Tides nourish the land, and their dependable changes remind me that if life is difficult now, it will get easier…
This week’s Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge is “Change.” The serene view above is minutes from a busy New York City highway. Maybe the beautiful colors were caused by pollution, but that thought was far from my mind as I sat on the beach that evening, lost in the sound of gently lapping waves and the changing hues of sunset.
A receding tide offers foraging opportunities for Willets on Captiva Island in Florida.
The ebb tide lends itself to soft focus, also on Captiva.
Just after high tide, the noise is deafening as waves crash hard onto the rocky Washington shores of Rialto Beach. Bit by bit, centuries of changing tides have carved a dramatic seascape here.
Happily, the only buildings in the area are well out sight – it’s just rock, water, and sky as far as you can see.
Deception Pass divides two northern Washington islands. Water from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, separating Washington from Canada, is sucked in to Skagit Bay through this narrow passage, creating whirlpools and eddies.
The bridge whose shadow you see was built in the 1930’s – it’s WAY up over the pass, but if you’re not subject to vertigo you can walk across it.
On the bridge, you can look east towards Swinomish Indian lands,
watch the incoming tide as it ripples and flows,
and gaze straight down into paisley water swirling a tidal song of change.
Just to the north, on a rock in Rosario Bay, a gull perches precariously as an incoming tide approaches gently, leaving soft herringbone patterns on the Pacific blue waters.
In the intertidal zone the tide pools are slowly filling back up, wafting kelp in open circles.
Sea anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima), packed tightly into the tide pools, have closed up shop as the tide is out, but a few are starting to reach their tentacles out into the shallow, nutrient rich water.
At Salt Creek Recreation Area on the Olympic Peninsula the tide is halfway out, exposing a dizzying variety of colorful seaweed on the rocks.
Mussel shells tangle with seaweed on the rocks at my feet. It’s getting late, but gulls, cormorants and ducks will feast here til dusk. Tidelands along the Strait of Juan de Fuca support a complex ecosystem of plants, invertebrates, numerous species of fish and shellfish, porpoises, whales, sea otters, birds…I’m sure there are other living things I left out. People, for example!
In Seattle the ocean is a hundred miles away but the waters are still subject to tidal changes.
Looking west towards that distant ocean, the Olympic Mountains draw a ragged edge on a golden sunset as a lone pleasure boat heads north on an ebb tide.
More Weekly Photo Challenges on the topic of Change – a BIG one! – can be found here.
bluebrightly 
Perfectly lovely interpretation of the challenge. (But then you may have guessed that sea and water are particularly dear to me?)
LikeLike
Yes, and you certainly have some fantastic seascapes!
LikeLike
Spectacular seascapes! That last image is just stunning!
LikeLike
Thank you very much –
LikeLike
We are kvelling! Gorgeous… looking forward to paddling there and there and there someday. Thanks for this beautiful post.
LikeLike
Cool – I haven’t heard that word since I moved! Thank you!!
LikeLike
Ditto all of the above! The first one just blew me away, especially opened up, but then they just kept getting better and better!
LikeLike
you have another amazing set of images! thanks for some eye candy for a very weary artist! z
LikeLike
Aw, Lisa, that’s so good to hear!!
LikeLike
ooooh, you hooked me with that first shot, Lynn – and then to my delight, so many more beautiful shots. Great post.
LikeLike
Pingback: 4-18-13 Weekly Photo Challenge: Change (Take Two) | The Quotidian Hudson
I love the tinted watercolor look of the first image; hard to imagine it is just outside of NYC! A beautiful set of photos.
LikeLike
In fact, it’s within NYC – on Staten Island – the city is full of places like that. But you may have to wade through traffic to get to them! Thank you!
LikeLike
Grant seascape pictures.
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLike
Blue, that first shot totally spoilt me for the others (except maybe the last one). I just wanted to sit on that beach with you. Fabulous colours.
LikeLike
It was quite an unusual sunset – thank you!
LikeLike
Great pictures!
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike
Beautiful! 🙂
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed – thanks!
LikeLike
Thank goodness for you Lynn. Since Meg isn’t going to school in Seattle 😦 I am so glad I have you to tour and photograph the area for me. Your images are the next best thing to being there!!! 🙂
LikeLike
Unitl you visit anyway, I’m more than happy to provide the local color!
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
You have an amazing sense for nature and beauty, bluebrightly! I really enjoy your photos and narrations!
LikeLike
Thank you – I’m glad!
LikeLike
I like the metaphorical way that you began this post–seeing tides as a reminder that life itself is largely a series of ongoing processes. Your variety of views here reflect that as well. About those photographs :).. I’m especially fond of your image of the rocky northwest coast–a picture which rewarded you with a perfect exposure, despite some very challenging light!
LikeLike
Thank you for noting that John – and if you see this reply, I’m curious as to which photo you mean – one was in the sunlight & the other was on an overcast day. The overcast one was really hard to process – I kept going back and increasing the exposure around the rocks and decreasing it in the sky, increasing yellow luminance & saturation, etc! I don’t have to tell you how hard the light is at the seashore – you do much better with it!
LikeLike
The fourth one down from the top was the one I was referring to — I liked the way you’ve succeeded with what looks like a difficult exposure, and still have plenty of detail in the brightest highlights and darkest shadows.
LikeLike
That one! That was an outstanding day – thanks very much John, I know what you mean and I suspect it was more luck than skill.
LikeLike
What a beautiful post, Lynn…so rich…and the selection for the final or closing image was superb…wonderful photo. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Scott – I thought that was good for the end, too. There are a few places in Seattle where you can look down on the Sound and a marina like that, and it can be magical, especially with the Olympics across the water.
LikeLike
As always, Lynn, your pictures of changing tides are beautiful. I love the swirling water from above and the kelp and seaweed. So colorful!
LikeLike
Seaweed and swirling waters must look good to someone living in the desert! ; )) Thanks Cathy!
LikeLike
You are certainly right about that, but I can go to the coast and go snorkeling in Oman, which reminds me, I should do just that before I leave!! Thanks. 🙂
LikeLike
you’ve created a great tribute to the tides!
LikeLike
Thank you Frizz – always good to hear from you.
LikeLike
Gorgeous pictures. I love the shadow of the bridge in the water. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you Marsha – that’s the kind of thing that usually annoys me, but sometimes you gotta work with it!
LikeLike
Being to be a Zen Buddhist, I would say, is there anything hasn’t, wouldn’t ever changed ?
Still, you seems taking photos where ever, and always pretty high quality —— wouldn’t be any
chance, you to fed-up to do or doing badly ?
Ha ha ha , I’m just kidding 😀
LikeLike
Change is always with us, for sure…and thank you for the compliment, though the translation is a bit hard to understand…but I take it well!!
LikeLike