Edisto Beach ’09-10

Several of these were taken with a Canon Powershot A540 that was good to me at the time, but after weeding through my aging photos, I don’t miss it one bit!

These are a few pictures taken from a tour near the St Helena Sound off Edisto Beach, SC. (05.16.2009) Like many coastal communities, a healthy environment is critical to Edisto’s ecosystem, economy and culture. It also draws in thousands of people every year, and millions of dollars made between April and Labor Day support locals through the quiet winters.

Sunset at Edisto Beach, SC 05.25.2009

Did you think the beach is just sand? Less traffic-heavy beaches like Edisto support more life than their popular brethren! (I’m looking at you, Myrtle….)

Batis maritima, commonly known as Turtleweed or Saltwort, Beachwort. It’s typically green, but in at least one image I found a plant in this shade of red (opens in new tab). It took me a minute to find this, but I believe I have the right plant! Edisto Beach, SC 05.26.2009

Pelicans at Edisto Beach, SC — I love taking pictures of birds in motion, but most of my cameras have not been so great at it. These were taken with one of my old point-and-shoots, and somehow I caught two Brown Pelicans in a recognizable dive without blurring out entirely. Somewhere just between the sighting and the plunge, the birds slow to take aim, resulting in a chance to get a pretty good shot, if your shutter’s not too slow or you’re really lucky (I fell into the latter category). 06.17.2009

I’ve included our old dog, just for fun. He was a Hungarian Vizsla that lived to be about 12-14 years old before a Coral Snake got him. It didn’t sound as though he was in pain, however, and the chances of it happening were so slim that I’ve made peace with it being God’s humane euthanization. He didn’t like aging anyway … he was starting to have trouble with his back legs, and he would injure himself acting like a puppy on top of it. But he was my best friend and I still miss him.

In other news, it looks as though this is when I traded out my old Canon for a Kodak Easyshare Z915! Even with Point-and-Shoots, I’ve always sought out cameras with manual settings, and I always tried to get the best quality for the price I could afford.

The other pictures are of a welk’s egg case and, of course, the sun just prior to setting over Edisto Beach, SC. 12.26.2009

Willets, a Ring-Billed Gull, a Bottlenose Dolphin, and one very majestic Bluetick Coonhound. Our Dolphins have been featured on National Geographic. They are year-round residents that have developed their own unique way of fishing in the creeks. If you’re ever lucky enough to see it, it’s pretty cool! Edisto Beach, SC (of course) 03.07/08.2010