Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts

Friday, January 27, 2023

The Two Seasons

Some of the most stunning natural beauty and the most violent weather I've ever encountered have been in the Philippines, where they only have two seasons: dry and rainy. The palm trees, the sunny beaches, the coral reefs, banana trees, and so much more, are breathtaking. Both seasons are necessary, and both have their drawbacks. 

The rain floods the rice fields, which is important in growing it. Tropical downpours are much stronger than anything I have encountered in the Seattle area, where I live now. It is like standing in the shower. At times, we had to deal with flooding. The wind can get very violent. We had some friends who lost their roof in a typhoon once. With the combination of rain and wind, we learned to move beds and anything else away from the windows when there was a typhoon in the forecast. Thunder can be loud and last a long time, and the lightning lights up the entire sky. The rain, wind and lightning are an awesome force, and are both amazing and terrifying. They can cause a lot of destruction.

But once the rainy season is over, the weather is a lot more calm. The sun beats down. The tropics shine, and the beauty is dazzling. But with my fair skin and red hair, I had to be very careful, as I also got some serious sunburns. The rice fields dried out and cracked. During the dry season, they looked like a desert.

Both seasons are warm year round, as the Philippines is just north of the equator, but it gets a lot hotter during the dry season. We were shivering when it dipped down into the 70s.

I wrote this sonnet in high school as part of an assignment in English class.

travnikovstudio/Adobe Stock

The sun is shining bright
Over the beautiful land of the Philippines
It is such a sight
With an array of gorgeous scenes.
The sea is sparkling light
And the beach cannot compare
While the birds in their soft flight
Soar on the wings of the air.

Rainy Season is here.
The rain falls in torrents
Lightning strikes and thunder claps, causing fear,
And making the little birds tense.
In five months, the rainy season will be over and done
The Philippines will once more know the sun.


Michael/Adobe Stock

icemanphotos/Adobe Stock

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Edmonds Sunset

Since I missed the spectacular sunset on April 30 when I was on the beach at Golden Gardens, I was determined to get sunset pictures while the weather was clear. So the following evening, May 1, I went to the nearby beach in Edmonds. I was not disappointed. "Spectacular" is putting it mildly. I am constantly amazed at God's artwork broadcast across the sky for the world to see.

All photos © 2014 Steven Sauke


The first two pictures were taken with my Android:



The following were taken with my camera:







The moon was just a little sliver.

Two ferries crossing the Puget Sound in opposite directions
It reminded me of the line "Two ships passing at a distance, through the darkness, one going from, one coming to, America!" from the song "Journey On" in the musical Ragtime.


A ferry reflected in the water beneath the spectacular sunset

I took the following two pictures with my Android and ran them through Instagram:


I also posted this picture on KING 5's website. It can be viewed here.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Golden Gardens

On April 30, 2014, my gym closed. That evening, many of us who worked out there had a bonfire at Golden Gardens, a park and beach in North Seattle. It was a beautiful day. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the bonfire started due to evening plans, but I was able to enjoy the beach and friends for a few minutes, anyway! Following are some of the pictures I got.

I took these with my camera:





I took these with my cell phone and ran them through Instagram:



Incidentally, Golden Gardens was one of the locations where I filmed my epic short movie The Heirs of Djeek last year.