Overlooked Photos of 2020 #2: Kona Sunset

Photo taken in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii — February 24, 2020

How’s this for improbable: Through dumb luck we took a two-week trip to Hawaii in late February 2020 with our friends Wayne and Kathy. COVID-19 was a far-off rumour then, with few cases reported in North America and a widespread feeling the issue would pass shortly. We all know how that came out.

Once home we were quickly plunged into lockdown and I somehow neglected to post a single photo from our Hawaii trip. But some should be shared.

This one is (duh) a sunset near Kailua-Kona in the first of three places we stayed. The Kona side of the Big Island is amazing for sunsets and we took full advantage, gathering each evening at the “adult pool” to watch the sun go down and drink a beer or two in the hot tub. The sunsets were surreal, filling the sky with warm light and colour. Like this.

* Why I didn’t post it: As I noted above, the early days of the pandemic distracted me from posting. I was also mourning my late camera, which met an untimely end during the Hawaii trip (more on that in a future post). And really, who the hell wanted to see pictures of amazing sunsets from some jackass who was lucky enough to go to Hawaii just before lockdown? The timing just didn’t seem right. And maybe it isn’t now, I don’t know. But here it is.

* I took a lot of photos in 2020, more than in any previous year. Some I shared, but looking back I’ve found many I didn’t. Maybe I thought they weren’t good enough, maybe I had something else to post or maybe…I just plain forgot. As the year winds down I’m rectifying those oversights and posting some photos I overlooked earlier in 2020.

Overlooked Photos of 2020 #1: Winter Conversation

Photo taken in Penticton, BC — February 1, 2020

Seemingly oblivious to the cold waters of Penticton Creek flowing into the even-colder waters of Okanagan Lake, a man and a woman held an intense conversation sitting on the rocks at the creek’s mouth. Perhaps it was a marriage proposal, perhaps they were quarrelling. Perhaps they were quarrelling following a marriage proposal. Only the cold waters know.

* Why I didn’t post it: While I liked the composition and the stories it implied, I didn’t think this image would work on Instagram or Facebook. It looks better cropped 16x9 and viewed much larger (and at higher resolution) than social media allows. But you tell me: does it work for you?

* I took a lot of photos in 2020, more than in any previous year. Some I shared, but looking back I’ve found many I didn’t. Maybe I thought they weren’t good enough, maybe I had something else to post or maybe…I just plain forgot. As the year winds down I’m rectifying those oversights and posting some photos I overlooked earlier in 2020.

Revisiting an Old Friend

Two years ago I visited this yellow tree overlooking the vineyards in the South Okanagan and came away pleased with what I found. This weekend I visited again, curious to see if lightning could strike twice.

As always I was amazed how different a place can be from year to year. Bright grape leaves had been replaced by bare, brown vines. A tree positively afire with yellow leaves was diminished, though still attractive. Most of this was timing — had I visited a week earlier it would have been different. Even a day can make a difference once the temperatures dip and the strong November winds begin to blow.

Yet comparison is the thief of joy, as someone wise said. Better to appreciate what we have than diminish it by forever reminiscing about “the one that got away.”