A Sunset to Die For
During our first motorcycle trip to Prince Edward Island (PEI) on our Honda ST 1100, we had a sunset experience that left us thinking even the most beautiful sunset is not worth going over a three hundred-foot cliff.
We were staying at Harbor Lights Cottages near French River. During a conversation with the proprietor of the cottages, we asked how we could find the best sunset in PEI. “You’ve already walked up to Cape Tryon,” he replied. “Apparently, it’s one of the best on the island.”
We decided to, as my spouse says, “give it a go” that very evening. However, we were a bit late leaving, so we actually thought we would miss the sun setting. When we got to the top of the hill and looked back, we could see that the shadows were definitely lengthening.
But, as luck would have it, just as we got to the top of the hill, a car stopped beside us. A man was driving and a woman was in the passenger seat.
“Do you know how to get to Cape Tryon?” the driver asked.
“Yes,” we replied. “In fact, we’re on our way there. Would you mind giving us a ride?”
“Not at all,” he said. “Get in.”
We climbed into the back seat. Because it was only a four- or five-minute drive, we didn’t bother fastening our seat belts.
“It’s the next right,” I told him as we approached Cape Tryon Road.
He made the turn onto the unpaved red clay road and stepped on the accelerator. Julie and I had walked up to the lighthouse a couple days before, so we knew there was a steep, three hundred-foot cliff to the rocks and ocean below.
We didn’t even have time to ask the driver to slow down. We both reached for our seat belts. As I fastened mine, and looked down to see my right foot searching for a brake.
However, the driver came to a skid in a cloud of red dust before we all tumbled to our demise, and we all jumped out. Julie and I were relieved to still be alive.
The sunset was as advertised: stunningly spectacular. We took a number of pictures, enjoyed the moment, and let our heart rates get back to normal.
When it was time to leave, the driver asked us if we’d like a ride back.
“No, thank you,” we both said in unison. “We’ll walk.”
We both came to the same conclusion. While there are sunsets to die for, there are none worth dying for.
Doesn't Cost to Point and Shoot
I love this picture for a couple of reasons.
First, it’s a great photo. The sky is a variety of shades of lighter blue; the ocean is a variety of shades of darker blue.
The boats are pointed to the horizon, as if longing to be there. The subtle green, orange and yellow adds highlights to the picture and brings out the life-saving equipment on the boats and the pedantic existence of those items that cannot put out to sea.
The second reason I love this photo is that it proved a point. It was taken somewhere on Prince Edward Island during our first trip there in 2008.
Before we set out, I provided Julie with a camera and asked her to take pictures. “What will I take pictures of?” she asked.
“Anything,” I replied. “It’s a digital camera. It doesn’t cost anything to point and shoot.”
As I said, this picture was taken somewhere on Prince Edward Island. I suspect it was during our day trip to Tignish, but I’m not sure.
I actually “found” this image as a smaller part of a larger image that was snapped as we went by on the motorcycle. This image occupied about one-fifth of the frame. I found it, expanded it, altered the colours a tiny bit and voila!! A 16x20 of this picture has been up on the wall of our house for more than a decade.
This picture, and that trip, ignited a photographic bug in my partner that has led to more than 25,000 photos from all 10 of Canada’s provinces, the west coast of the United States, the loneliest highway in America, Great Britain, Shanghai, China, and more than 3,000 photographs from our recent trip to Japan.
Not all of these photos are as beautiful as this one. But, as I explained to my partner, if one in a hundred is a really good picture, with 25,000 frames, you will have some excellent pictures. And, unlike the old days when photography was expensive, you can afford to shoot to your heart’s content with digital.
And she has. We both have.
The purpose of this blog is to share that beauty. After all, what good are the photos if they only sit on our computer?
Photography is like a chocolate bar. If you eat it alone, all you gain is calories and guilty pleasure. If you share it, you still get the sweet pleasure, but you also gain the joy of bringing happiness to others.
Click here to enjoy the gallery. Enjoy!