Chasing the Moon - California Central Coast

The beauty of the Central Coast never ceases to enthrall me. Interestingly enough, I don't consider myself a beach person, even though I grew up in Redondo Beach, part of the South Bay area of Los Angeles. But the Pacific Ocean has always been a part of my psyche. I fear I would miss it if I were to move too far inland. This is one of the reasons why: The vast expanse of sky that rivals anything in the Mid-West. Seeing the Sun dip below the horizon of the wine-dark sea, bathing the water and air and cloud alike in crimson hues, is truly breathtaking. Long after it has sunk from view, the afterglow deepens the intesity of colors until the evening mutes them in shades of purple and midnight blue. Add to that the thinnest sliver of Moon and the image is complete. The Greeks saw the bow of Artemis, the huntress and goddess of the Moon, in this phase. It's easy to see why.

Pacific Beach Sunset - California Central Coast

I shot the image above several years ago. It was the end of a long day with a lot of hazy, yucky weather coming down from Carmel along HWY 1. We reached this spot below Pacific Beach. It's near the last bend before getting to Gorda, where you can no longer see the multiple headlands looking North. Tina suggested we stop as she thought something interesting might develop. It did, producing one of the best sunset pictures I've managed to capture. Tina was so inspired by it that she's done two oil paintings based on this image. You can see them by visiting her blog at www.skyshadowstudios.blogspot.com. Yes, that is a shameless plug. But well worth the visit.