I care most about the ocean, while Lauren cares more for the forest; fortunately the Pacific Northwest offers Cottage-Life compromises; illustrated with the help of a giant hemlock.
What happened was, a few years ago a construction project accidentally left behind a bare earth platform down near the water. We ordered 10kg of “Coastal Forest Revegetation Seed Mix” and used it liberally; now it’s a delightful little meadow, suitable for stretching out and considering the great seaside evergreens.
Here’s a sideways look, lying down. Fortunately nobody was nearby watching me scrunch myself down behind the camera and bend away unsightly blades.
The natural direction to look, no scrunching required, is up.
Western Hemlock, maybe 40m tall.
The light was a little weird; it was toward sunset and the sky, except for a gap to the west, was cloudy, so the light was overwhelmingly horizontal. Also, the trees are a little weird this time of year; each of the myriad little branches has a small outburst of new green at the tip. To illustrate, Here’s a close look-in at one branch.
The effect, in the large, is remarkable.
The light inside the crown.
It turns out that tree has a buddy next door, and they do a good job of framing the ocean.
I had another one with a lovely little boat in the frame, but hadn’t crunched the aperture enough for the tree trunks. Sob.
