Clouds Create The Best Sunsets

 Beaufort    

We enjoyed a slow morning on Crossroads while waiting for the day to warm. Barry worked on business accounting and reviewed weather forecasts while I stretched and continued working on my New Year's Resolution of paring down the photo album on my phone. I have now deleted over 15,000 photos from the past eight years while reliving the great times, good times, and not so good times. It has definitely been a cathartic experience. People take photos for many reasons. I find that I take photos to capture and preserve the emotion of a moment. Don't think, however, that I've erased all of those memories. There are still roughly 11,000 reminders at my fingertips. I look forward to making and capturing many more. 

We bundled up at noon and began the walk into town. There were no clouds in the bluebird sky. The flags actually flapped gently in the breeze. We could even unzip our jackets while in the sun. On this frequently-traveled route, some sights continue to fascinate us. The collection of broken shells on the sidewalk is one such scene. Gulls pick up bivalve mussels and fly to this spot where they drop the shells from a fair height. The fall cracks the shells open and the birds collect their meal. Its ingenious learned behavior that has been passed down through the generations. In this case, "bird brain" is not an insult. It can be difficult to identify fresh sights. This colorful mural is new from last year. It is a project of Arts In Beaufort and is a nice face-lift for the corner convenience store. 

Several shopkeepers had moved inventory onto the sidewalk. Clothing retailers featured racks of discounted summer clothes. A home accessories store was looking forward to spring with an outdoor showcase of colorful bird houses. We stopped in for lunch at Royal James Cafe (Beaufort's oldest business in continuous operation), a no-frills spot that has great cheesesteaks. We continued our walk down the Turner Street sidewalk toward the boardwalk along Taylor Creek. Window boxes full of spring flowers soaked up the sun. We stopped and attempted to figure out how the red sailboat ended up in that strange position. Does the awkward angle of the floating finger pier provide a clue?  

The flower beds and boxes of Front Street featured cabbages and kale. We smiled when we noticed that someone had received "a major award" and, "overcome by art ... knew just the place for it." Back on Turner Street, two welcoming rocking chairs graced the front porch of a historic home. The high sun of early afternoon spotlighted the stained glass windows of Beaufort By the Sea Community Church. 

Following our return to the marina, I took my book out on Fiberglass Beach for the first time this trip. I read a dozen pages before first dozing off and then getting cold. It was a good first effort. We watched the sunset develop from the pilothouse. The sun was exceptionally bright in the cloudless sky. Finally a small cloud moved in to provide a little interest. Reflecting back on all the sunset photos I've reviewed in the last week, it turns out the best sunsets occur in the presence clouds.