“The rain is a symphony of whispers, each drop a note that dances upon the earth. In the embrace of rain, the world feels renewed, as if nature is washing away the burdens of yesterday.” Anonymous
Jo had been invited to participate in Vancouver at The Fraser Valley Tattoo and Culture Show that was happening at the PNE forum Friday, May 30 and instead of her driving alone I said I would go with her and planned to spend Saturday morning walking along some sunny beach, but as is evident from my title, the coastal weather doesn’t always cooperate.
We heard about Garry Point Park on the Fraser with its driftwood cluttered beaches and the plan was to spend the morning doing photography there. However, as I wrote, the coastal weather doesn’t always cooperate and we woke up to pouring rain.
What does a photographer do on a rainy day? Well, we put on a raincoat and make sure to have something to wipe the accumulating rain off the camera.
I know rain can be uncomfortable, but in my opinion a sunny beach is far less interesting than a wet stormy beach. You just have to prepare for the rain.
Garry Point Park is nestled along the Fraser River at the southwest tip of Richmond and I now know is a great place to get photo creative.
My little Fuji camera is supposed to be water resistant. I trust that it is, but I still brought a handkerchief and constantly wiped along the top of the camera and lens and when I wasn’t photographing some subject I would tuck it under my coat.
I wandered off down the beach and there were large logs everywhere to climb over and although it was raining I could still see clouds that made for a good background. I photographed rocks in the sand and a lone tree above the logs, and there was a marina at the park’s edge and also a Japanese styled memorial garden.
Jo and her daughter Evinn went to search for seashells as we decided to bring Jo’s daughter along on the trip.
While Jo was at the Tattoo event Evinn and I drove into downtown Vancouver’s ferocious five o’clock traffic in search of an eatery that is touted as the best place to get mozzarella cheese sticks.
When I dropped Jo off I asked Evinn what she would like to have for supper and she said mozzarella sticks. So we looked up the top five places to get mozzarella sticks and decided on a place called “The Moose Vancouver.” I now have it on the authority of nine-year-old Evinn that those mozzarella sticks are the best she has ever tasted and she highly recommends them.
So we had a great meal and stayed up late to pick up Jo. Got up on that rainy morning to have a complimentary breakfast at the hotel and drive off to do photography at Garry Point Park.
The Park’s web page says, “The park provides spectacular vistas across the Salish Sea and beyond to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. It is also considered one of the best places to watch a sunset in Richmond.” I suppose the next time I am in that area (on a sunny evening) I should watch that sunset.
Stay safe and be creative. These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.
