Perfect Beach Summer - Perfect Summer Beach

What comes into your mind, 

when you contemplate / think about "summer beaches"???

Hordes of people, heat, yelling, noise, the smell of sun cream ...?

;-)

[Source: http://echtlustig.com/d/3569/manche-bilder-sagen-einfach-mehr-als-worte]

And what's you personal idea or belief about a perfect summer beach???

OK, there are certainly as many ideas about this issue as there are different kind of people and their personal preferences and commitments.

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I want to invite you to follow me on a trip to my (idea of a) perfect summer beach...

This one looks different from the first picture, doesn't it!?!?! ;-)

Is your idea of a perfect beach - even on the peak season - related to

rest & recreation, quiet (except for bird calls and the sound of the sea), beauty & harmony, pleasant temperatures & a light wind, sense of well-being, hang around & long beach strolls, looking for shells and relaxing in a beach chair???

--> Hey - that's absolutely what I prefer, too!!! ;-))

The only thing you have to take into consideration to get this is:

Don't try to be a part of the sheep flock!

In the morning or evening time during a sunny day the beach is to a great extend - yours!

Apart from some other savourers and connoisseurs!

Have you ever watched porpoises, also called mereswines [German: Schweinswale] in front of an overcrowded beach ?

Here's a porpoise mother with two almost adult youngs looking for fish, shells and conches...

...these ones were already whale food! ;-)

And the cormorant was waiting for a yummy bite of fish as well. 

Driven by North Sea wind!

I hope you enjoyed my trip to a nearly perfect summer beach!

Now try to find your own one!

;-)

 

Evening stroll...

...in a small preserve area close to the Tauber Valley.

Today it's raining cats and dogs.

But yesterday my sweetheart and I enjoyed one of these perfect summer evenings with perfect mix of temperature, wind, sunshine and great nature.

Strolling along a narrow foot path of our small natural reserve was like a short getaway from daily routine.

As a reward making a stand against gravity and getting up from our sofa we had plenty of accidental meetings with the local "population": grashoppers, butterflies and various beautiful floral gems.

Here's a pair of Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) butterflies we call 'Schachbrett' (literally translated into chess board) in German.

The umbels of this species of grass glowed in the light of the low evening sun.

And here comes a trio of purple beauties...

brown knapweed - Centaurea jacea - Wiesen-Flockenblume

I assume this might be one of the Gymnadenia orchid species, but I'm not absolutely sure...

...and even here I was not sure what kind of beauty I had I front of my lens.

Does anybody know????

Ok, even the most beautiful evening must come to an end.

I hope you enjoyed our evening stroll.

A pleasant weekend to all of you!

The world's most beautiful sand heap!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 All photographs taken on the island of Sylt, July/August 2013.

 At the most northern tip of Germany, at the peninsula Ellenbogen / elbow of Sylt.

 In the background lighthouse List East, one out of five lighthouses on the island.

Sylt Beach Art.

All made from findings at the beach.

Kampen Cliff.

 View along the beach to the north.

Ancient lighthouse "Quermarkenfeuer Kampen". 

The landmark in the dunes west of the village of Kampen.

Hühnergötter / witch stones in a beach chair.

 

 Wellhornschnecken / waved whelks on a stick.

Typically German "beach furniture": the beach chair / der Strandkorb. 

Protection against sun, wind and sand. 

 My beach chair is my castle.

Kampen Cliff taken from the north.

Where is your favourite sand heap???

Echinacea colour festival

What are the flowers or blossoms you like to take photos of best???

I've to admit that my personal liking chanced within the years.

Last Saturday, when visiting a garden festival, I had the opportunity to photograph these wonderful Echinacea flowers, commonly known as coneflowers.

The longer I took photos of them, the more I perceived their beauty and character as a perfect photo model.

Most people know Echinacea purpurea, so the purple variant of the coneflower.

But my favourites are the golden ones, I think they fit perfectly to our summer mood and light.

But then I found the red species and I was not sure if I like it more than the golden one... ;-)

The white one doesn't look bad either...

Finally I saw and captured the "original" Echinacea purpurea and I was totally confused about my favourite colour variant.

So I made a potpourri out of all the differnt colours of the coneflower and now you can make your own choice...

What's your favourite, Naomi-san???

;-)

summer impressions II

Sylt summer of '69???

--> My attempt to coat this photo from this year's summer with a little patina !!!

And: No - this is NOT a photo taken with a "pixel catching device" like an iPhone...

...this scene is captured with a "real" camera... ;-))

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The beach near Kampen, Sylt at the same day:

Kampen cliff and smooth beach life...

...the same photo in two different steps of editing.

As far as I know: Atlantic jackknife clam (Amerikanische Scheidenmuschel),

arranged in the sandy dunes.

Shells of the common whelk (Wellhornschnecke) hanging around...

Easy beach life.

summer impressions I

Sylt beach life - between the rain showers... ;-)