Finding the beauty in ordinary things
Inishbofin is a small island off the coast of County Galway, Ireland. With a population of 170 and accessible only by ferry, it’s a quiet retreat away from the mainland. My favorite part about visiting was renting a bicycle and exploring the beaches…and having them all to myself! 
Jen and I wandered Coupeville, Washington yesterday afternoon exploring the waterfront. This is the first of several images I’ll be posting throughout the week.
I was shocked to step outside yesterday afternoon into 80 degree air for a few reasons: 1) the weather app on my phone was incorrect, and 2) it’d been extremely windy, so I assumed it’d be somewhat chilly, and 3) it’d been rainy and miserable all week.
To celebrate what was probably the last beautiful day of the year, I decided to take some pictures out at Clayton Beach off Chuckanut Drive. I first started at Larrabee State Park, but South Whatcom Fire Authority was practicing rope rescue on the cliffs. Not that rope rescue isn’t interesting, but I’ve already been there/done that – plus they had someone there taking pictures.
Inspired by the leaves in a post last week, I thought I’d search for the first signs of fall here. This was unsuccessful, but I did find some different subject matter.
Someone must have known I was coming and considerately gathered all of these shells for me to photograph. I loved the purples, but also the contrasting textures of the course rock surface and the smooth shells.
There’s no shortage of interesting rock formations on Clayton Beach – or anywhere along Chuckanut Drive.
The light filtered through the trees and highlighted the still very green leaves attached to the peeling trunk of a Madrona.
I find these trees so fascinating and beautiful. One of my favorite Northwest subjects.
Camera: Canon 40d
David’s work inspires me. Take this picture he posted yesterday of something as completely ordinary as marbles. Somehow he throws together some green and blue glass, with a speck of orange, and it comes out looking like a masterpiece.
I had this in mind as I took a short walk this afternoon. Another transparent snail shell (and empty one this time) grabbed my attention, but I didn’t really want to photograph it because I’d already done something similar last week. But then thinking of the cumulative effect of David’s multiple marbles, I thought I’d gather a few shells and see what that looked like.
Like my friend Karen had told me, those little shells really are everywhere. It took me a minute to grab a handful and position them on a bench behind work. As I’m working to capture the effect of the light through the shell, I kept seeing this little Latino face pop over the wall. Before I could fully turn my head to acknowledge his presence, he would pop back down. So, out of the corner of my eye I watched him watch my little photo project.
The big surprise came when one of the supposedly empty shells started to move, and a slimy little life emerged and began cleaving to the neighboring shell. I got more than I bargained for!
After I returned indoors, I watched through the window as the Latino boy scampered around the wall and over to the pile of yellow shells. I was really hoping he’d take them, but I think he was afraid I’d come back.
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 100
Jolene's Life in Focus 