The world ebbs and flows just as the ocean along the shore. Buildings are built, businesses are created and then, just like that, some disappear forever. It never ceases to amaze me how these changes occur through my lens. Let me explain…

When I go out to photograph things that capture my attention, man made structures are not necessarily the first things that come to mind. Why is that? While I appreciate architecture and the placement of structures in different environments, I sometimes question making photographic art from someone else’s creations. Thus, I tend to shy away from photographing buildings, statues, and related static creations.

That being said, there are certain times when these structures truly complement and become part of the greater scene. Take, for example, the Oceanside Pier. Around, in some shape or form, since 1888, the pier is as much a part of the North County scenery as the ocean.

But here’s the funny thing, the object that garnered my attention in the first image was Ruby’s Diner. I named that image “Ruby’s Sunset” for somewhat obvious reasons, and then history did its thing. Ruby’s Diner closed. Then the end of the pier burned down. Lo and behold, I’m left with a cool image that is properly named, but one that now has a whole new meaning!

Then there is this image:

Shot on a summer morning at Trestles looking south to Church. The familiar coastal boobs were in their regular place and the lineup could have been from the 70’s. But wait, what was normal is now gone. This is another image that I could never replicate as time has moved on.

When I lived at the Jetty in South Mission, I took a lot of images that included the lifeguard tower. It was a cool wooden structure that leaked rainwater and had drafts of cold air for those that worked there. Yet, it was a permanent fixture of the seascape…or was it?

Standing sentinel in the winter with its offspring of portable towers, the Mission Beach Tower was the tallest structure on the beach and it was hard to imagine rolling up to the jetty without it. And yet…it is gone. Only the photographs remain.

Even the jetty itself has changed. Built in the 1940s, the jetty had a tall radio tower/beacon on the end to help boaters navigate the entrance to the channel. Anyone who has surfed or fished the jetty will remember the tower.

So, along the shoreline, it’s all about ebbs and flows. I’m thinking about putting together a series of these now extinct features of our coastline as reminders that life never sits still. In the meantime, I’ll simply enjoy both the natural and the man made where they exist in harmony.