Summer Days – A Photo Journal, Part 1: Beaches

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Sheryl Checkman

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

Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Long Beach, New York

Next up…Summer Sunsets!

The Ocean’s Final Performance…

Posted on October 1, 2012 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.

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

Balance and the environment: saving our oceans, one t-shirt at a time

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Sheryl Checkman

Anyone who knows me, knows that the ocean is my second home (or would be if I already owned my dream home). From the time my father taught me to swim as a little girl, I have always felt comfortable in and around the water. Whether I’m sitting on the beach watching the ocean’s waves roll in and out or immersed in it, not only do I feel at peace, but I feel a connection to something special. When I scuba dive I am a visitor to another world — a world beneath the sea. There is an enormous amount of life under the ocean’s surface. Coral reefs are teaming with life, fish and animals both big and microscopic all living together in a fine balance. Each time I dive, I notice more damage to the reefs and less and less fish life. There are many organizations who dedicate themselves to protecting and preserving our ocean environments and educating divers, fisherman and the general population about ways they can help.

One of my Life is Balance® designs (above) represents our need to protect and preserve our oceans and their inhabitants. I have decided to donate portion of sales from this design to an environmental charity. The question is, which one? I am currently considering two different organizations. Blue Ocean Institute uses science, art, and literature to inspire a closer bond with nature, especially the sea. As an artist and ocean lover, I like this.

Another ocean environmental organization that I am looking at is Oceana Oceana is the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans. Oceana’s vision is “to make our oceans as rich, healthy and abundant as they once were.” The oceans cover 71 percent of our planet. They control our climate, drive our economies and feed our peoples.
A sentence in particular from their vision statement struck a chord with me:
“For millions of sailors, swimmers and vacationers of all stripes, they offer a refuge from the metal and concrete that encase our working lives.” Now if that’s not what Life is Balance® stands for I don’t know what is!

I’d love for my readers to share their thoughts and opinions about these particular organizations and help me decide which one to contribute to.