FotoRock smiled excitedly as she pulled out her camera. The small red light house of Yaquina Bay rose before her on the gentle slope that overlooked the inlet. She had chosen the Yaquina Bay area for her new photography exhibit because no one really knew of it except the Oregonians. Her photography was known for it’s unique portrayal of small towns across America.

Built in 1871, the small red colonial-styled house was the last wooden lighthouse remaining in the U.S. FotoRock was more than excited over the discovery and stopped to take some shots of the building that stood framed with Oregon timber. The lighthouse itself actually sat on top of the house—it didn’t look anything like the other lighthouses that she had visited.
She walked into the building and picking up a brochure, read that the light house had a full history; living quarters for the U.S. lifesaving services and home to the light keeper, his wife, and seven children. It was the tallest lighthouse and the oldest building in the state of Oregon. She walked through the wood building, using a whole roll of film to capture the essence of the former lighthouse. She took shots of the children’s rooms, the front room that looked like other homes of that time.

Outside, she took more shots of the views available from her perch. The bridge she had driven across stretched over the entrance to the bay and she took some angled shots of it before walking back to her truck and driving over to the waterfront.
Parking just a couple of blocks away from the bay, she was surprised to find another jewel. A bright sunshine yellow house with bright blue trim and shutters stood in front her. The shutters were adorned with yellow suns and stars. It was the most unique home that FotoRock had ever seen. She pulled out the camera and began snapping pictures. This is what she searched for in her travels.

On her short walk to the waterfront, she came across an old building that looked like it used to be a brewery of sorts. The entire side of the building was one gigantic mural. Whales and their young danced before her and her camera as she knelt to capture the images.

The waterfront was already busy with activity beneath a mid-day sun when she reached it. Tourists were visiting the many shops and galleries that faced the water, but FotoRock was more interested in looking for moments to catch. She stopped to take a picture of a wooden planter that had a white sailing ship painted on it.

Straightening, she turned and took some pictures of fishing boats that were making their way in and out of the bay. The sunlight glistened on the little waves around the boats and she adjusted her high zoom lens to focus on the fishermen themselves as they worked on their vessels. Nearby, there was a fishing boat moored and the men were sorting through and cleaning their catch. FotoRock turned the camera lens towards them and snapped away as they methodically went through their work. The men were in their mid to early forties, she guessed and she focused the lens in on the hands of one of the older men as he took his knife and sliced open a large fish. His fingers looked calloused and work-worn. He had probably done this job his whole life, she thought.

As she continued her exploration, she paused at times to take pictures of families who were out enjoying the day. There was a young couple that caught her interest and she took some shots as they walked together. It looked like a first date.

She took pictures of excited children as they pointed at sea lions sunning themselves on floating wood docks. Many of the animals were scarred—probably results of fights among themselves. The expressions on the children’s faces were eye-catching and contagious she noticed as she caught adults who were not too old to look at what the children found so fascinating.

FotoRock smiled as snapped away. This was her favorite part of visiting small towns. She loved to see the excitement on the face of a visitor who found something interesting. She captured pictures of people coming out of the shops and galleries.

A couple of packing plants sat on the water’s edge and FotoRock stopped to capture the moment when workers threw out excess remains to a flock of sea birds that were waiting. Other people stopped to watch the sea birds become a mass of feathers in their flurry to get to the food. She caught some of the people’s expressions on film and wished there was a way she could capture the strong aroma of fish that hung in the air over the waterfront.

FotoRock found a Ripley’s Believe it Or Not exhibit building as well as a wax museum. She was surprised to find them there and took some pictures of their entrances and the expressions on people’s faces as they walked out. She decided to take one of the boat tours and walked on board a small fishing boat with other visitors. Finding a spot to stand near the bow of the boat, she snapped more pictures of the waterfront as the boat slowly moved away from the boarding ramp.

Restaurants sat on the water and she managed to get some great pictures of people sitting on the wooden decks as they ate and enjoyed the bay view. Turning, she took more pictures of the boats and of the large marina on the other side of the bay. Lowering her camera she leaned back to enjoy a good deep breath of salty air.

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