Story Behind the Picture: An Ideal Day

I know, it's December: I really shouldn't be posting about sunglasses and bathing suits, especially since my hands have yet to thaw out from my morning walk to the bus stop with the boys.

I thought, however, on this windy and frigid morning, we could all use a little sunny warmth. I shot this still life in August, during a gorgeous week at the beach. The idea for it stemmed from a dinner-table discussion my husband had introduced the night before: "what would be your perfect day?" I listened as the boys described running, playing, and general adventuring. I listened as Marty described similarly high-energy activities. I listened as all three invented a 24-hour day completely packed with a weeks' worth of fun.

When it was my turn to share, I just smiled: this picture was already forming in my head. All I need is a cold drink, a good book, and a warm beach. That, my friends, is the most ideal day I can imagine.

Story Behind the Picture: Ocean City Rocks

I love the beach in the morning. The surfers paddle out, waiting for the perfect wave. Fishermen, clad in waders, patiently wait near the ends of the jetties. The sand, smooth and clear, bears only a few foot – or paw – prints from the early risers. The beach, in the morning, is full of possibilities. The black rocks of the jetty still feel cool underfoot, the seagulls still stroll at the water’s edges, the sun still climbs lazily out of the sea. Soon enough it is time to head home and begin the real work of the day, but the stolen moments at the beach in the morning are enough to carry me through.

Story Behind the Picture: Sail Away

I was three weeks old the first time I set sail in a boat. Even though I was born in land-locked Kansas, my parents still managed to find a lake on which to to enjoy the summer breeze and the gentle sound of waves lapping against the hull. Water has been the single constant in my widely-traveled life...be it as a passenger or a rower, I've never wandered far from the pull of the tide or the banks of a river.

My most vivid memory is of the night we weathered Hurricane David aboard my parent's boat in Virginia. My father decided we needed to move the boat to a more sheltered location, and thought we would have plenty of time to make the trip before the eye of the storm drew close...perhaps the fact that he was a career Army, not Navy, officer should have prompted us to question his judgement. As David caught us in the middle of the open, unprotected water of the Chesapeake Bay, my mother strapped me in a life jacket and locked me into my little sleeping bunk below deck (more questionable judgement: are you supposed to lock someone into a boat that might capsize? Not much need for a life jacket if you're trapped below, right?). Obviously I managed to survive the night, but it does provide me fabulous ammunition with which to harass my parents.

I created this image because, when it comes to sailing, I prefer my seas calm and my winds fair. I prefer the days where the sun glints off the top of the water, scattering "poor man's diamonds" across the surface. I prefer the puffy white clouds that tower high above and take the shapes of animals as they float by in the gentle summer breeze.