A day at Huntington

Today we decided to spend some time at Huntington Beach to see what birds were out and about.  It was a beautiful sunny day and we anticipated seeing many enjoying the low tide.  We were surprised by how few birds were there.  In talking to other photographers, they agreed and said that it has been quiet these past couple of weeks.  Northing like last January, however, there is hope that they will slowly come down to the marsh.  We saw a few Eagles (both adult and juvenile) and an Osprey along with the regular birds that are normally seen.  The heron's were well hidden in the long grasses but occasionally we spotted some as they ventured out.  We were lucky to see an alligator as well during our walk to the other side of the pond.  It was a great way to spend the day and we were there for several hours enjoying the nature and just being out in the sunshine.

Once again there was no clouds in the sky as the sun came up but it was beautiful to see how happy the birds were.

Our first sighting of the juvenile Eagle.  It doesn't get it's white head until its 2-3 years old.

Sitting right beside the causeway, I think this Heron thought we couldn't see him.  

A smaller sized Heron called a "Night shade Heron" see hiding on a little island by the other pond found on the Nature walk.

This was the only Alligator that we saw.  It was sitting quietly by the waters edge.

The photo's are pretty grainy but you get the idea of the Eagle that was flying above. Such a beautiful bird.

Beachcomber

The last couple of days have been quiet ones. The temperature is a little cooler but you can still wear shorts on the balcony and enjoy the warm temperature. Yesterday morning was foggy and rainy but it burned off by mid day. I took a nice long walk along the beach while Ralph relaxed back at the condo. He hasn’t been feeling well as he has caught quite a nasty cold. A couple of restful days and he should be feeling better.

There aren’t as many birds at the beach this year. That’s the first thing I noticed. As well, the shells aren’t quite as easy to find either. That’s ok though as the fun is in the hunting that goes with finding them. I’ve found a few beauties already which I am quite happy with. After lunch today I went out for a while to stroll along the beach. As I was walking I bent down to pick up a shell and as I did so I felt something on my shoulder. Thinking it was Ralph coming out to join me and figuring he left his hand on my shoulder I reached over to lightly brush it away. Imagine my shock when I felt feathers instead of skin and as I looked over I was peering right into the eyes of a pigeon. It scared me half to death. I can laugh about it now but it came as such a shock. To make matters worse, this silly bird persisted on trying to sit on my shoulder every time I bent down to pick something up. It was successful 3 times. I felt like the bird lady from Alcatraz. I finally had to run after it to chase it away.

The ocean is very calm today and making these beautiful swirling patterns in the sand. It’s almost a little hypnotic to watch and the patterns are so pretty.

Wave patterns

Mesmerized by the beautiful sun

Local residents

Patterns in the sand

Almost looks like a turtle. 

The above sunsets were from Saturday.  There really wasn't much tonight as there were no clouds in the sky to add any contrast.  I find it hard to believe that we have been gone for a week already. Oh how the time flies by quickly.  

I could get used to this

Last night Ralph and I went to bed early after all the fresh air we enjoyed during the day. That and pleasant ocean breeze did much to lull us to sleep. Again I was up early with my internal clock telling me I had slept enough. I didn’t mind though as I felt quite refreshed. I was surprised at how dark it seemed. Yesterday the sun was adding light already by 6:30 even though it didn’t officially rise until 7:21 am. Peering through the window I wasn’t able to see a thing. I opened the sliding door to discover a fog that was so thick that a layer of moisture covered the chairs and railing. It actually felt kind of eerie. I stood for a while listening to hear a "fog horn" but since there isn't a lighthouse nearby, no sound was heard. except for the gentle lapping of the waves as they hit the shoreline.

The temperature however was warm registering at 20c already. A good sign of what was to come later in the day,  I did however wonder if we might have a fog delay this morning??

Ralph and I left with plenty of time to get to the course.  We somehow managed to miss the exit and found ourselves backtracking and arriving with just enough time to check in and get ready for our round.  The sun was shining brightly and for a while there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  There wasn't any hint of the fog that we experienced by the ocean so I figured that the sun had burned off all of the moisture.

With the temperature predicted to reach between 24-26c we anticipated that it would be busy at the course and we were correct.  Lots of locals were out enjoying the beautiful weather.  As a result, the round was slow but we didn't complain, as it is January and enjoying sunshine and warm temperatures is a treat that we thoroughly enjoyed.

After our round we decided to drive to Huntington Beach to catch a glimpse of the birds that are in the area.  The closer we got to the park, the darker the sky got.  It seems that the birds knew that the weather was changing and there was only a small number all bunched together on the island.  No photo opportunities today.  The weather forecast predicted rain, so it was only a matter of time before we saw small drops appearing. We only stayed a short while before heading back to our condo.  When we arrived back at the beach, we were surprised to find the fog was still there and it had never left.  The temperature was about 5 degrees cooler as well.  I'm sure glad we were able to enjoy the time we had in the sunshine at Myrtle Beach National Golf Course.

The beginning of a New Year

There is nothing quite like listening to the ocean as it laps the shoreline.  As I lay in bed this morning listening to the calming sound of the waves, I focused my thoughts on giving thanks to our Lord for providing us with this opportunity.  We have been so blessed and often it's something we take for granted.  This year I really want to focus on thanking our Lord for the many blessings that he has given us.

As I lay there, my thoughts moved to what we had planned for the day. It was still dark, but I knew that shortly I would need to get up if I wanted to photograph the sun coming up.  Oh, wouldn't it be terrible if someone had set the alarm in our room?  As if the alarm had read my thoughts, it started it's loud howl.  Great I thought, now I've woken Ralph up.  I quickly hit the off button but I wasn't quick enough.  Ralph rolled over and looked at me.  Yup - he's awake,  Are you going to get up I asked him with a grin in my voice.  I don't think so was his short reply after which he rolled over and attempted to get some more sleep.  As I peered out of the window, I saw that it was still too early for the sun to come up so I attempted to sleep.  As I stared out of the window for the next 15 minutes I realized that sleep wasn't going to happen.  I had left my clothes in the dining room the night before to ensure that I wouldn't disturb Ralph.  How I wished I had left my toothbrush in the other bathroom.  Oh well, bad breath will have to be covered over by the coffee that I had prepared ahead of time.

As I peered out of the window, I noticed some colour starting.  Time to set the tripod up outside before turning on the coffee pot.  Once it was set up - I set the Interval timer to take a picture every minute.  That way I felt confident that I wouldn't miss that "best" shot.  That is the thing I love about using Aperature Value.  Once you have set up your Exposure Compensation, the camera will do the rest of the work in adjusting the shutting speed to ensure that your light is consistent.  That sure was a learning that I have put into practice.  I love it!!  With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the balcony and settled into a chair to watch the sun rise.  I quickly grabbed my cell phone and took the shot below looking back towards our condo.  The reflection in the glass was amazing.  I hoped that Ralph would open his eyes and enjoy the beauty that God was giving us.

The colour in the sky was absolutely stunning  The reds and blues were so vibrant and it was such a beautiful sight.  I sat and enjoyed my coffee while witnessing this moist amazing display of art.  I soon realized that it was changing so quickly, that I changed my Interval timer to capture the scene every 30 seconds.  It's amazing at how quickly the sky changes.  I took alot of photos and it most certainly was hard to select a few of my favourites.  These three give you an idea of what I was able to capture and enjoy.  Ralph assured me that he didn't miss the beauty when he woke up this morning.  He simply chose to enjoy it while lying in bed.

We had a 10:03 tee time today for Arrowhead Golf Course.  We arrived at around 9:15 in time to swing the club and get rid of some of the cobwebs. This course has lots of water and I most certainly felt the pain on the first 4 holes by loosing 5 balls.  Yikes I thought, as I only put 10 balls into my bag at the start of the round.  Thankfully Ralph found plenty of balls and I settled into my game and didn't loose too many more (ok - maybe another 4), but I sure had fun.  Ralph was playing a half decent round, while I got my money's worth.  I still had fun and look forward to our round tomorrow at Myrtle Beach National.  We'll be playing the West Course which is one that we have never played before.

This is where Ralph's ball landed on the 2nd hole.  We searched high and low looking for it and eventually found it nestled in the centre of this tree (about 15 inches off the ground).  

The temperature was perfect for golf with the high reaching around 16c.  

After our round we did our grocery shopping and headed back to the condo.  Tonight we enjoyed our "Welcome" dinner at the Sea Captains house.    We heard about all the changes that they are making and have planned for the resort.  It will be interesting to see.

All settled in

We were up early this morning and on the road by about 7:45. Traffic was light as was expected since it was New Years day. The sun was shining brightly all morning as we drove.  We enjoyed our 2nd audio book (Angel eyes) and got about 1/2 way through it. We arrived in Myrtle Beach by 11:30 which was great. When we got to the resort, there was confusion around our booking which we later found out was due to a computer malfunction. It would appear that the resort was working on the wrong date and it caused mass confusion for all the "seasonal" renters coming in. As a result, rooms weren't ready when expected, people were given rooms that were already reserved and had renters in them.  In the end I felt sorry for the people at the desk having to deal with all the frustrated renters. We finally got our room at 5:30.  We bought enough groceries to get us through dinner tonight and provide for breakfast and lunch tomorrow before we head out for our first round.  Since the weather is so nice, we figured we'd start golfing right away so we're booked for the next two days. We have our first tournament next Wednesday at Pawley's Plantation. It's going to be great.  After unpacking we enjoyed a relaxing glass of wine on the balcony watching the sun set.  The sky was painted a glorious red for us.  The perfect end to the day.