Life's a Beach and then I took a selfie.













A lot of fun, a lot of selfie sticks, a lot of garbage. Never seen so much at the end of the day. The sand was covered with the remains of fun, the cans were full, and the birds were aggressive. Who teaches folks to leave their trash where ever they are, to toss garbage out their car windows, to drop wrappers and move on... I can't imagine what their homes look like. The world is not your garbage can.

Highlights after a beautiful day's work...











...now back to editing those wedding photos!

I could live on the beach...



The sun sets and we hate to go.

Listen to this while staring at that:
Glasser - Shape

Fourth of July.







Joey Chestnut inhaled 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes under the scorching sun, breaking his own record of 68. The Astrotower was coming down leaving Luna and the other parks closed. Those that didn't come for the beach wandered aimlessly unsure what to do while the other million of us went into the water. A spectacle like no other!

Rockaway, Today.



amazing! We rode 17 miles in the hot summer sun to Rockaway with, it turns out, the rest of the city that didn't get away for the weekend. PACKED! I have never seen any NYC beach like this. It was awesome. I'm covered in sunshine and happy.

Found it.









A taxi to a ferry to a bus, then a walk with some new friends who so nicely helped carry my pack... onto a boat to this. This beautiful island of Boipeba. I know I joked that I may not return but I can imagine how some do not. Beautiful people, sparkling waters and delicous food all in this paradise would make it hard for anyone to return. I have to run, I must beat the tide to get to the other part of the island to have Lobster for lunch. Tchau!

Let's move to the ocean, let's move to the sea...

Breezy Point.





When you ride up to Breezy Point there is a large sign that lets you know that the bike lane ends and that if you aren't "one of them" you should turn around and leave, but a friend of mine that grew up out there clued me into the fact that if I just rode by like I knew better, no one will stop me. So I did, and I'm sure my blonde hair and blue eyes helped. There is much to be said about the exclusivity of this community but the part I loved, loved... the bikes! Bikes everywhere without a lock. Roll up in your bathing suit, hop off and enjoy. I suppose the fact that I locked my bike everywhere was a clue I wasn't one of them but no one said a thing... this time.


The Shit Left Behind.





The other side of BP is the fishing side. As you know I love to photograph and talk to the fishers, and there were a few out - no catches yet, but it was the garbage that made me crazy! You can try to tell me that it wasn't the fishing folk but the holes in the sand for their poles was a dead giveaway. You have this amazing access to desolate beaches to fish and you treat it like garbage. sad.

digging it.


Coney Island, June 2011

Bones, Bottles and Shoes










Dead Horse Bay, June 2011

They are still washing ashore after 60 years. Bottles bottles everywhere, along with many horse bones and shoe remains. I only brought home 2 bottles and an old white glass jar which used to house deodorant. I do plan to go back again, this time with a sturdier bag. Not so much for the glass but other fun finds... must keep eyes open! For more information on Dead Horse Bay, check out this story by Underwater New York.

Love.

Leaving Long Beach, May 2011

Sometimes it's hard to put in words how much I adore NYC. A train ride to Port Washington. A sail to Larchmont then New Jersey. A ferry to Manhattan. A subway to Brooklyn. A train to Long Beach and back again. All ending in sunshine and happiness. What better way to start this summer.

in a monday morning funk...

Montauk





I usually ask before taking a photo but more often then not I'm taking the photo as they say no. Jean Luc was another no. He heard the click and laughed at me... Why'd ya ask? I call it the ice breaker, I'm either going to delete it or we will have a laugh. Thankfully this was another laugh. I feel I've met him before, probably have, but in his all weather gear plus a few layers more, hard to tell. It was a crisp windy day out on the beach - I had on a sweater, fleece, jacket, scarf and a windbreaker - can't say I was cold but I stayed away from the water. Jean Luc teaches fly fishing all year round, standing right in the crash of the waves. He said some days are pretty miserable, especially in the winter when the water turns to ice on impact... but it's a job, a job that doesn't suck.

addicted.





There are two things i'm certainly addicted to: photography and stones. Photography is the obvious one, but get me near a beach and I'll walk away with my pockets full. It started years ago and seems to be getting worse. If this last trip proved anything I'm pretty sure I need help - at least to carry them. Three beaches from Montauk to Cedar Town, empty beaches with just me, my camera and the stones. I can't help myself, ooh this one!... maybe this one... nope, this one... next thing I know my pockets and hands are full. It's all good until I get home and have to figure out how to get them inside, they are so much heavier in Brooklyn. But they make me happy and remind me of the beach when the weather is ice cold... that's what it's all about... right? Happiness.

Found.

20 minutes.









From down the beach I spotted the crowd gathering around the one man with a pole, grabbed the camera and made my way to join them. You know it's something big when the sun worshippers give up their towels and umbrellas to watch a man fish. No one knew exactly what he had but we knew it was big. He had fought it for at least 15 minutes before I got there and it was a tough fight still - waiting on a big wave to really yank it in - then he had it! A big ray up on the beach. A few more minutes of fighting then the hook broke loose, back into the ocean he flopped. Hands were shaken. Photos taken. One worn out fishermen found his way to a chair. Sandy Hook, NJ.