cassis ...

so i am totally behind on my blogs ... i mean there i was 6 weeks ago sunning myself in the south France & only now am i getting round to sharing more photos with you. & the town in question we all fell in love with. Cassis is a stunning little town just outside of Marselles on the south coast. Yes it was a little touristy but oh so worth it. We went there for the first time on Cassie's birthday (go figure she chose the place with the name similar to her own) ... anyways we fell head over heels. 

So i'm not sure where to start but we can with the beach ... i hate the beach. Ok let me clarify i like the beach to look at, & of course it's perfect for taking pictures ... i hate sand. it gets everywhere & wasting away the day lying on it is not my idea of fun. So whilst my two travel buddies got some sun i took a whole lot of pictures & in the days that followed & our returning visits explored the town. 

The town itself centers around the harbor ... full of restaurants & some wonderful little stores where i spent a whole lot of money. 

& where there's a harbor ... there are boats ... & we all know how much i love the little things in life ... 

From the harbor are winding streets & alleys where i was able to get throughly lost & enjoy the wonderful bright colours, & gorgeous french architecture. I also got to witness "french passion" at it's best as two men fought in the streets whilst being chased by of course a women!

& off the coast of Cassis we were able to take a boat trip to the Calanques a stunning range of cliffs leading skyward from the water, full of natural harbors & inlets. & perfect it would seem for a day spent sun bathing. We actually tried to find some to hang out on but everywhere was so busy ... although possible choosing Bastille Day (France's version of independence day & their biggest holiday) may not have been the best option here. But never-the-less they were amazing. Nature really never fails me!

leave part one: the ferry crossing ...

So we just got back off 9 wonderful fun filled days of "vacation" ... yes the magic word "vacation"! & of course the camera came along & we had all kinds of fun. So here's the beginning ...

We left our little home at 0000 Monday morning, heading from deepest darkest germany to the port of Dunkirk. I can't lie i slept a good deal of this journey because i had been up all day (9 mile run, followed by a photo shoot & then of course i had to pack ...) & so the first photo is taken from aboard the ferry right before we left the port. Now as you can see the port at Dunkirk is not the prettiest & my reasoning behind taking this was trying to get something for my Miss Match theme that week (it was power).

It may be hard to explain but i was loving the light. It was pretty misty & then as we came towards the harbor walls well a combination of the light & the linear industrial features got my attention ... the subject matter may not be perfect but i was loving the shapes.

& here's the harbor wall itself ... it just looked to pretty (can you call this pretty) for me to resist.

Now anyone from england who has ever crossed the channel to France & back can tell you something about the white cliffs of Dover. They are special, a never ending memory of home. On a clear day you can see them from France. Well it wasn't a clear day & having not been to England in 2 years they were a wonderful, heart warming sight. The cliffs face Continential Europe & made of chalk & black flint this ancient landscape has been seen as a symbolic guard against the world. There was a song written in WWII about the cliffs, sung by Vera Lynn "there'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of dover ... someday" was a reminder that one day there would be peace & for those returning from missions over the occupied countries it was home.

& as we pulled into the port again i couldn't resist the light & the lines ... it was fun to experiment & see how you can photograph a subject that any other day would appear ugly or boring & all of a sudden it becomes something that little bit more special.

It's the simple things in life that make me happy ...

Watching planes take off & land ...

The West Wing, it's a tv great that i can watch it over & over (intelligent & funny never gets old) ...

Starting a new book ...

American Eagle panties (you can never have too many pairs) ...

The theory that spring is just around the corner!

photos from tenerife ... (part one)

So here are some photos from my recent trip to Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands & belonging to Spain ... i went with "the girls", had a wonderful time & took way too many photographs. So anyways here are the first batch ... Enjoy!!