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Big discovery: Labor Day’s only a week away. Other signs: mums and ginger snaps at the Acme. Time to get a few more summer snapshots on the table before fall arrives. Here’s another sign of the end of the season: The Purple Martins have left and their cousins, the swallows, are en route. They rest here, review their flight schedules, and also head south. Most of us at the shore also migrate and soon we’ll be heading west and north.
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Earlier in August the Purple Martins were still around. Here’s one heading home.
Yet another sign of that brick wall called season’s end is the annual Quill-McCarty round-the-island trophy race for the kids. Against a stiff headwind they clawed their way up Liberty Thorofare yesterday on the last leg of the race. Somebody won.
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We had a lot of excitement this summer about Super Moons, and I pursued them as well. This one’s been tweeked a little to bring out more moon detail.
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The above image is just about maxed out as far as showing both the moon and an interesting foreground so then one starts to look for other possibilities. In this one, we know there’s a powerful moon up there somewhere and we enjoy its effects from another perspective.
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Here’s yet another perspective of the moon’s effect on the beach.
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This summer I also experimented with using a slow shutter speed to photograph wave action around a jetty, hoping for a creamy effect. I neglected to compensate enough for the longer exposure and the result was this “blown-out” scene. We prefer, however, to give it a fancier description and thus be able to charge more for it. Hence, what you’re seeing is a high-key image. That’s artier.
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One of the summer’s great memories is the annual Twilight Sail party. Here’s one of my favorites. I was also pleased that it was selected as the background for another major event’s invitation.
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Finally, it’s been a great summer, and I salute it: I hope it’ll come back again next year.
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August 25, 2014 at 7:55 am
Enjoyed the read, Ralph. Thanks for writing it and sending it to us.
August 25, 2014 at 9:51 am
Thanks for visiting, Ken. I really enjoyed your Blue Hen Falls shot.
August 25, 2014 at 8:07 am
I love those top 2 “super moon” pics. That was a beautiful evening sight. Glad you did capture some, and mess with them. Nice.
August 25, 2014 at 9:51 am
Thanks, Jenn. C’ya Sunday for Portrait Time.
August 25, 2014 at 8:33 am
I love your ability to tell a story – thanks Ralph for the images and words that bring them to life.
August 25, 2014 at 9:56 am
Thanks, Susan. I enjoyed your hummingbird shots on F/B, particularly that with the deep blue flower and the gold flecked bird.
August 25, 2014 at 8:41 am
I can almost hear music when I read your funny yet soothing posts. Very pleasant . . . thank you Ralph.
August 25, 2014 at 9:57 am
What a nice thought. Thank you very much, Season.
August 25, 2014 at 8:42 am
Always love your gorgeous pics and wonderful posts! Laurrie
August 25, 2014 at 9:58 am
Thanks, Laurrie. Enjoyed seeing you, Cammy and Kenyon this summer.
August 25, 2014 at 8:44 am
Gorgeous. We, too, hate to see it ending – but autumn gets prettier inland! Roz
August 25, 2014 at 9:59 am
Thanks, Roz. Enjoyed the birthday party a lot.
August 25, 2014 at 8:45 am
Neat pictures. Have a glass of wine for me and another toast to a great season of photographs.
August 25, 2014 at 10:00 am
OK, I just finished the wine and a slice of toast. What’s next??
(P.S. Thanks, Del)
August 25, 2014 at 9:36 am
Lovely images. You are making me really miss being at the shore, but I really enjoy seeing it through your eyes.
August 25, 2014 at 10:01 am
How nice of you to put it that way, Bonnie, and I’m flattered.
Looking forward to working with you for the next two years. Good luck with that.
August 25, 2014 at 10:05 am
BTW, I really (big-time) liked your Super Moon over the fishing pier. I don’t know if you saw the comment I made about it but I noted that when I was a kid (what, twenty…thirty years ago) the foreground jetty was much higher above the beach, and I used to play (read foolishly run) on the jetty.
August 25, 2014 at 10:45 am
Ralph, I love your photograph, and your writing and always look forward to and enjoy your blog posts. The last moon photograph is so surreal and moody. One of the best, and most creative moon shots I’ve seen.
August 28, 2014 at 9:56 am
Thanks, Rich. I value your comments.
August 25, 2014 at 12:51 pm
Thanks for sharing this beautiful selection of pictures just as we prepare for Labor Day.
August 26, 2014 at 8:35 am
Thanks, Bob. We enjoyed your surprise birthday party very much. I hope that a man of your age will take it easy on Labor Day. I will.
August 25, 2014 at 9:18 pm
This summer has fallen through my fingers like sand. Thank you for helping me to recapture some of the grains.
August 26, 2014 at 8:37 am
Thanks for the nice sentiment. Boy, I wish I had said something as evocative as that.
August 26, 2014 at 1:55 pm
Love how you show us the weeds(mistakes) as well as the finely fed and trimmed Roses …. another summer just about gone but a whole year of the SJCC awaits 🙂
Your sail invitation shot was well picked… congrats…. see ya in a bit!!!!
August 28, 2014 at 10:00 am
Thanks for checking in, Mike. Always anxious to read your thoughts.
Yep, lookin’ forward to another SJCC year but apprehensive about some of the categories.
August 26, 2014 at 8:37 pm
we spent 3 weeks in Stone Harbor and enjoyed the super moon. Walked the beach that evening and were fascinated with our shadows. Also thanks for identifying the flocks of birds as purple martins. Hundreds of them rested on our telephone wires and we were not sure what they were. It was a extra marvelous summer. Mary Lou Webber
August 28, 2014 at 10:03 am
Thanks, Mary Lou. The birds in the picture were all swallows as the Purple Martins had left earlier in the month. They’re cousins and they look alike but I don’t believe that the martins have white breasts.
August 27, 2014 at 9:48 am
As always . . . these made me smile.
August 28, 2014 at 10:05 am
Great, Linda. Happy to hear that smiles are produced. Enjoyed seeing you and Carrol and your girls at the b’day party. I enjoyed chatting with April and getting an update on her.
August 28, 2014 at 10:59 am
Truly beautiful series of photos. Thank you so much for sharing, and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada.
August 28, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Enchante. Merci pour votre visite.
August 28, 2014 at 6:47 pm
Another great post with great images. I especially like the kid’s regatta … the vantage point and panorama crop work really well. Your night surf and moon images make a nice series … and I appreciate that you got out there to make them. And the glow of the candle behind your wine glass has a great warm feeling to it making it a nice way to end the post..
August 29, 2014 at 11:00 am
Thanks, De. It was another work of love for my favorite place/time. I wasn’t sure about the kids’ regatta but I knew that I liked it with their spread and with the sun brightening their sails. The candles behind the wine image was chosen very deliberately to symbolize the farewell to summer idea. BTW, it was a phone photo from early season, and I had to P/S away some lip gloss (not mine).
September 3, 2014 at 10:21 am
These are all “classics” Ralph. Can’t wait to see many of them on the walls at “The Home.”
September 3, 2014 at 11:21 am
Thanks, Sally and Gordon. Yes, that could happen. Believe it or not, I’m starting to look forward to returning to the campus, and to seeing my campus friends again. Sorry that I won’t make the first Bridlington Brunch.