Saturday, October 04, 2008

Round Robin Challenge: The End Of Summer

"The summer night is like a perfection of thought."

-Wallace Stevens

Ahhh... the end of summer. Some years I can't wait to see summer go, and other years it is so mild and sweet, that I almost mourn it's passing. I think the summer that just ended will fall somewhere in the middle. It wasn't very hot, which was a very good thing, especially for my boy Elvis, who, like his mommy, doesn't do well when it is too hot outside. Poor little fella nearly melted in the early part of the summer of 2006, when, during a two week heatwave, it reached 108 degrees in the Bay Area. I thought I might possibly lose him that year. I was worried for him this past spring when he was diagnosed with cancer, that the weather might play into how long he would survive, but the summer was quite kind to us. He did well, and so did I.

I like summers that are cool enough for me to wear my favorite sweater. I enjoyed the evenings, with the light breezes and the amazing sunsets. I took very few photos this summer, certainly a lot less then in previous years. I don't know why, but I have been struggling a bit lately with things. It's difficult to know I will be losing my best friend in the world soon. Elvis is my little kitty soul mate, and he loves me, so to know I will be losing that is sometimes more then I can take. On the other hand, he is such a joy every single day, and I will always be grateful that we had this past summer together, and that it was a mild one.

I took this series of photos at one of my favorite places on earth, Point Montara Lighthouse. If you ever make it to the Bay Area, you must stop by this gorgeous lighthouse and see it for yourself. I don't come close to doing it's beauty justice. I love this place, and its gentle ambiance. I feel at peace there. I took these photos in the evening, of the last Wednesday, of the summer of 2008. Enjoy.





Oh, the summer night
Has a smile of light
And she sits on a sapphire throne

-Barry Cornwall

I enjoyed this challenge, so thanks goes to Janet, who authors the blog, Fond of Snape. She submitted it our suggestion pool a while back, so be sure to pay her a visit and all the participating Robins, to see how they wanted to say goodbye to summer. By the way, we are always looking for new topics, so feel free to send your ideas to Steven, Karen and myself. Who knows, your idea could be our next challenge! Be sure to check the official Round Robin blog tomorrow, to find out what our next challenge will be!

1. Janet... Fond Of Snape
Posted!

2. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

3. Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnati
Posted!

4. Ellen B. ... The Happy Wanderer **Welcome New Member**
Posted!

5. Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

6. Connie... Far Side Of Fifty
Posted!

7. Erin... Life Of A College Student
Posted!

8. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

9. Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pix


10. Kiva... The Eclectic Granny
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11. Valerie... Soulfully Blond
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12. Sandra... Strong Chemistry
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13. Mary... Work of the Poet
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14. Jill... South Bay Soliloquy
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15. _rRose... WAIT-NOTYET-MOUNTAIN RIVER WHISPERS
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16. Jennifer Robin... Robin's Woods
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17. Teena... It's All About Me!
Posted!

18. Arti... Ripple Effects **Welcome New Member**
Posted!

19. Mary... Just A Hippie Gypsy
Posted!

20. Chrissie... Chris-seas Corner
Posted!

21. Abby... {Hello}
Posted!



-Carly
"The End Of Summer In Montara"
Point Montara Lighthouse
Point Montara, California
Summer, 2008
Twilight

13 comments:

Teena in Toronto said...

I hate to see the end of summer :( It's 9C right now! Brrr!

I played too.

Martha said...

Beautiful photos Carly! Sorry I didn't make it to play along on the RR this week, things have been crazy trying to keep up with everything with the turn of events over at AOL.
The A-Z photo challenge - I posted the M linking list over at Perception. Tomorrow the letter N will move the A-Z challenge over to my new blog.
Don't forget the Dining Delights challenge too! That one is due next Friday, also still posted at Perception.
I can only imagine the pain you have been going through lately Carly ::big tight hugs::

maryt/theteach said...

Carly, thanks for your delightful post except for the fact that Elvis has cancer. I hope he's doing well and will have a long life. I don't do very well in the heat either so I'm glad summer is gone! Enjoy your Autumn!

Sandra said...

Thanks for sharing the photos, and sorry about Elvis. Prayers for you and the lil guy. I do also love the fav sweater time of year!

Anonymous said...

Hi Carly,
Yes this is my first time playing round robin. So you live in the bay area. I love your water shots. The lighthouse is very cool. I will be in San Francisco a few days with my husband while he attends a conference in December. I hope to get a lot of bloggy site seeing in. I'll have a lot of time on my hands while hubby is in meetings. I want to do some walking tours, etc. Is the lighthouse something you'd need a car to get to?
Sorry to hear about little Elvis, glad the weather was kind to both of you this summer...

Carly said...

Hi Ellen

Point Montara Lighthouse is located on Hwy 1 about 30 miles or so south of San Francisco. It's a really nice drive. :) Send me an email and I will be happy to send you a list of great sights around the bay.

Carly

Far Side of Fifty said...

Carly, Your summer evening photographs are stunning!
Pet Elvis for me, it sounds like he has been a wonderful fried..and losing a friend to cancer is never good..four legged or two legged. My heart goes out to you..cherish the moments you have now..bittersweet as they are:)

Gattina said...

The end of summer makes me sad ! I think I am born in the wrong place in this world, lol ! I would love summer all year around !

Nancy said...

Such gorgeous pics as usual...

I didn't realize that Elvis was doing so poorly still. I'm so very sorry, my friend. Enjoy each moment with him as you have been.

Love,
Nance

Karen Funk Blocher said...

Oh, I love the light of the sunset on those lighthouse shots! Very nice indeed. And I'm glad Elvis's summer was relatively mild. You two needed to catch a break somewhere! :(

Kiva said...

Oh, how I miss the Bay area. Those photos are just mag! Is that a garden statuary that you took with the sun through the fence? I'm glad you had a mild summer and you and Elvis are getting in some quality time.

Janet said...

I'm glad you still have Elvis with you and I understand the struggle it is. Thanks for participating and taking such beautiful shots :-)

ChrisseasCorner said...

Carly,
I really Loved the third one especially!!! With the suns reflection on the side of the lighthouse.... Very nice.
Sending good thoughts into the universe for Elvis!