Last week the Captain and I went to a nearby beach. I took a few pictures and thought, “Why am I taking pictures of nothing?” When I looked at the photos later, I thought how lonely the sea and the sky looked and John Masefield came to mind. I have always loved his poem, “Sea Fever.”
(By the way, did you know that John Masefield was England’s poet laureate from 1930 to 1967?)
The first line was especially appropriate.
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
The rest of the poem didn’t fit because the sea was really quite tame, and the wind was not like a “whetted knife.”
But the loneliness of the great expanse of water was prevalent.
You may want to click on these photos to enlarge them, especially the ones with the lonely creatures in them. They are so tiny in an immense world.
In the first photo, the general setting. Notice the pink and blue striations in the water.
Now, notice in each subsequent photo, the one lonely thing in the setting. You will need to click to enlarge or you won’t see much. Use the back arrow to return to the page afterwards.
A sea duck, minuscule, the ocean immense,
Alone though he be, he relaxes, not tense.
The marker buoy rocking so gently and slow,
It warns of the rocks where the water is low.
A lone paddleboarder, is breaking the rule,
She stands as she’s dipping the water so cool.
The seal glides alone but with grace and finesse,
He searches for love and is feeling distress.
Could that be his love on the far other side?
Stay cool and don’t splash, just swim up with a glide.
**For sure you need to click to enlarge the photo to find Mrs. Seal on the far side of the photo.
And lastly and leastly, a lone club is measly,
But even a stick can feel beastly.
May 22, 2024 at 10:17 pm
I really enjoyed this adventure, Anneli. Thank you! 🙏🏻😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:15 am
Thanks, John.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 8:14 am
You’re welcome, Anneli. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 22, 2024 at 11:30 pm
These photos are gorgeous, Anneli. I love the colours and the way you have captured the horizon. Such relaxing, calming images.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:17 am
It was a relaxing evening. We were there waiting for the usual evening practice of one of the jets that would be in the air show last weekend, but as luck would have it, he took the evening off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 22, 2024 at 11:36 pm
How beautiful these seascapes are, Anneli! Each photo is a gorgeous watercolor painting (I learned to do watercolor). Each one conveys a different mood. 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:18 am
Now that you mention it, Miriam, it would be fun to paint the skies and water using pink in with the grays and blues.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 8:46 am
That should be fun, Anneli.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 12:06 am
I can see me, sitting on the shore and dreaming. Beautiful pictures!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:18 am
I wish I could see you, sitting on that shore too!
LikeLike
May 23, 2024 at 12:28 am
Rare and beautiful photographs Anneli. It takes someone with your heightened perceptions to first perceive, then isolate the beauty in such images – and also to recall Masefield’s beautiful words. Lovely post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:19 am
Thank you, Jeff. Sea Fever is stuck in my brain since we first learned that poem in high school. It’s a masterpiece.
LikeLike
May 23, 2024 at 4:25 am
Lonely, but not forgotten because of your eye for beauty. Thanks, Anneli!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:20 am
Aw, thanks, Grant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 4:56 am
what a beautiful story of the sea you tell in pics and words, Anneli. That‘s what makes me love the sea and also large lakes so much; but also small lakes attract me greatly, especially when the ‚other side‘ is crowned with soft, mellow hills. Thanks for this wonderful post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:23 am
Water is life, isn’t it, Kiki? Big or small, the bodies of water sustain us. Thanks for the visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 5:01 am
Thank you for these pictures, Anneli – I could look at the sea for hours – so calming 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:25 am
It was a quiet evening. I felt like we were an old couple sitting on a bench by the sea. But now I know what I’ve been missing and why old people take the time to do that. (There were some younger people there too…. Whew!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 5:49 am
Pictures of the sea are seldom pictures of nothing. They can also be pictures of peace, of tranquility, of calmness and they have a similar effect on those taking and viewing them. It seems this was the case with you and perhaps the Captain. Your photos and words put it al together. Happy Thursday Anneli. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:30 am
Thanks for your insights, Allan. Usually a photographer looks for the subject of a photo and then tries to frame it in a pleasing background. Here, I suppose the background had all the work to do to qualify as both.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 7:11 am
What a lovely spot to share with someone. Beautiful and not quite as lonely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 9:20 am
Yes, it was. Thanks, Belinda.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 7:23 am
A lovely, calming adventure, Anneli. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 9:19 am
Thanks, Lauren. It was a nice evening, watching the sky and the water get more and more pink. I only wish my camera had picked up on the pink colour more authentically, but for some reason it washes out the reds and pinks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 7:37 am
I would have missed all of those twere it not for you. I too love that line. I’d forgotten it, read so many decades ago.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 9:18 am
Funny, isn’t it, how many of us were not so fussy about poetry in high school, but we treasure those classic poems now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 8:18 am
Lonely but calming. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 9:16 am
Yes, lonely isn’t always a bad thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 8:49 am
Beautiful photos and connection to the feeling of space and lonely Anneli.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 9:15 am
Thanks, Brad. I hope it also shows that sometimes being alone is not a bad thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 2:58 pm
Sometimes. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 11:42 am
Yes, we don’t want solitary confinement, but some peace and quiet doesn’t hurt once in a while.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 12:12 pm
I clearly felt the lonely expanse from the photos and poem. Great job with both.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 11:41 am
The duck has a long way to swim to get anywhere, but luckily it can fly. But what about the seals? So far to swim. Haha – and the bell buoy – it’s not going anywhere no matter how much it bounces around.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 3:07 pm
Your photos are like paintings. Beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 11:39 am
Thanks, Michele. They would be fun to try painting – if I dared.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 2:39 pm
You are welcome. Wouldn’t hurt to try, even you felt inspired to do so. Either way, your photos are gorgeous!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 7:18 pm
Thanks a lot, Michele. Have a great weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 8:16 pm
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 23, 2024 at 6:05 pm
What a wonderful poem, Anneli!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 11:38 am
Thanks so much, Jennie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 25, 2024 at 6:22 am
🥰
LikeLike
May 24, 2024 at 9:11 pm
Superb images of the vast loneliness of the sea and sky. Deep sentiments. An inspiring poetic
Post, Anneli.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 24, 2024 at 9:28 pm
Thanks very much, Biene.
LikeLike
May 25, 2024 at 4:14 am
The sea is never nothing. I love watching it in all its moods. It’s very calming, even when it’s not calm, if you see what I mean!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 25, 2024 at 7:55 am
I do. Thank you, and I agree.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 25, 2024 at 6:07 pm
Like photos of sunsets, every photo of the sea is unique. These are beautiful — and a perfect accompaniment to the poem. “Sea Fever” was one of the first poem I memorized, and even as a school girl in the midst of Iowa cornfields, it set me dreaming of the sea. Later, I’d think of it while sailing — amazed that those dreams had come true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 25, 2024 at 6:56 pm
It’s one of the best-loved poems ever, and for good reason. I’ve felt that “whetted knife” wind, and I’m sure you have too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 28, 2024 at 7:32 am
Great post,Anneli! Photos and poetry go together so well, a symphony of images and words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
May 28, 2024 at 10:12 am
Thanks so much, Peter.
LikeLike