Wednesday, June 10, 2009

I was going to shoot in Rockaway today, but, when I drove down there, it was overcast and on the verge of rain.  The light was flat and didn't inspire me to take colorful beach shacks.  Some other day. 

So I took my camera to the Town Photo event on the beach tonight.  What fun!  Around 300 people showed up---not every person in town, but a nice representation.  Photographer George Vetter did a great job of organizing it and promoting it, and all of us lined up with our ID numbers.  It was scheduled in conjunction with and to kick off Cannon Beach's annual Sandcastle weekend.  George will no doubt have the Town Photo posted on www.cannon-beach.net within a couple of days.  Locals designed and spent today sculpting a large Gulliver on the sand, which, hopefully, will remain intact until at least Friday.  

What is clearly intact is community spirit.  The mayor, the city manager, the fire department, hotel managers and owners, gallery owners, artists, the newspaper publisher and reporters and a healthy assortment of residents, kids and dogs laughed our way through what seemed like a big family reunion portrait.  I'm writing a magazine article and have had the good fortune to be interviewing some local artists.  One artist mentioned that the community support in CB inspires her and said that her experience hasn't been as much the "kindness" of strangers, but rather the "remarkable encounters" with strangers.  It's what makes Cannon Beach, Cannon Beach.   

Thank you to those who have been working to make Sandcastle Weekend a success, including this partial list:  George Vetter/ George Vetter Fotoart, Debbie Nelson/Basket Case, Wendy Higgins/Ocean Lodge, Tracy Abel/Abel Management, Coaster Construction and Jim McDonald/Tolovana Inn.  And. if you are in or near our community on Saturday, come down to the beach and see over 40 teams (including three Masters teams) crafting sandcastles.  There are events downtown during the afternoon.  And--a reminder--gather grandma, the kids and the dog for the ultimate coastal/artsy/Americana experience:  the annual CB 4th of July parade is coming right up...