Swans and Airplane

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

Do all kids have the dream of flight? I know I did. I often dreamt of running down our front lawn, stretching my arms wide, the air lifting me up and I would become airborn. I know all the psychological implications of this. So what. Who cares what some analyst thinks. It was a thrill to fly even if it was only in my dreams. I still love taking off in commercial aviation. The smaller the jet the better. In smaller jets you really get to experience the power and excitement of flight. The thrust presses you into the back of your seat. Simply awesome.

Summers Silver

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

I know its difficult to tell but the bushes above have the loveliest silver leaves. I think I have another image where you can really make out the shimmer. I will have to look for it. I have often heard from other photographers that their own favorite images are not the same ones selected by others, whether by galleries, publications or whomever. That's a curious thing. There is something about the image above that speaks to me. I often wonder how others respond.

Easter Palm Beach

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

A very Happy Easter to all. This is how it looks off the coast of Palm Beach today.

Springtime Silhouette

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

Moon over South Florida

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

Have you ever noticed how as human beings we gravitate towards things that are familiar. This is not such a brilliant thing when you want to experience new and challenging things in life. It's insidiously subtle. Very easy to miss. One has to be very alert to catch the fact of this. I have found myself sometimes in situations that I would rather not, but was actually drawn to it unconsciously because it was familiar. How diligent do we have to be to experience freedom and the new? Pretty darn diligent I'm afraid. What does the moon have to do with this? Probably nothing but it is so amazing to look at. I wonder when man will colonize the moon if ever?

Floridian Nights

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

There is something tropical, mysterious, romantic about night time in Florida. The palm trees moving, rustling, swaying and the water gently rolling or violently crashing to shore. The delicate smells of exotic flora and fauna excite the senses. It's lovely being here. Life is such an amazing journey. It can be filled with such beauty and such sorrow. I think it's important to have work you enjoy and to ride the waves of life as graciously as possible. Most of all to be kind to those you love and those you encounter on a daily basis.

Lac Leman Switzerland

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

A year ago this spring I took these photos in a small town called Cully on the Lake of Geneva better known as Lac Leman. This is just one of many beautiful small towns that dot the shoreline on the Swiss side of the lake. The mountains you see across the Lake are in France probably near Evian. I came across these images as I was going through my files today. I immediately felt so nostalgic. What is nostalgia really? A kind of angst, desire, memory? Part of our human condition. I admire people with quiet settled souls. Mine always seems to be in motion.

Swimming in the Ocean

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

A beautiful mornings turquoise beach. This photo was taken off the north shore of Long Island in a town called Bayville. I often wonder how the colors in such images reproduce on different computer screens even when you save for the web? I hope you are able to see the lovely colors. Yesterday I was told that a great white shark was spotted off the coast here in Florida. I've heard about these sightings before, off the tip of Montauk on Long island, off shore from Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Are there more sharks in the oceans these days? I must research this. I don't think they have too many predators. One of my greatest joys is swimming in the ocean. At the same time who wants to be eaten by a fish? What a way to go!

© 2011 jaws movie poster. All rights reserved.

It all started with the movie Jaws. I didn't go and see it for the longest time knowing quite well that it might ruin my joy of swimming in the ocean. It did. Thanks Steven Spielberg. Coupled with all the shark activity in the water here I'll stick to the pool for a while. The other day off the coast of Palm beach a man had swam away from his boat. Sharks began to circle around it. A police helicopter happened to be passing and noticed what was going on below. They lowered their helicopter as close as possible to the water in order to scare the sharks away. This enabled the man to swim back to his boat safely. Now, that was luck, no!?

Roses and Sharks

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

I've been told that roses are very hard to grow in Florida. Well, at least as far south as Palm Beach County. Bummer. I was really looking forward to giving that a go. I think I will give it a try anyway. I'm anxious to try orchids for their exotic appeal. It has started to get hot here in Florida. In June we will have been here for one entire year. A complete cycle of seasons. I once thought the seasons went from hot to less hot, but there are more subtle variations then that. I'm still very happy living here. Although I do get disturbed when they close the beaches because of the sharks. That happened this past weekend. I'm not sure if its the time of year or shark migration but there are a little too many of them for my taste.