Come Sail Away

"I look to the sea,
Reflections in the waves spark my memory,
Some happy, some sad,
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had,
We lived happily forever, so the story goes,
But somehow we missed out on the pot of gold
But we'll try best that we can to carry on ..."
Come Sail Away [Styx]

 I hope you're carrying on into 2014. If you need a momentary break from winter, then close your eyes and come sail away with me (click on the link below the photos) ...

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil ...

Continuing with my bird theme, I found these three trying their best to imitate the famous monkeys, on one of our beach strolls recently.

(70-200mm  f11  1/400 sec  ISO200)

(Day 217) Santa's new helper

It seems a little strange to be thinking about Christmas in August, especially in the subtropics, where the beach-side temperature was just a few degrees below scorching. I was lulled into a false sense of security regarding over-exposure to the sun, due to the brisk breeze coming in off the water - the breeze accounting for the few degrees below scorching. After jumping up and down in the waves with my granddaughters for the better part of the day (I'm still experiencing the motion of waves as I sit and write this), I discovered - too late - that my skin had taken on that freshly-cooked lobster hue.

So, as I took shelter under our sun umbrella on the beach, and feeling like I was still sitting in the direct sun, I noticed a few of our feathered friends waiting patiently for a handout (no, we didn't give them anything). I took out the camera and found that one in particular had some resemblance to the most famous of Santa's helpers. I'm sure Santa can always use a little extra help during his busy season.

(70-200mm  f8  1/1000 sec  ISO200 - both shots)

can you spot him ?

how about now ?