Summer Days – A Photo Journal, Part 1: Beaches

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For me summer is that time of year that I love the most. Flip flops and sundresses, dining al fresco and basking in the sun by the shore. Lazy days, warm evenings and magical sunsets…bliss! For the next few posts, I am going to keep it simple and share with you some of my photos that reflect what summer means to me. First up: beaches! I was lucky enough to start my summer off with two trips to the tropics, first a business trip (yes I said business) to Punta Mita on Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, and then a scuba trip to the Turks and Caicos! Follow that with New York’s beautiful Long Beach and I’ve been to some pretty special beaches so far this summer! Three very different beaches, each with their own personality!

Beach at the Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico

Beach at the Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico

Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Long Beach, New York

Long Beach, New York

Next up…Summer Sunsets!

The Ocean’s Final Performance…

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©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

Being the beach lover that I am, I find it hard to say goodbye to summer. Living as I do in the Northeast, my days of beach-going usually last  just past Labor Day or the middle of September. I paid the ocean one last visit a couple of weekends ago when I went to visit a friend in Sag Harbor on the eastern end of Long Island. After kayaking in the bay in the morning, we drove to our favorite beach in Amagansett – Atlantic Ave Beach. The sky was bright blue and crystal clear  and even though it was late in the day and there had been a chill in the air by the bay earlier, the sun on the beach felt warm against my skin. The colors of the water, the sky and the beach were vivid and vibrant – much more so than in the middle of summer when the humidity often casts a gauzy haze over the seascape. But on that day, everything was super focused, sharp and clear, making sure that picture would remain with me throughout the rest of the year.

It must have known that this was my final visit for the year because the ocean put on the most spectacular show! Huge waves, curling perfectly and then crashing down in perfectly timed sets performed a magnificent dance. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I must have taken over 200 photos in the hour and a half that I was there! And way too soon it was time to leave the beach and that glorious ocean and head back to the city and towards a new season. But the ocean remains. It will continue to dance throughout the year, and while I may not be there for each performance, I will remember this last one until I return next summer.

©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

Go with the Flow Ocean and beach lover t-shirt

Go with the Flow Ocean and beach lover t-shirt for those who love the ocean be reminded of it all year long!

Why did the swan cross the road?

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Why did the swans cross the road?

Why did the swans cross the road?

This past Monday I took the day off and stayed out in Quogue on Eastern Long Island. My friend Judy and I went for a nice bike ride along the beach on Dune Road. We were riding along when Judy stopped to make a phone call and while waiting for her I happened to notice a very strange site: a whole family of swans were crossing the road from the bayside to the ocean side! They really didn’t care about the oncoming traffic – it stopped for them of course! What a sight to see: two grown parents, all white and regal looking, with 6 youngsters following behind!
Two adult swans and their brood

Two adult swans and their brood


They made it all the way to the dunes were trying to figure out how to get over them to the ocean when Judy and I decided to continue our bike ride. Later that day we came back out that way to go kayaking in the bay. On our way out we remarked that there were a few swans in the bay. Probably not the same ones we thought. When we came back to land our kayak on the beach where Judy keeps it, believe it or not the entire swan family from that morning was sitting on the beach waiting for us! What are the odds of that?
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