Redfish Pass

Redfish Pass - © Copyright 2010 by William Beem

Hello, everyone.  I’m back from my holiday break. This year, I decided to spend a few days on Captiva Island. When I was younger, I traveled with my parents once a year to their timeshare on Sanibel Island.  Sanibel & Captiva are just off the Ft. Myers, FL coast, connected by a causeway. Although I haven’t been there in many years, it’s amazing just how little the island seems to have changed with the passage of time. It’s a peaceful little oasis from normality. Everything seems pretty laid-back, which is just what I needed for my visit.

In all of the time I visited in the past, I never really spent much time on Captiva, just north of Sanibel. Mostly because we always stayed in the same place, as that’s the nature of a time-share. Since I wasn’t bound by that connection for this trip, I reserved a place at South Seas Island Resort. It’s a large and beautiful property, but I dare say it’s overpriced. Maybe I’m just over-cheap, though. At any rate, the accommodations were comfortable and the staff was quite friendly.

The shot above is pretty typical of what I saw during the week. Lots of water, a few rocks, and the most bland sunsets I’ve ever seen. Why is it bland? Because there are no clouds! When I used to visit during the summer, we’d have wonderful storms that would put some turmoil in the sky, and then slowly clear out. Some of the most amazing sunsets I’ve ever viewed happen in this place, but winter in Southwest Florida is just a horrible confluence of pure blue skies and 70-degree weather. That may sound great for a vacation get-away from the snow, but it really sucks if you’re a photographer. The best pictures often happen in bad weather. So while this looks peaceful and serene, I would’ve preferred boiling and nasty!

As luck would have it, that was exactly the kind of weather that rolled in when I left on Sunday. Churning seas, wind strong enough to pull a kit-surfer across the water as fast as a Jet-Ski, and skies full of fury. Then again, it was also a lot colder when that storm came through. I like cool weather, but not biting cold that rips through you as you’re waiting for the light to change for your shot. Day after day, though, I suffered through beautiful weather and boring sunsets…until Christmas and I got my wish – clouds!  I’ll save that image for another time, though.