Private Patio....Cannot get there from here:-)

Shooting Through The Crowd

Every photographer knows that shooting at a crowded event is somewhere between difficult and an outright pain. You have to work the room, perhaps be a bit impolite at times (although lots of people walk through your shots even when you have the camera to your face) to get a clear image. The spacious room at the museum, above, was far from the most crowded but you get the idea.

Occasionally, though, the other visitors can create a pleasing result, as below.     

Close Up

Most of the pictures I took at Art In Bloom show the whole floral arrangement, often in the context of the paintings on the wall. It's also interesting to zoom in and see the details. A different visual  rhythm becomes evident.     

Wild Coast lighthouses - Cape Morgan Lighthouse

The Wild Coast isn't called the Wild Coast for nothing.  It may be paradise but it can get rough out there if it wants.  So with that in mind, it's nogal strange that there are only three lighthouses (some websites say four but I'm not sure which the 4th one is) along this whole piece of coastline, Cape Morgan in the South, M'bashe roughly in the middle and Cape Hermes at Port St Johns in the North.  Out of the three only Cape Hermes is what I would call a traditional lighthouse. One built of brick and mortar.  The other two are both lights sitting on top of lattice steel towers.  Crossing back over the Kei Pont from Trennery's Hotel recently I decided to make a quick detour and have a look at the Cape Morgan Lighthouse.

A roughly three-kilometer drive along a narrow dirt road took me up to the 12-meter high Cape Morgan Lighthouse built in 1964.  The light is located in the Cape Morgan Nature Reserve and emits two white flashes every 10 seconds with a range of 24 sea miles.

The reserve saw Titanium mining take place here in the 1950's and if you follow the path down to the coast from the lighthouse you will see the remains of the mine's old seawater pump station.  The 4-day / 3-night Strandloper Trail also starts at the new Eco Centre in the reserve and covers a distance of 57 kilometers to Gonubie in East London.

Driving away I was happy to tick off another light on my list of South African lighthouses.  We seem to take them for granted seeing them along the coastline yet don't always realise how important a role they have played over the years and still do. Flash on.

STL DPB On The Road - The Sad Mariachi

There are many restaurants in Tamarindo near the beach. On all of our visits we found mariachi bands going from one to another, playing a few Mexican songs and asking for tips. It's optional but I always give them something. The music is pretty good and it seems like a hard way to make a living.

As a rule, the performers are pretty cheerful. However, the affect of this accordionist told me that something was weighing him down. He never smiled, but he still played well.