Friday, January 10, 2014

The Magic Hour

The hubby accidentally dropped my camera while we were hiking about a month ago & it dented in a spot that caused the lens to malfunction and not open properly. - So, I've been using my phone as my main camera while we sent the damaged one off to Canon to get repaired.  I've so missed my camera.

I think a phone should be a good phone and not an okay phone and an okay camera, and an okay __ fill in the blank __  for all the countless other functions our smart phones have now.  I guess I'm on the old-fashioned side when it comes to that.  I don't want all my desires on one device.  I prefer a quality camera for pictures, an ipod for music, a phone to talk/text people...you get my drift. 

Near Island

The point is that I finally got my camera back, and I went on a little picture taking binge on our last hike.  It takes photos of a much higher quality than the phone, I tell ya!  I can zoom in without the annoying pixelation on the final photo, and there are no dark, blurry edges on the outside of the pictures anymore.  Hooray!  So, I decided this post will be very photo-heavy because I got some beauties the first day we went out for a stroll after I got my camera back.  Or maybe I was just starved for decent pictures.  Either way, here's a montage of our hike on Near Island a few weeks ago.  It was Alaska-astic.

I was loving the way the sun highlighted the colors on the houses in this quaint little harbor area we stumbled upon.  It's just across the way to town, but we'd never seen it from this point of view before, so it was a new perspective.  The lighting was perfect all afternoon because it was the magic hour. - That unique time when the sun is setting and the quality of the light is warm and perfect for taking pictures. 

Hard not to look like a big red snowman in my puffy coat - But I love it because it keeps me nice & toasty!

 We hiked through the trails of North End Park on Near Island, and then wandered off the trails and found some beautiful areas to explore.

I always catch him off guard, and then he looks like he has bitchy resting face.  ;)

There were a few spots on the trails that were pretty icy, so we had to tread carefully.  Someone took a little tumble on the ice.  Surprisingly, it wasn't perpetually clumsy me. Or Cheety.  Not to worry, there weren't any injuries.


I couldn't get enough of this serene little scene we found ourselves in.  It was so placid and silent. - There were Bald Eagles swooping through the trees, and countless different species of sea birds and ducks paddling around.

This will be a great spot to kayak

I can only describe it as rejuvenating to quietly stand there listening and observing my surroundings.  It was so still, and I could hear even the faintest call of a bird in the distance or the subtle sound of the water lapping along the shore.  Robert Frost I'm not, so I'll stop now.  But, it was truly beautiful.




And the Pugbull was as always, completely fearless.  He'll climb on anything & loves it.


I really can't say enough about the quality of the light.  So warm.

The water on the shore line by the moss was so unbelievably clear. - You could see right to
the bottom and it was chock full of mussels and all sorts of other sea life.

I got a not too shabby shot of a Bald Eagle on our travels, but I'm still on the hunt for the ultimate Eagle soaring through the sky picture.  We'll see if I'm lucky enough to catch that!


And at the end of the day, we were treated to a lovely sunset over the mountains on our drive home.  The funny thing is that this stretch of highway is nicknamed "Dead Man's Curve."

You wouldn't think that by this view, but the steep curves in the road and substantial drop-off make it pretty treacherous, especially during the winter when it's icy.  (Can't say I'm crazy about living somewhere that actually has an area of road called Dead Man's Curve)  The hubby and I joke when the weather gets snowy/icy and say, "How are the roads?  Said no one in Key West, ever."  But, you can't beat that view...




I guess this brings my photo-centric post to an end.  Let's hear it for a decent camera.  And The Magic Hour.  :)

Ta-ta for now.

No comments:

Post a Comment