a million degrees.

It's been a few weeks since I put up a new post, and after the tourist inducing heat this week I wanted to look back on the rainy days from the week before. The sun wont be setting on the beach until the fall, so this partial-view is from April 13, 2012. Heavy cloud coverage from the downpour.

unintentional.

This was taken sometime after the 2005 or 2006 New Year. My friend and I were driving home from Vegas, and the clouds looked cool. Not sure if I realized it was a sunset - was just bored in traffic. Not even sure what camera I was using at the time.

second day of spring.

I was admiring the ever-changing clouds so much today that after taking a picture around mid-day I decided to alter my blogging parameters to include cloud posts during the off-season. It's my prerogative to change the rules. Sunset tonight, March 22, 2012 shows early signs of the storm that's rolling through.

wake me up when september ends.

So yeah, I'm quoting a song I don't really care for from a band that a I do actually care for. Basically, I'm not in denial anymore. Sunset season is coming to an end and will resume winter 2012. Not to worry. I have some great, and some so-so archives to keep the blog alive. Yesterday, March 17, 2012 was the first evening break in rain all week that brought a little pink to the sky. Oh, also I spotted, but did not photograph a rainbow this morning - the day after St. Patrick's Day. Coincidence? I think not.

r.i.p. canon rebel #10

It's raining....it's snowing? This week finally feels like winter. Really, am I the only one that cares about our California vegetation? Everyone needs to stop bitching about being cold and wet, just wear a jacket for a few days and then enjoy 360 other days of sun.  These pictures are from January 19, 2010 and the first one is interesting to me because like the dork I am, I remember thinking "whoah, is that snow?". The tide was just extremely high, and the waves were crashing right before the road, leaving a layer of foam. It doesn't snow here, just wishful thinking upon first glance.

r.i.p. canon rebel #9

The day was December 16, 2009. The weather was mild and my mood was upbeat. Take the dog to the beach? Sure, why not. So I'm waiting for the sunset and everyone is frolicking in the sand, but my little punk of a dog just couldn't play nice. He was growling and snapping at the other friendly canine, so I looked at the clouds and decided I was over it. Fifteen minutes later we made it home and the sky looked insane. That sort of electric pink doesn't happen all the time. Even if I got in my car I wouldn't have been able to make it back in time. So guess who gets the blame? And that is the story of why I no longer have a dog....Just kidding; really it's a family dog so he lives with my mom now, but even if I visit it's unlikely I'd take him for beach sunsets anymore...

R.I.P CANON REBEL #8

February 26, 2010 - not a spectacular sunset or anything but two things I do like: 1) the clouds are awesome and 2) the couple wearing the wetsuits would show up at this beach all the time. They'd run down the stairs, jump in the water, splash around for a few minutes, and then turn around and walk back up the stairs. Not to get all sappy or anything, but it seemed really sweet - I mean the ocean is freezing. Like dip your toe in the water and that's all you need. Cold water, point taken. Surfers are out there sure, but they're in it for the long haul. I've even seen dogs abandon their tennis ball if it goes too deep. 

ONE OF THE FIRST

December 6, 2008 - this was in Capitola Village. The old shared computer that held all the other shots from this day has departed to wherever defunct electronics go. Luckily I had saved one shot through email before the memory was wiped, and now my laptop is not for public use. Such a good sunset, I'm a huge fan of ascending clouds (or maybe descending depending on where you stand?). Totally remember this day - some of my friends were in town and it was decided that we would go Christmas shopping, which is pretty much my worst nightmare. After a short amount of time I used the sunset as my excuse to escape the stores for awhile, and my friend and I cut away from the group. Pretty happy we did, even if the result is one photo - the memory remains.

R.I.P CANON REBEL #7

Capitola Village sunrise January 15, 2010. All I really remember about this is that the tide was really high and I felt like it may be a good idea to invest in rain boots....which I never did.

R.I.P CANON REBEL #6 - CEMENT SHIP

Sunset on January 3, 2010. Aptos Beach - the cement ship looks kind of cool from a distance, but if you walk the pier you can actually look through the fenced off area and see that it is full of birds and what they do best: shit all over the place.

DUD OF A WEEK

The sun has been shining, the birds have been chirping, and everyone in town is bustin out their bikes and skateboards. It must be spring. Yet it feels a lot like summer, like 70 degree weather days. Oh and I've seen like five people riding tandem bikes. Tandem bikes I say! What is this world coming to? No sunsets either. Twenty minutes before the sun went down February 26, 2012 I thought their was a chance but nothing came of it.

I JUST KNEW...

Got ready to leave for class about 20 minutes before sundown, and I was 100% sure the sunset February 21, 2012 would be awesome....and I would be indoors "learning" about standard deviation, frequency distributions, histograms, and crap like that. So I did what any enthusiast does when being hindered by general education - I found a spot at the very top of the parking structure and got a few shots as the sky was starting to get some good colors.

DOWN THE TRACKS

Thanks to our long gone fearless leaders, I had no work or school today. Hurray. Sunset February 20, 2012.

R.I.P. CANON REBEL #5

A little more than a year ago today, February 4, 2011 was an insane sunset. Cheers to the archives while dark clouds currently black out the sunset.

I WAS UP ANYWAY

Over winter break I set my alarm every morning and looked out the window to see if weather conditions would make it worth going to check out the sunrise. 99% of the time I peaked out for 2 seconds and then got back in bed. My alarm is only set to go to work nowadays. Today, February 13, 2012 I was already out to catch the moment right as the sun cracked through. If I was 10 minutes earlier there may have been some intense colors. But the rad tree I spotted was a good enough find for me.

WHAT CLOUDS?

I don't even bother with going out for pictures if I don't see clouds. Today's exception was for a friend who will be sacrificed to Seattle very, very soon. February 11, 2012 was just a simple, no-frills sunset.

MATH CLASS

Statistics overlapped with the sunset tonight. Honestly, as much as I would have loved to have been in clear view of the sky, I'm glad I got to see anything at all. The clouds were perfect - I totally don't use that word lightly. Just a glorious array setup for the end of the day on February 9, 2012, and I was driving in the opposite direction. It was worth barely making it to class on time after I stopped around campus to get whatever shots I could.

Really though, pictures don't do this sunset justice.