A Picture Says a Thousand Words Preface: A sincere Thank You for making it this far. This is my first attempt at creative writing since graduating from high school. About 90% of it has been for business and technical forms. The common saying is that “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” my challenge now is to take a photo and write a thousand words. Like my photography, I hope to make improvements with the help of this blog. Please excuse any grammatical errors. It’s April 26th, 2020 and humanity is in the midst of a global pandemic. With work, play, and social gatherings banned by governments, my only sense of freedom was photography. With days seemingly long and boring, on this day I was out exploring new areas to photograph and to get some fresh air. At the same time to practice my photography skills with my new Sony A7R camera. The light was not ideal as it was past midday, but somehow, I ended up at Shady Island in Richmond, BC. Standing at the shoreline, I looked across the man-made rock jetty and noticed several herons feeding along the muddy beach. Judging by the height of the rocks, I figured the tide had been out for some time. In the distance, a few people appeared to be making their way back toward the parking lot. After mulling it over for a few minutes, I gave in to my curiosity and slowly walked across the rocks. About halfway along, I stopped to snap a few shots of the herons feeding. Then I came upon a man who was returning from the other side of the island and decided to ask him how far it was to the other side of the island. The person replied, “It’s just a 5 minute hike.” Great! I thought and proceeded on my way. Human Curiosity Is a Strange Thing The photo above was taken around 2:10 pm.  The following Google Map shows the location of the island. The dirt trail leading to the other side of the island was lined with many different types of bushes, including wild blueberries. While strolling, I mentally calculated when the tide generally returned around these waters. I figured I was good for another hour or two. It didn’t very long to cross to the other side of the island. Once through the bush, the view gave way to overgrown grass, many washed-up logs, and an open sandy beach that stretched for several miles. I got excited about my journey as this area has very few visitors due to its remote location, and set out to explore the surroundings. There were signs of overnight campers, as a fire pit was situated amongst an opening in the small wooded area by the beach. As well, there lay an old wooden boat that was decomposing over the many years of being washed ashore. This was a very tranquil and beautiful place, I thought to myself as I jumped from location to location snapping away the camera. I had my tripod with me and was experimenting with a couple of filters and settings. This was my first glimpse of Shady Island that majority of people never see (above).  An old ship wreck sits on the beach as nature weathers it away (below). Welcome but Be Mindful While fully absorbed in my new surroundings, several people passed by me on their trip back to the shore. I didn’t pay too much attention as it had only been about 10 minutes since my arrival on the secluded beach. In particular, a father and his young son, who was no more than 5 or 6 years old, walked by slowly. I was too busy in my own little photographic world to see the foreshadowing unfolding before my eyes. The boy said something to his father that almost pierced my thoughts but didn’t quite register with my subconscious mind. The young adventurer said to his father in a child’s tone, yet very well articulated, So dad, you were saying that when the water becomes murky, it means the tide is coming in. That is correct son, the father answered as they disappeared down the beach. Meanwhile, I merrily carried on with my shooting. About 10 minutes later, a young couple holding hands passed by me. I greeted them with a quick hello, and they gestured with a slight nod and kept walking. About a dozen minutes had elapsed when suddenly that young boy’s voice came to my forethoughts. However, this time it was amplified and loud enough to startle me as if the child was standing next to me. I looked into the distance to see if anyone else was present on the beach. Unfortunately, it was all void of people, and I was the only one left on this side of the island. I turned my gaze towards the water, and sure enough, it had become choppy and murky, just like the young boy had stated to his father earlier. “One more shot, and then I will head back,” I said to myself like an idiot. But then I felt a gust of air on my neck, and I muttered aloud, “Let’s get the heck out of here, now!” Time to Run Without warning the wind suddenly picked up, and I had this eerie feeling that something wasn’t right. Then I grabbed the camera, quickly threw into the bag, and slugged it over my shoulder. Then proceeded to walk briskly back towards the trail while folding away the tripod. The strange sense of urgency got stronger, and my inner sense told me to run. I had difficulty keeping my balance, as I had to cross over many logs that lay in front of me, and instead thought it was easier to run on top of them. However, I needed a walking stick for improved balance and to use it against any unforeseen challenges that I may encounter ahead. While running, I picked up a piece of