It has been this time during the last few years when my wife, dog, and I would be getting everything together to take a nice, relaxing family vacation to St. George Island on Florida’s Forgotten Coast. Of course, that was in the days BC (“before Covid”). Now, under the dark specter of a pandemic, there will be no trip for us this year. What a sad and depressing end to a year full of sad and depressing news.
But, I thought I would try to relive a few of our previous trips through a couple of my favorite photos from those past travels. Here we go for a quick trip down memory lane!
Battery Park Pier
This picture of Battery Park Pier in Apalachicola, taken in 2017, was not the image I had set out to make. The morning I took this picture, I was expecting clear skies and a beautiful sunrise. Instead, I got heavy clouds and a thick fog. But, the clouds and fog not only could not detract from the pier’s strong graphic design and the wonderful reflections of the pier’s lights but also added a sense of quietness to the scene. Converting the image to black and white further emphasized the calmness I felt when I was standing there.
Colorful Seashells
When we go to St. George Island, our dog loves his walks on the beach and very quickly becomes accustomed to his four one-hour walks each day. It was on one of these walks in 2018 that I noticed clusters of seashells that had washed ashore. Because the individual shells in many of the clusters were too widely spaced, broken, or both, it took some time to find just the right composition. But, I persevered until I found these shells that were closely packed and mostly unbroker with muted shades of color.
The Old Boat
One of the things I love to do when we visit St. George Island is to make the twenty minute drive into Apalachicola and spend some time early in the morning just walking around the town. Being a major player in the seafood industry, the air is filled with the sounds and smells of fishing boats and seafood companies, and wonderful photographic opportunities are everywhere. Walking along Water Street during our trip in 2019, I spotted this old abandoned boat behind a chain-link fence, and I felt compelled to photograph it.
Fishing Buoys
After photographing the old abandoned boat, we continued walking down Water Street before eventually turning around and heading back to the car and going back to St. George Island. As we made our way to the car, I came across these fishing buoys hanging on some netting outside a small nautical and antique shop. The buoys were well used, but I loved all the different colors and shapes they provided.
Even though staying home this year is probably the wise decision to make, it’s still very disappointing. Here’s to a better 2021.