Clockwise from top-left: Andy in wetsuit preparing to descend a rope ladder down a cliff, Christian posing at the bottom of a kelp forest, Tim hanging out at the surface, and Steve making a dive to check out a nudibranch.

Even though I’m happy to have my Etsy shop up and running, I’m disappointed with how it looks. Each of these images is supposed to be a 28″ square print struggling to convey the enormity of the ocean. A good Etsy shop however is about conveying product, thus the ocean is delivered to you in 75px thumbnails. Maybe I should have gone with a gallery show instead. Too late now!

The Wreck, named after one of the many boats tossed upon the shore by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, is situated on Shem Creek, a small inlet that many of the town’s shrimp boats dock at. To get to it you have to take a round about way behind the dockyard and there are no signs pointing the way. There aren’t any signs on the building either to suggest that this is a restaurant open to the public. Inside they serve fresh seafood on paper plates and it is simply delicious. The dining area is mostly comprised of a big screened in porch that overlooks the water. Ever since my mother introduced me to it, I like to go eat there every time I come home.

]]> http://riomcthorne.com/2009/06/the-wreck/feed/ 6 http://riomcthorne.com/2008/12/straight-lines/ http://riomcthorne.com/2008/12/straight-lines/#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:00:34 +0000 Erich http://riomcthorne.com/?p=447

Lately, I’ve been exploring more urban waterways. One of these takes water from Alameda County down to Los Angeles, the other takes run off water from the Oakland Coliseum parking lot and brings it to the San Francisco Bay.

The Aqueduct had signs saying ‘No Trespassing or Loitering’ right next to the signs pointing out the state park bike path which I thought was a bit contradictory, you’re either a bicyclist or a trespasser. I try to see how far I can go without having to jump any fences or walk past any ‘No Trespassing’ signs. Maybe the next time I go back to the Aqueduct I’ll bring a bicycle.

The drainage canal area isn’t the nicest of spots. It’s littered with lots of beer bottles and other less savory things. I probably wouldn’t go poking around there without Louie. 70 pounds of dog at my side helps out with the confidence.

Here’s Louie the guard dog sniffing things out.

Recently, I went out to do some location scouting for a car shoot. There are some salt flats in the bay area that are a lot closer than Bonneville or Black Rock. Unfortunately these salt flats are part of the bay’s tidal marsh and when I got there they were submerged under a foot or so of high tide. I guess I’ll have to check the tide charts as well as sunrise times when I go back later. I did however find some spots to go along with my urban waterway series. Including this salt pond canal that turns at a very impressive right angle.

It looks like it goes on forever. I look out at it and think how I as a species do not belong here. It’s like being in space. If I got out of this tiny capsule, this boat, I would die. When I look into the big empty ocean I often have the impulse to throw things in. I had the same feeling when I went to the Grand Canyon. That impulse is more strongly heard in direct correlation to the value of what I’m holding at the time. The more valuable, the more I think about throwing it in and how awful it would be, how far it would sink. I shot a bunch of seascapes with the Hasselblad and the impulse to throw the camera over was just thrumming. I dread the thought of carrying a child along those edges.

Here, as a palate cleanser to those huge expanses of ocean, are some tiny channels. Water forced into lines. When I see them I often think of the not-so-savory things that the human species does in this world; the destruction of wetlands from draining canals, the hydropower dams that threaten the fish life of the rivers they block and chill, but after the Atlantic, there’s something cozy about them. You don’t scare me nature. The Army Corp of Engineers will keep you in line… most of the time.

Prints available here.