February at South Goat Rock Beach
This beach, the one above, will be C-L-O-S-E-D for the next 7 months. Just announced today in the local newspaper: due to budget cuts the State of California will be closing a number of my favorite beaches from this Monday, November 2nd, until June 30th, 2010. The sensitive part of me is crying ‘foul’ and the spunky part of me is digging my heels in and vowing to visit these exquisite places no matter what.
To give a little background, I have loved the Pacific Ocean for as long as I can remember. I currently live about 35 minutes away from the beach but still make the trip out at least once per week. Feeling the sand between my toes, the breeze in my hair, hearing the waves crashing and breaking on the shore, smelling the salty air – it all makes me feel so alive. This is my personal therapy - my time - the time I get to leave the complexities of life behind and enjoy the moment. The State of California, however, does not seem to respect that these beaches are essential to my mental health! Or perhaps they don’t care for my personal photographic style. Or perhaps they have a huge deficit in the budget and are trying whatever they can to remedy the situation. Whatever the reason, they have made big cuts to the State Park system and that means closing my beaches (yes they are MY beaches!). The real question though that has taken over my brain is…
"Ocean Rock"
How the <@$#%> do you close a public beach?
Sure, you can redirect cars by not allowing them to park nearby but you can’t stop people from walking in. Being the adventuresome sort, I tend to break the rules when I am photographing. I go where I am inspired to go at the time of the best light for the subject I am capturing. I will continue to visit and photograph these beaches that I love so dearly. So that brings me to my next point… walking.
With these closures I will most likely have to park my car further away and have to lug my 50 lbs of camera gear through longer distances of sandy beach to catch the location and light that I am after. I can either: a) give up and shoot something closer, b) get in REALLY good shape with all of that physical exercise, or c) find an unemployed sherpa willing to work for next to nothing all in the name of creating fabulous art. I haven’t yet decided which is most feasible but if you know any unemployed sherpas please forward their contact information to me.
Read more about the park closures (and the new fees being initiated at other state parks) here: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091027/NEWS/910279925
Blind Beach on January 1st, 2007
Above Goat Rock, captured in March 2008
