All My Swans in a Row

Swans heading into the setting sun

Suffering from a bout of cabin fever after yet another snow storm moved through the area, I headed out for snow pictures in Gardiner County park as soon as the roads had been somewhat cleared. I arrived at the bay just around sunset and some remnants of dark storm clouds were still lingering in the western part of the sky. A lot of swans were hanging out along the eastern part of the beach, and as dusk started to fall, they suddenly began heading towards the shore. This group flew for a short stretch and my heart just stopped when they suddenly settled right on the darkest part of the water in a perfectly straight line. I had to run to catch up and wasn't looking where I was going, and ended up crashing through the frozen slush at the edge of the bay. But in my opinion, this shot was worth my cold wet feet ten times over :)

Moonlight Sailing

Sailing in the Great South Bay under an almost full moon

I saw this sailboat approaching and seemingly waited forever for it to come into view at the right position. Just when it did, the little turquoise motorboat (you can spot it if you squint), sped up and passed by, then stopped, turned and passed again. I was furious at them for ruining my "perfect picture", but they probably tried to get a similar shot of the sailboat as I. I finally managed to capture this one...

Pre-Season

"The Beach Hut" at Venetian Shores Bay Beach in Lindenhurst

Boy I know - it's about time to post an update here already. How long can I use that "broken toe" excuse after all...;)!
Well, here's what our bay beaches look like at this time of the year. I am still greatly enjoying the solitude in combination with the gradually warming air. There's also no Parks Department activity as of yet, which means I can take the doggie out to play without repercussions (pssst - don't tell on me!).

Gloomy

A foggy day on the Great South Bay

The weather today was eerie - very warm but foggy and dark. I went for a drive along the bay and took this shot of metallic sky and water near Bellport, NY.

Triple Play

After 3 days of numerous restarts and unsuccessful attempts to get my computer to see my card reader, camera or scanner, I finally just turned the darn thing off for the afternoon. And voila, tonight it's working again. Since I couldn't post for the past two days, tonight will be a triple play. Enjoy!

A father and son watching the sunset after a day of fishing

This was taken at the Cedar Beach Marina on Ocean Parkway. I particularly liked the floppy fisherman's hats those two were wearing.

Land's End

After a long stretch of warm and sunny days, rain and fog are moving in during the evening hours, turning the sky a pale gray as in this shot from the Lindenhurst fishing pier

Sun and Shade

One thing I will never tire of is taking pictures on the beach. Each day looks different and Long Island has some of the most beautiful light I have ever seen. This one's strange because a huge cloud blocked the beach from the sun, but the sky was still full of light.

Sunrise

Beautiful sunrise over the Great South Bay

Just Beachy

A sunny day at the Great South Bay

This is a small strip of beach along the bay and I sometimes go there for breakfast. The water here is shallow and perfectly calm so I don't know why there's a lifeguard there, but he made for a good addition to this picture...