Rehoboth Revisited. Again.

Returning for a moment to the happy place of my childhood vacations, we have another group of photos from Rehoboth Beach, DE. Actually, the shot of the WWII-era observation towers is from North Rehoboth, halfway to Cape Henlopen, but close enough. I didn't fully appreciate this 1999 photograph until recently, when I scanned the negative. There are PEOPLE (I know!) walking in the distance. There's a gull in flight near the more distant tower and another one standing in the lower right-hand corner, as well as a lone sandpiper near the very bottom of the frame - all of which I can barely make out in the machine-printed 4x6 that came from the store.

Gulls - 2001. Usually it's only two to a light pole, but today, let's live dangerously and make it three!

I posted the time-lapse shot of Funland's carousel last year, so this time I thought I'd show what it really looks like. It's not the park's original, but it is still a pretty special machine.

The Paratrooper. I remember when they added this ride, and to this day it remains my favorite. The views of Rehoboth and the breeze on one's dangling feet are worth every ticket.

Plus, look how FAST it goes!

Another shot from 2001 that nearly got away. I had been shooting long exposures for over an hour, and had just shot this ride in motion. When it sat idle for just a moment, I realized it was the only ride in the entire park that wasn't moving. In the background, the little fire trucks, boats, carousel, silver spinny things, teacups and helicopters are all a blur of kiddie fun. I also like that the haunted mansion is just visible at the far right of the frame.

Toys! "We await The Claw. Ooooooohh..."

The iconic Dolles sign. I can't imagine the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and the Boardwalk without it.

Going back to 1999, we have a study in wind-swept foliage and late afternoon shadows along the dune fence.

The happy hour sun on one of Rehoboth's weathered old jetties.

Thank you for joining me for my beach therapy! Back soon...

More Critters!

Here are a few more images - taken at various points on my photographic learning curve - of the creatures that fascinate me. All were shot on film and then scanned. Above, seagulls atop the Sunview Motel in Rehoboth Beach, DE in 1985. I was too comfortable to get up from my beach towel, so this was shot using every millimeter of my zoom.

Still unwilling to move, I shot this beggar at a range of about 12 feet. Rehoboth - 1985.

Who can resist a kitten? Not me. Especially not little Tarzan, captured here with his "Dad" in Damascus, MD in the first few days of 1995.

Butterfly and roadside flowers along Route 3 in Virginia's Northern Neck - 1999.

With slow film, inadequate light and no flash, I wasn't quite able to freeze this peacock as sharply as I'd have liked (didn't quite nail the manual focus, either), but I find his colors and downright hostile expression to be irresistible. St. Augustine, FL - 1999.

I've always loved sandpipers, but they are really tough to photograph. The rascals in this shot were scampering along the surf at dawn (DAWN! I was up at dawn, once!) in Naples, FL in 1999. I caught them just as one bird decided to go rogue and reverse direction.

Odd Bird Out - near Pier 39 in San Francisco, CA - 1987. On the other side of the railing is a 25-foot drop to a busy highway, so I don't know what this web-footed little guy was thinking. Also not sure what kind of bird this is. Anyone?

Speaking of animals that are hard to photograph...
Hummingbird Pit Stop - Lancaster, VA - 2001.

Squirrels, on the other hand, are more than happy to sit up and strike (and hold!) a pose for the camera. This is one of my mother's overfed little rodents in Rockville, MD in 1991.

I have hundreds of better shots of DC's current giant pandas, but this 1996 image of a pensive old Hsing-Hsing alone in his yard conveys more about the species - and about this bear in particular - than I can put into words here.

THANKS FOR VISITING. Coming soon - the cruising years: mountains and barns and churches and all sorts of oddball discoveries from the mid-Atlantic states...