Second morning in a row I looked out from our upstairs bedroom window to see the world blanketed in fog which makes my funny old Eureka neighborhood look even more like home. Fog makes for the best lighting for pictures plus it has the advantage of blurring the clutter in the world. It makes me happy, possibly because I know that it means there is warmth somewhere to cause that fog and today, like yesterday, promises sun and warmth, at least RELATIVE warmth considering it's February. Growing up in Santa Cruz, fog chased away the tourists who didn't know it would burn off and often stayed away from the beaches if the morning looked too foggy. More for us locals. Of course, in my youth I didn't recognize the value of tourists and the money they leave behind when they "go back to the valley". Either way fog makes for a nice, minor key start to the day.Monica and I took an art class with Bob Benson. I'm no artist but I learned about value keys in the world. I tend to prefer a major key which, if Bob will excuse my simplistic description, has more contrast. Black and/or white is required which makes for a more dynamic look. I used to outline my crayon art in black.... However, sometimes fog pulls me in. It's a minor key, neither black nor white...just grays in varying tones. It softens things... removes distracting details. Interesting that I'm drawn to music in a minor key as well - songs that have more sharps and flats, not quite natural. Now that I think about it, perhaps not such a surprise.
5 comments:
Wow... it is amazing that the fog detracts from some of the across-the-alley run-downness out the bedroom window. Cool.
Props to Bob Benson for affecting us more than we expected or even wanted to let him.
Fog, opposed to heavy clouds, feels magic. Clouds--depressing. Fog--intriguing.
Ventura County summer days frequently begin with a "marine layer". A funny way of saying ... FOG. I am sure tourists to the Southern California Coastal communities of Ventura and Santa Barbara no doubt face the same dilemma that the tourists in your beloved Santa Cruz dealt with.
I guess the fog here does not faze me because I lived it as a kid.
-boy
Seems to me, back when I lived in Orange County we had fog on occasion, but I lived a few miles inland most of the time so it didn't get to where I was that often. But when it did, it was thick, and it would show up all of the sudden.
I remember going in to eat dinner one night when I was living in Irvine. It was clear as a bell when I went inside. Came out about 45 minutes later and the fog was so thick you literally couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
I don't think I've ever seen the fog as thick up here as it was down south.
Fred,
Living in Riverside was made more miserable because I was too far inland to get that coveted marine layer.
I wanted to go outside just one morning and see fog. No wonder I was so darn homesick.
-boy
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