Overexposed

So apparently in only five days in San Diego I shot something like 700 photos. I deleted some as I went along, but it's not always easy to evaluate the quality of a photo until I get it on my good computer, which stayed at home. After spending Friday elbow-to-elbow
with strangers in terminals and airplanes and then driving the final two hours home this morning, and after unpacking, sorting mail, doing laundry, and generally getting the house up and running again, I poured some eggnog, put on the Christmas music, and started editing photographs.

I see lots of glare and overexposure. Like most snowbirds, we sought the sun by walking on the beach, skipping stones, looking at birds, splashing in tidal pools, and cruising along the coast with the top down. We got a little sunburn, a little windburn, a lot of relaxation--and too much light washing out the colors in our vacation photos. 

Judging by the subjects of the photos, I've got a thing for rocks and water, especially together. I see stark contrasts in shape or color, with curves meeting straight lines or layers of browns broken up with sudden splash of brighter hues. I see a lot of birds and succulents, some tall ships and sunsets, my husband skipping stones in the Pacific and me looking content just to contemplate the scene.


The photos don't show the scent of eucalyptus, the sounds of hummingbirds high in the trees, or the constant flurry of their zipping through the air like colorful little bundles of energy. They don't show my difficulty getting accustomed to the time zone (who wakes up at 4 a.m. on vacation?!) or the challenges of driving on I-5 at rush hour, and they certainly don't show how my soaked shoes and socks smelled after a good dousing in a tidal pool followed by a long hike along dusty cliffs.  

But they show the most important things: rocks and birds, sand and water, cacti and contentment, and light, lots of light, that neverending southwestern sunshine that will keep me warm all winter.