Torrey Pines Beach, Del Mar, CA
Some of you have ignored my entreaties to read what I write, and have instead been asking me all kinds of questions about the photo on the homepage of this site. Where was it taken? Were the pelicans photoshopped in? Have I always been such a gifted photographer? Why do I write when I can take photos like this? Really, it's a crime that I am a writer and not a photographer. That kind of thing.
Well, friends who grew up with me will recognize this is the view from the ocean bluffs north of Torrey Pines State Park in Del Mar, California. This shot is looking south toward Torrey Pines State Park. La Jolla is off in the distance to the right, and no, I did not photoshop the pelicans in. These guys fly up and down the coast all day, riding the breeze off the ocean. I just waited patiently for them to organize themselves in the most photographically appealing manner possible, then snapped like crazy. The trippy texture of the photo is a Snapseed filter of some kind (I can't remember which), and the surf that day was exceptionally good. I don't know what's happened to the surf in my hometown, but every time I visit the waves seem to be perfect: 4-6 feet with a glassy face and gentle shoulders. Where were those waves when I was growing up?
Anyway, I hope that clears up the mystery of the fabulous photo. Myriad other mysteries will be unmasked in this space in the weeks and months to come, including another big one that people I grew up with often ask: Why do I live in Minnesota now? After all, the waves here do suck pretty bad.