It's Friday!

First of all, I'd like to congratulate:

Kristen with comment #100:  Second time's the charm?? Hopefully!  

Kristen won the Stella and Dot bracelet.  Kristen please email me the mailing address you'd like the bracelet shipped to and I'll get it sent off as soon as possible.  For those of you who didn't win, remember, you can order Stella and Dot jewelry by clicking here.  Thank you to Missy for providing the bracelet for a giveaway.

Moving on ...

It isn't summer if I'm not spending my evenings at the beach. 

I love to arrive around five p.m. and stay until after dark.  It's my absolute (!!) favorite time of day.

Last weekend I took a series of photos with my fairly-old-and-now-out-of-date pocket camera.  They certainly aren't perfect photos, but they'll give you a feel for summer evenings in Orange County.  (There might have been copious amounts of vodka - with a splash or two of cranberry juice - involved in this photo taking session also.)

By the way, these photos were taken at Calafia Beach in San Clemente.

When we arrived, there were still a lot of people enjoying the beach.  (I was accompanied by Briefcase and other assorted family members and friends - we had quite a group!)

It wasn't long, however, until the evening train came by.  It runs (almost) on the sand itself along this stretch of the coastline.

A few minutes later, the lifeguard drove by.  He was announcing to everyone the sun would be setting soon and the lifeguard towers would no longer be manned.  (In other words, swim at your own risk!)

The beach emptied out.  I love having the beach mostly to myself.  

I think, right about then, it was time to refill everyone's drinks and spread the picnic out onto a blanket.  We brought an assortment of cheeses, crackers, a lot of different types of fresh fruit, chips and salsa, baby carrots and hummus, sandwiches, brownies and, and, and ...!

The beach is amazing in the evenings as the sun sets.  The colors of the sky change quickly.  The colors also change substantially depending on which direction you're looking in.

On this particular evening, to the south, the beach looked almost winter-ish and pink as the sun was setting.

To the west, the sky glowed a deep and vibrant orange.

As the sun began dipping below the horizon, pelicans soared in search of their dinner.

And then ...

The moon rose over the ocean making the evening even more spectacular.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Comments

[di]

Love the evenings, but sunrise beckons me outdoors more so. Which do you like more at the beach when it comes to photography, considering that mornings you would have the sun behind you.

Di

[Carolyn Online]

*sigh* I miss the beach. Come to think of it, that was kind of mean of you to put all those lovely pictures up here. Unless of course you invite us all out for a sunset picnic. I can be there in five hours.

[missy]

I love Califia - so pretty and peaceful.

[Twenty Four At Heart]

di - I definitely prefer sunset. Here in S. California we often have a layer of beach fog in the mornings. It isn't great for photos. The evenings are much better.

[Anne Gibert]

Beautiful beach, great photos. Our beach is too chilly in the evenings. But I love it in the afternoons.

[Jan]

Girl, I'm beginning to believe you'd take good pictures with one of those old cameras that developed it's own film...those sunsets and the one with the tracks in the sand are just gorgeous.

[DuchessOmnium]

Oh you lucky Pacific people... And yes, what Jan said.

[[email protected]]

What beautiful photos Suzanne - so envious! I'm tempted to take a few shots of the beaches in Wales where we are headed this weekend to visit my MIL. They would show us shivering in the car whilst eating our mouldy cheese sandwiches, as the horizontal rain lashes the sea. 'Character building' is what they call it.

[Donna Long]

I'm now livin' in Pa. and do miss OC and it's beaches. They're sooooo beautiful and I do have lots of great memories. There's nothing more gorgeous than the setting of the sun over the waters. One of these days I hope to see them again. Also, driving along the PCH is breathtaking. One of my favorite places tho, is Inspiration Point. BEAUTIFUL I keep up with your pictures and recognize many of the places. Keep 'em comin'!

[Nancy P]

What a dream world that is to me. So very pretty.

[ocshannon714]

This post makes me want 1. To go by myself a bracelet from Stella and Dot. 2. Go to the beach at sunset and 3. Drink lots of vodka.

Thanks for the great post, and I LOVED the pics!!!

[Jane]

Wow, I'm completely and utterly jealous. Of the beach and of your photo taking abilities! Beautiful.

[Michelle]

I am loving the colors in the moon shot. Simply gorgeous.

[Poppy]

Gorgeous shots!