After my short series of posts featuring images from Spain, it’s time to be closer to home. For partner Carol and me, that means Bainbridge Island, which is a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle.
Though relatively small – roughly five miles wide and 10 miles long – Bainbridge Island has many unique neighborhoods. One of them would certainly be Point Monroe, which is located on the northeastern end of the island just north of Fay Bainbridge Park. Also known as “the Sandspit,” Point Monroe is a thin strip of land that wraps around a saltwater lagoon and provides no-bank waterfront for approximately 50 homes.
Having assigned myself the task of capturing an early-morning image of Point Monroe, I dutifully crawled out of bed in pitch blackness even though the Sandspit is just a 15-minute drive from our home. If you want to take advantage of the so-called “golden hour” and its warm natural light, you had better be all set to go – with camera gear in place – at the crack of dawn.
I took the featured image of the Sandspit facing northerly, which means the sun was rising to my right. Fortunately, the Weather Channel had accurately forecasted partly cloudy skies – without which I would have gladly slept in! When I was all set to go, I noticed a flock of geese swimming towards me on the left side of the lagoon. In my mind’s eye they were an unwanted distraction, so I decided to wait until they were no longer in the view of my lens. Instead, the @!#$% birds rudely swam to the exposed shore directly in front of me where they then proceeded to feed on who-knows-what – and they clearly were in no rush to leave. Meanwhile, I’m almost but not quite beside myself this whole time because as the @!#$% birds foraged for breakfast, the pinks, oranges, and blues in the sky were shaping up quite nicely! Since time was a-fleeting, I decided to engage in some not-so-friendly persuasion by hurling some hard objects in their direction. The @!#$% birds must’ve read my mind, however, because suddenly – and in complete unison – they all entered the water and began to swim away toward the center of the lagoon. Between the pattern of their grouping and the ripples caused by their movement, they added a really nice touch to the overall composition. So wouldn’t you know it, my patience – using that term very loosely – was ultimately rewarded by this wonderful gaggle of geese.
Like many other local businesses, our Bainbridge Island gallery remains closed in compliance with our governor’s “stay-at-home” order. We are using this down time to update our online store, which should soon feature new galleries including one devoted solely to Bainbridge Island images. Thank you for reading our blog – and please do whatever you can to stay healthy and safe!
Ciao for now,
Andrew (Andy) Bergh