Time to use a different part of my brain…
I have been post-processing photos from the trip to Santa Cruz area State Beaches for about 10 hours straight and am now going to try to write coherently. Why try now, you ask? 
(That was an example of “self-deprecating humor“. One amazing thing that I learned at one of my companies is that there are some personalities who “don’t get” self-deprecating humor! They twist it into something that fits with their [distorted] view of the world. And sometimes others “group-think” the same way! We live and learn. )
Today is one of the hard parts in photo post-processing – picking the “winners.” As I stare out of my window at the pink sunset, I can reflect on the fact that post-processing, though brutal, gives me a chance to relive the shooting, and to appreciate the beauty of the day. The difference between this long Saturday and ones that I have spent working for corporations is that I know how much *I* value my work!
One of the things that I did while I paused in my post-processing, not surprisingly, was to check my email. I received a note from the man who was Best Man at my wedding, a gentleman with whom we had dinner this week, after not seeing him for about 30 years, since he was on the West Coast on business. We shared some family news, including the tragic news. The news only reinforces my belief that “nobody gets out of this life scotfree,” indeed I do not think that we are supposed to have that sort of life. It was enjoyable to see Chuck, since I played sax in a band with him in my youth, and we shared many humorous and happy experiences, including high school.
I will continue to process the photos today, and I am pleased that the surfing photos of Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz came out even better than I had hoped. In addition, I am thinking of writing illustrated blog entries on the individual State Beaches, to provide you with additional information for your visit to/within California.
Back to work….
Update 03/28/2008: The post-processing on that day took about 16 hours “straight.” The photos of Santa Cruz Area State Beaches and surfing at Steamer Lane are up on cheshirecatphoto.com. Almost 200 photos, including over 100 surfing shots, were placed in the California Coast, Flowers, and Outdoor Recreation albums in the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™. Lower-resolution versions of all photos of the coast and flowers, but only a sample of the surfing shots, were also placed in the Portfolio, in the Calfornia Coast, Flowers, and Outdoor Recreation sections, respectively.
Enjoy!
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel (lots of T-shirts) and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®.
