Short trip to the beach

I took myself down to Gulf Shores a few weeks ago (November 5-7). There was a break in the rainy weather, so I decided to head down there. I have missed our frequent trips to the Gulf and it has been three years since I'd been. The favorable weather forecast was a sure sign that it was time to hurry down before it started raining again. It looked like I'd have two good days at the beach. My goal was to spend time at Gulf State Park where there is plenty of beachfront to explore, an excellent fishing pier with various accommodations that include clean restrooms, and nature trails and points of interest on the areas of the park around Lake Shelby.

One thing I hoped to do while I was there was get some photos of sunrise over the Gulf. However, I awoke to heavy fog both days and decided to wait to go to the park until about 6:30 each morning. Wait a minute! This trip is supposed to be for relaxation and I'm actually thinking of heading to the beach before sunrise every day?? I guess I'm finding out the lengths to which I'm willing to go in order to get a photograph. 

Here's a shot of the sunrise through the fog at about 6:30 Friday morning.
(larger views may be available for some photos by clicking on them)

The state park is a couple of miles from the hotel where I stayed, requiring that I drive down to the pier. Even the closest hotel is probably a mile from the park entrance, making it necessary to drive if you are planning to take much gear. I had a folding camp chair, beach umbrella, a backpack stuffed with all my smaller necessities, and one of my two trekking poles to assist with walking because of my gimpy hip. There used to be a nice lodge on the beach at the park, but it was the victim of at least one hurricane a few years ago. There are plans to rebuild, but it seems that bureaucracy and funding issues have the project on hold. 

 The fog was lifting a bit when I got to the pier parking lot around 6:40 and I got this nice shot. 

By the time I got my gear together and got down to the beach, it was about 7:00. I took numerous shots of the sun a few degrees above the horizon. 

The day turned out to be beautiful and warm with few people on the beach. There was lots of fishing activity at the pier and early in the day there were fishermen on the beach as well. Going to the beach at this time of year is so different from the summer visits. Of course, the beach areas at the hotels and condos have much more activity, but the state park area is considerably less crowded. It is one of my favorite places to go. 

What a warm and beautiful day. I really enjoyed my brief time there. It has been much too long since I've been down to the Gulf. I should definitely consider doing this again, weather permitting.

WIP

Working on a watercolor from a photo I made at Gulf Shores, AL back in July.

 Backlit shot of a Great Blue Heron in a gnarly old Live Oak tree at sunset at the state park campground. Still have some work to do, but it's getting there. I guess.

I'm thinking I might like it better in oils or acrylic, so I might do another one.

Gulf Shores Sea Oats

I found this picture as I was going through the many photos I made during my several trips to the Gulf last year. I really like sea oats. Because of the need to protect them from erosion, there aren't a lot of areas where there is access to large areas of them, so I don't get many chances to photograph them. I made this while at Gulf Shores State Park one day. I thought it was a good example of "Art in the Wind" because of the gentle rhythm of the sea oats as they swayed in the ocean breeze. I think I'd really like to be there now, since the weather forecast for the Huntsville area tonight and tomorrow is rain with some snow.