Sunrise, Again

In my many slides that I am attempting to organize I found some photos of a sunrise on Wrightsville Beach back in February. I originally posted some photos I took with my little digital camera here. It is interesting to compare the two formats. Also please disregard the hair in the corner, I need to rescan a few slides and pay better attention.

A Trip to the Beach

This past weekend my family and I took a quick trip to the beach. Normally, when we go we stay with friends and it is as much about catching up with friends as anything else. This time we stayed in a hotel at the end of Wrightsville Beach. We just wanted to get away and not talk about anything going on in our lives. My daughter loved the hotel room, she loved the sand, and the restaurants. It's funny how we lived there and got tired of the restaurants and now we miss some of them like crazy! All and all the trip was a huge success and was relaxing. Of course, as the week goes on the stress of waiting increases. I guess we will just have to go back again this weekend! I wish.

I also took pictures of the sunrise with the 35 mm camera, but these are the digital pictures. I know I have been so slack about developing film. My current role has 36 frames and for some reason it seems to take a lot longer to finish 36 over 24. Hmmmmm...

Photo From the Past: Pink Roses

Starting late last night we experienced an intense thunderstorm with plenty rain and wind. It was akin to the hurricanes/tropical storms that I lived through in Wilmington. Last night I woke up around 3 or 4 for some reason and looked out the window. The sky was red and the wind was whipping through the trees and pushing the rain sideways. Always a sight.

Today my daughter and I took a walk in the gardens to survey the remnants of the storm. The bog garden was full of big puddles; some much, much bigger than normal puddles. My daughter wore her new rainboats (we bought them yesterday) and she had fun splashing. After splashing in the puddles she would sit in them. Luckily, I had dry pants in the car.

I have gotten a new battery for my camera and lot's of film and should have new pictures soon (hopefully of rain and ducks). Enjoy the weather where ever you may be.

Downtown Wilmington

When I lived in Wilmington these are some of my favorite places to both visit and just look at. I really miss living somewhere that I can take a relatively short walk and be near restaurants and old buildings. Nikki's is my most favorite restaurant in the whole world. I miss it dearly. I've considered moving back just so I can eat there on a regular basis (though the lack of jobs in the area usually cancels out that idea). And, of course, yummy fudge and the good smells coming from the ice cream/chocolate shop cap of a downtown Wilmington visit.

Still super busy here. It should all change tomorrow. My sister is off to Hawaii and I have finally finished designing my DVD. Finally, peace in the house. I hope.

Flip'n Friday: Wrightsville Beach

Wrightsville from Chelsea Wayant on Vimeo.

I am still in Vermont, but before I left I made a piece for this weeks Flip'n Friday. This was shot during our trip to Wilmington. We will be back on Sunday and I will be able to catch up with the week. Enjoy this peaceful video.

Thoughts on Music Down by the River

Yesterday around dinner time we were listening to our Avett Brothers Channel on Pandora. If you haven't listened to Pandora before it's an interesting take on a radio station where you put in a favorite band/artist and the program chooses similar music for you. By the end when I was cleaning up and it was just me and my daughter dancing (my husband cooked so he was relaxing) we rocked out first to The Band's The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and then to Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone. I suddenly realized I could have been a kid in the kitchen with my mom because the music hadn't changed. Just maybe my attitude.

When I was young I defiantly hated Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead. I remember admitting that Dylan's songs were good, but his voice was unbearable. "Mom, he can't sing," I would say. She would shrug, in a that's not what really matters kind of way. I'm not sure about the Dead, the songs were probably too long or something. I don't think it was my mom that won me over, but more than likely D.A. Pennebaker; having watched Don't Look Back so often I finally had to learn to love appreciate the voice of the reluctant prophet. And so I dance in the kitchen.

Thinking about downtown Wilmington, the Cape Fear River, and the Grateful Dead reminded me of a few months I spent years ago grading standardized tests. We had this very dry, very boring grading scale. The only "essay" that I remember is one where the student had written down all the lyrics perfectly (I sang it in my head to check) to Friend of the Devil. I had to give that student a zero, but I often think I wish that I knew who he/she was because I think there was a spark there. The student could have left the essay area blank, but didn't. This is why teachers need to grade their own tests.

Some of the music my parents listened to I didn't object to so much, in fact it was mostly those two, I needed to rebel against something. My parents also listen to John Prine on a fairly regular basis and when he played with Patty Griffin (a personal fave) a few years back my husband and I had to go. You can check out a clip from the show here, though it's not the whole song it's still enjoyable. Be prepared to sing the song all day long, it's that good. Though I do have to say if I had a nickel for every time either of my parents has said, "Jesus...the missing years." I'd be fairly well off.

And, yes, mom I know you're smiling right now. Enjoy it.

Ocean Magic

For each visit to the beach during our weekend excursion to Wilmington we went during magic hour. This is the time of day when the sun is either just about to rise or set. Of course it is not really an hour long, more like 15-30 minutes. It's magic because nothing casts shadows and there is a beautiful soft, cool light. The sun is level with the horizon and its rays are scattering off the ozone making this extraordinary light.

Just after/prior (depending on sunrise/set) to magic hour is golden hour when the sun is just hovering above the horizon and long warm, golden rays cast long soft shadows. It's really hard to drive west during golden hour because the sun is right at eye level, but it doesn't last long. There is nothing like having the time to enjoy the light, particularly as it dances across the ocean changing its color from moment to moment.

Playing Catch-up

We got back from Wilmington a little later than we expected yesterday and were utterly exhausted. I was fast asleep by 9:30 and that hasn't happened in a long time. I have three rolls of films to take to the lab today and should have some pictures up from our trip tomorrow. I hope you enjoy some of these lingering flower photos from the arboretum.

It's nice to visit Wilmington and it makes me miss living close to the beach. Even though we did not visit the beach as often as we should have when we lived there (barely a 15 min car ride); it's really the smell and the texture of the air that I miss. I don't think we can move back there because there is not a lot of work in the city, plus they are letting urban sprawl get out of control, but that was happening when we lived there. Nothing has really changed that much in the three years that we have been gone. Some restaurants have come and gone, Mayfaire Shopping Center has grown, UNCW's campus has grown extensively, but that is about it.

The Final Products

I know that I have been writing too much about my cupcakes, but they were really fun to make and took about a fair amount of my time. I still have a few more pictures on my next roll of film though these photos should at least give you an idea. There were three different types of cupcakes: Coconut Lime, Rosewater Pistachio, and Chocolate Almond with Ganache and Marzipan Flowers. Ironically, I didn't notice the kids at the barbecue eating the cupcakes as I thought they would (of course they could have just been sneaking bites of all the desserts); it seemed the adults were the most intrigued.

Tomorrow we are going to Wilmington for a little weekend vacation. I've checked the weather and it should be a little cooler there, thank goodness. Being so close to the coast I would also expect to pick up a little breeze every once and awhile. I will be sure to take as many pictures as possible to escape all these baking photos with which I have been bombarding this blog.

Photos from the Past: Wilmington, NC

I recently found the above photos that were taken in Wilmington, NC. I was thinking about them today because we are hoping to go visit soon. The great thing about living there was being so close to the downtown. We took beautiful walks all the time down to the river and among all the old historic houses. While I love visiting all the gardens here in Greensboro I wish I didn't have to drive to them.

It's funny that I don't have any pictures of the beach to post. When most people think of Wilmington they think of the beach (though technically there is no beach in Wilmington; the beaches are located in Carolina Beach, Kure, Wrightsville Beach, etc), whereas I think of downtown and the river. Don't worry I will be sure to get some beach pictures on my next visit.