense energy of the waves crashing on the beach is palpable at times.  I have always loved to drive along the coast line and watch as the scenery changes.  At times you are driving through the forest only to emerge around a bend in the road and see the wide open expanse of the ocean.  It really is an awe inspiring sight.  

The picture above was taken at one of my favorite beaches to explore along the Oregon Coast. It is called Cannon Beach.  It is a very popular place to go but there is still a wildness about the land there. This particular day it was very foggy and overcast, which is common along the Oregon coast no matter what time of year it is.  We had taken a walk along the beach.  The tide had gone out revealing these rocks covered in seaweed.  I really liked the composition here of the smaller rocks in the foreground with the big huge rocks in the foggy background.  The fog can really add a mystical feeling to the beach.  The next time I go back here I will savor every moment of it! 

A Hidden Gem

I just recently finished a slide show/video that I made as a Christmas gift for our extended family.  It has become a tradition for my little nuclear family to make one of these videos every other year.  The grandparents and aunts and uncles really seem to enjoy getting these videos and have almost come to expect their next installment, so to speak.  The slide show/video is usually set to music and is comprised of our favorite pictures from the past couple of years.  Originally, our thought was that this would be a great way for the grandparents and extended family to see what we have been up to and to be able to watch as our children grow and change. 

Every time we have put one of these videos together it has become a labor of love, at least for me.  It takes a lot of time to sift through all the pictures that were taken in a two year time span. ( Especially now that I am a photography NUT! ) I usually agonize over what music I am going to choose.  But this year I decided to pick two of my favorite songs from the past year. So that made it a lot easier to decide.  This year it was a complete joy to put the video together.  I decided to have pictures of the kids, Kendall, myself as well as some of my favorite photos that I have taken. Some of these consisted of flowers, some were of landscapes, a few were from some weddings I had shot...each and every image was special to me in its own unique way.  I was extremely happy with how it turned out and I hope that our extended family will like it as much I do! 

I really wanted to share this photo above of Maggie.  This was one that I found while looking through the hundreds of images that I had taken.  This has become one of my favorite shots of her.  And to think that I had forgotten that I had even taken it! Amazing!  In my mind, it has become a hidden little gem,  just waiting for me to find it.  Sometimes it pays to take the time to slow down and sift through those "old" memories. You might just be surprised what you find.