Sunday, April 8, 2012

A Rock Concert . . .

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Out on the north Brittany coast this past summer. Empty white sand beaches as far as the eye can see, and happily nary a human in sight. A place where one can quietly appreciate the subtle forces of wind, water, and weather on rocks that have been there long before man arrived, and which will be there long after we are gone. What a beautiful place we have here, this planet of ours. If we could only keep it that way.
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What I was listening to while composing this minor key rock concert : Click...
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26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Feels to be even stronger than time itself. Must have been last year since I've been to the beach. Please have a good new week ahead.

genie said...

What a totally amazing series of pictures and what a fabulous place to visit. I cannot get over the variety of views you have shared with us...from shells to boulders, from white beaches to beautiful water, from lichens to flowers abloom. What a wonderful selection. I cannot think of anywhere here is out neck of the woods that could begin to compare with the enormity and beauty of this area. What a WOW post. genie

Scott Law said...

Wonderful seaside shots. Makes me want to go there.

Lynne with an e said...

Thank you for taking us by the hand and leading us through this land... of sea and rock and wild things growing, to the tune of echoing guitars and high-pitched cries surely reflecting that of gulls soaring just out of sight. Such soothing sights for these tired eyes. A beautiful day at the beach. I've brought a little pail to gather some shells and rocks to take home as souvenirs. On second thought, I'll examine each one and then set it free again.

French Girl in Seattle said...

Ah, la Bretagne... Si belle! Merci, Monsieur Toad for these glorious shots of that wild and rugged French region. Many foreigners might be surprised to know there is so much beauty outside of Paris... and Provence, n'est-ce-pas? ;-) Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

the fly in the web said...

Super Brittany! I went all round the coast one year, stopping at every launching slip and beach. One of my better years in France.

Steve said...

Owen, you raaaaawwk!

Nathalie said...

I'll second Steve. What a post!
The long white sand beach is what really does it for me. Just what I need/want !!!

Mimi said...

I love your selection of photos, so much variety!
The long white sandy beach reminds me of beaches here, in Wexford.
And I love those flat rocks, similar to the "hot stone massage" ones.

Springman said...

"maggie and millie and molly and may"



maggie and millie and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and



millie befriended a stranded star
who's rays five languid fingers were;


and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and



may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.



For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea.”
e.e. cummings

As if you didn't know!

PeterParis said...

For someone who talked about a hiatus, or at least slowing down, in blogging, I find you – fortunately – quite active! Sporadic activity seems to be me more linked to Vesuvius… and to Pink Floyd members. How is the guitar playing going? :-)

Owen said...

@ Robert : Timeless indeed.

Now, doctor's orders... go to a beach soon. Very soon. These places where life crawled out of the oceans to bask in the sun are good for the soul. I suspect you can find a beach in Greece, with all those thousands of kilometres of coastline and myriad islands ("flung like jewels upon the sea"). Don't put it off any longer... :-)

@ Genie : Hi there... Well, the place wowed me right over, one of France's better kept secrets, white sandy beaches where practically no tourist goes, and very few French even, on a hot day in August, the place is heaven. And the rock concert was icing on the macaroon, if you will...

@ Scott : by all means, go... this spot is on the north shore of a small island named l'Ile de Batz, served by regular small ferry service from the town of Roscoff, where there are also much larger ferries that steam to Ireland and England... well worth the effort to get there...

Owen said...

@ Lynne : perhaps one of these summers you will have to pack a travelling trunk with your beach pails, spades, large towels, bathing attire, walking shoes, toothbrush, etc, and make the trek to France, to track down the tracks of toads, and see if you can't follow them to the place where the toad is toadily toasting in the sun, by a large wicker picnic basket overflowing with victuals and wines and grapes and such... I'm sure all would be delighted were you to set up your easel and paint rocks or whatever to your heart's content, while chatting of all and nought that crosses the minds eyes... and see what echoes return...

Owen said...

@ French Girl : You are so right ! For all the focus on Paris, (rightfully so, for it is a great city), and on the south where the rich and famous seem to congregate in all the trendy places; there remain endless places of wonder to explore in France, which is a large part of why I settled here, for one would need several lifetimes to discover them all, and I intend to continue trying as long as fate allows me to... am never disappointed on back roads in France...

Owen said...

@ Fly : That must have been a wonderful trip indeed ! Lucky you ! Hope you have photos of all those magic places. I haven't been around the whole of Brittany's very long coastlines, but have seen quite a bit, and am always happy to go out hunting for places where boats have been dragged up to end their lives on land...

@ Steve : You could say I'm a raucous, or rockous kind of guy ! Love to rock the boat...

@ Nathalie : It really is truly amazing to me that those long beaches are empty in August. Guess taking the ferry out to the island is just too much effort for most folks... a slice of heaven...

Owen said...

@ Mimi in Dublin : Indeed, all those stones get heated up in the sun, perfect for taking a nap while being massaged with a few on the back...

@ Sir Springman : Ah, trust you to find the perfect poem... I haven't read any cummings in years, but we had his books on the shelves where I grew up, and I often had my nose in them... And hey, now that you are retired and in theory free-ed up somewhat, any travel plans on the horizon. There is a bird reserve not far from here I could show you one day, were you ever to alight on this side of the pond... just sayin'...

Owen said...

@ Peter : Well, I said I was going to slow down a bit, but not stop entirely, and this one came on all by itself, it had been in the back of my mind since last summer, it was time to let it out loose into cyberspace...

The guitar has been getting some exercise, more so than in recent years... to be continued !

Le Journal de Chrys said...

J'aime beaucoup beaucoup ta balade dans les cailloux!

Ton billet me fait penser à un autre blog très beau, très couleur et graphisme:

http://bicocacolors.blogspot.fr/


Bonne semaine!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thanks Owen, that was a rockin' way to wake up this morning. good music, sunshine and nature rough with age and smoothed by the sea. I can almost hear the boulders clacking together as the water stirs them.

I had a tour of one of your books at the top of your side bar.. The very best success with both of them and your photography sales... Gorgeous work...
now I am going to look at the second.
Thank you!!!

Stickup Artist said...

I'm late, super late getting here. Been out and about exploring and wandering. I love the basic elements of earth, rock, sand, sky, and throw in the sea and I'm in heaven! Frantic time slows down and is replaced by a pleasing biological, natural rhythm accompanied by colors, shapes and the sound of the wind. I wish every day could be thus — pure beauty...

jeff said...

Bien vu cher ami !!!
J'adore ton concert de roc ou de rock ?!? ;-)
Mais il y en a bien des rocs sur ces plages !!! Je ne sais pas comment on doit y faire pour marchr l'été lorsque les cailloux sont bien brûlants ? And I try... :-)

Amitiés :-)

Pastelle said...

De merveilleuses images, wow... ♥
Je serai en Bretagne le mois prochain pour la première fois de ma vie, j'espère faire aussi bien.

Catherine said...

Brittany is on my list to return to after a gap of 30 yrs - glad it is still unspoilt and beautiful...

Marginalia said...

Heavy man!

Roxana said...

the little flowers next to the yellow-tinted rock have broken my heart, such frailty, such beauty...

Pastelle said...

Ah oui c'était comme ça. Pour la lumière et les couleurs.
Sauf que je n'ai jamais vu de galets ronds. Je ne devais pas être au même endroit. Mais j'aime toujours tes images et ton regard. ♥