chuckography

Just A (January) Day At The Beach...

I bought a BOGO (Buy One Get One free) coupon for a meal at Folly Beach.

Good deal until my buddy pointed out it had the be used Dec-February.

Not ideal beach weather but we got lucky yesterday.

It got up to 75 degrees, no wind and beautiful clouds.

Lunch out on the fishing pier at Locklear's Beach City Grill was delightful.

Yes I had my camera that has a fisheye lens effect.

It also has a 20x optical zoom which is new to me after 10 years of being limited to only a 3.8x zoom.

It allows me and my small digital P/S (Point and Shoot) to reach out for shots I never could make before.

I mean, you really CAN'T just step a little bit closer to a surfer while he/she is catching a wave.

The camera is so small (unlike a full-sized DSLR) that you can get away with taking street shots and people don't seem to mind.

Or they don't feel intimidated as they would with a "professional" camera stuck in their face.

I still am amused by the distortions created with the ersatz fisheye effect.

I keep my eyes open for zany ways to use it.

A colorful poster in a shop window on Center Street seemed a likely candidate.

I had rented a VW bus for a week when I lived in California.

It was NOT painted anything like this one.

Nice memory-flogger though.
A few doors up from Planet Follywood is a small Brew Pub with an unusual sign hanging out front.

It caught my attention because the place was closed and it simply stated "Nope, not open yet."

At the appointed hour, the owner stepped out, swapped the ""N" and the "Star" and we were invited inside.

The coupon that brought us out to Folly on this glorious day provided a delicious meal of fried shrimp and flounder.

Hush puppies, fries and cole slaw.

My doctor knows I eat like this very seldom (ahem).

I also believe cabbage slaw is a healthy vegetable that lowers cholesterol.

Of course I left room for dessert but I did NOT request whipped cream.


That just came with it and who am I to question a seaside chef?

That man (or woman) is a professional.

Further down the beach at the Tides Oceanfront Hotel, we stood at the bar - Blu - and sipped a draft.

Surfers were plentiful (hey, isn't Friday a work day?) and were actively riding the pretty good waves.

Several paddle boarders were added to the mix.

I thought they stuck to rivers and creeks.

But apparently they can catch a wave, tuck the paddle under their arm and hang ten.

On the tables at Blu I saw heavy, metal miniature palm trees. I suppose they held menus or napkins.

Nice touch.

Overall, it was a nice day to be at the beach.

Upper seventies temps had drawn many people out to lie in the sun.

Others were wading into the water and splashing around.

I saw a man lazily tossing a ball to his small child who swung hard with a red plastic wiffle bat.

He missed but got a hug from his dad.

Before we left and headed back to town, I had one more shot in mind.

A zoom lens lets you get really close to fidgety, wary birds.

Johnathan Livingston did not respond when I suggested he lift BOTH legs.

(Click on the pictures for more details.)

If you ever get a chance, play around with using a fisheye lens.

Do NOT take a self-portrait of your face.

Resist the temptation.

It'll distort you and people will laugh.

Even the seagulls.

I heard them.

Labels: Blu bar, cole slaw, ersatz lens, fisheye lens, Folly Beach Brew Pub, hang 10, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Locklear's Beach City Grill, paddle boarders. surfers, The Tides Hotel., VW bus

posted by chuckography @ 11:35 AM