warmer days

Every year around this time my husband starts to loose it.  I'm not a doctor and I don't want to play one on tv, but I really, truly, deep down inside think he suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder.  The fact that it has snowed like mad this year and he's been under incredible work stress since November certainly hasn't helped.  In the 10 seconds we have here and there to actually converse about things, we've been batting around ideas about what to do for our vacation this year.  Although Nathan is absolutely fascinated by ocean lie-ders (that would be ocean liner to the rest of us), when given the choice between going on a cruise and going to the beach, he chose the beach so he could play in the sand!  I don't think he fully understands the choices, but my vote was beach, too, so I didn't argue!

In light of all this conversing (did you hear the sarcasm??), I realized that I never managed to put my beach images from last August!  I'm not sure how I did that, because to be quite honest, I was really proud of them!  So I'm excited to be able to share them now!

But first, I need to share a story.  It was a few weeks ago.  We were coming home from an errand and Nathan announced that he wanted to go to the beach.  This is NOT the first time he's said/asked this.  Well this particular day was cold and rainy, if I remember correctly, and my response was "oh buddy, I sure would like to go to the beach, too."  And that was the end of it.

Literal.  I really need to remember that right now, he takes everything very literally.  When we turned into the neighborhood to our house, he started crying. Not a whiny 'I didn't get my way' cry, but an utterly heartbroken cry.  I finally got out of him through his sobs, "but I thought we were going to the beach!"  Oh my.  I really didn't mean to lead him on, but there was just no way to make that dream come true at that moment!  Though I'd have given nearly anything to do so!

The first image, all these months later, is my favorite.  It is one of my favorite images I've ever captured.  I'm sure it looks familiar!  It's the header to my blog!  I just love it.  It captures so much to me.  This was our first family vacation.  Nathan's first experience at the ocean.  Shawn's first experience as a daddy at the ocean to his little boy.  They were collecting various items early one morning.  The culmination of a million dreams of what 'family' would be for me one day.  I could go on and on. At any rate, shortly after we got home, I splurged big time and ordered a gallery wrapped canvas.  And in hindsight, I so very regret that I didn't order this image.  Perhaps one day I'll have a surplus of money and will order this one.  At the time, the face that their images weren't completely silhouetted made me think the image was flawed.  Now, I kinda like that.  Oh well.



This is the image I got as a canvas.  I still like it... but I just wish it were the first image.



And the rest are just shots that I loved.  I even tried to barter some with the owner of the condo unit we stayed in -- exchange new artwork (that was in SERIOUS decades old need of replacement) for a stay this coming year.  She led me on a little and then just ignored me.  That was a big bummer.   But you never know if you don't ask.  I asked a few other owners in the same complex, but no body else bit.  Again, oh well.   Maybe I have artist goggles on, but I think these would make gorgeous additions as artwork at the beach!  And to think -- custom one of a kind images of the beach right outside the unit?  Is that not a selling point?  I suppose I'm deluded.















Nathan would now like to "help" me with the computer and wants to type. " ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttttttttggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"