Usually the sea below my house is audible in my garden. It can be relatively gentle lapping or the thunder of heavy waves in a swell or driven by gale force winds.
On other, rare, occasions the sea feels as though there is a steely, unreal quietness in it. It's a rare occurrence and the results are shown in the pictures below:
When I see the sea like that I am always reminded of a paining by Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela that I saw and liked in the National Gallery in London. It is called Lake Keitele: A Vision of Finland.
What I do not know is what phenomenon or combination of circumstances causes it.
That painting is incredible, I love the shimmer of the water. You are blessed to be able to hear the sea from your home. I can't quite hear the sea from my garden but I do live only two blocks from the Pacific Ocean so I see it every day and often walk along it. I remind myself that people travel across the globe to come here to enjoy these views.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Terra. I am always thankful for my good fortune. I'm glad that you can experience the sea too.
DeleteOof, it has been unusually calm of late.
ReplyDeleteIt has indeed, Andrea. I hope it remains so for a while.
DeleteIs it the calm before the storm? That painting is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNo, JayCee, there are no storms forecast here but we've had a beautiful day.
DeleteThose rare occasions when the sea barely moves and there is no sound are quite magical. I've experienced it a couple of times, always in very special places.
ReplyDeleteI don't worry about the meteorological reasons behind it, just appreciate the experience 😌
Jayne, that is very good advice. I should learn to live more in the minute.
DeleteI've never lived by a sea, the closest I've come is 1/4 mile from the Gulf of Mexico, but there is something mysterious and foreboding about any large body of water I think. Yours is a prime example of this when it is quiet, deep and calm and you wonder what is a'comin' ... I love the lake painting also.
ReplyDeleteJill, I've always lived quite near the sea and can't imagine being away from it or at least from a large body of water. I'm pleased that you enjoyed the painting.
DeleteBeautiful photos and painting
ReplyDeleteA gentle surface wind might be on the water.
It could indeed, MayWyn, although it's a very very light wind today.
DeleteWe live by a river, but my husband would dearly love to live closer to the ocean so I may have to discourage him from seeing the wonderful views you enjoy, Graham.
ReplyDeleteWell, Beatrice, The Minch is only about 20 miles wide at this point.
DeleteAt first glance, I thought the painting was another photo...!
ReplyDeleteIf you're used to always hearing the sea, I can imagine I might feel a bit weird when it's really quiet.
Monica, it can be quite spooky when it's quiet but with a slight breeze up from the pier. We can often hear the children playing and shouting to each other.
DeleteI think the real thing is way better than the painting, although not living by the sea I could happliy manage with that painting.
ReplyDeleteI think, Tasker, that the real thing is usually more satisfying than a painting if it's supposed to mimic the original. Being aphantasic I rely very much on photos for my memories though.
DeleteThe painting has really captured your local phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly a very popular painting, Pipistrello.
DeleteGraham, my grandfather used to call those 'hare tracks'. It has taken my over half a century but i have finally found out that those tracks are caused by natural organic oils on the water - such as come from the decomposition of plant material and seaweed.
ReplyDeletePS thzt painting has captured the effect remarkably well
DeleteThank you very much for the information, Tigger.
DeleteIn both your photo and the painting you can see the silence, it's quite magical.
ReplyDeleteI like that, Pauline - being able to see the silence. I know exactly what you mean.
DeleteThat painting is incredibly realistic, what a talented artist!
ReplyDeleteYour sea views are always spectacular, no matter the weather. I can not even remember when I last was by the sea, probably around 10 years ago.
Meike, being away from the se for that long would be awful for me. But then for some the sea is a terrifying prospect. I am fortunate and content.
DeleteMy not being by the sea for so long is simply because I do not have the opportunity - I live in the South of Germany, hundreds of miles from the sea in all directions. Our holidays are usually hiking in the mountains, and because of the pandemic, I have not been to England since 2019 - my best chance to get to the sea! I don't find it terrifying at all, just
DeleteHaving spent years at sea I can say without hesitation that the cause is a combination of Long Covids and Climate change. Chris Witless will back me up.
ReplyDeleteAdrian, you are becoming rather single minded.
DeleteSimple minded.
DeleteWhatever else you are, Adrian, 'simple' doesn't enter into it.
DeleteI'd like to think it was the moon what caused it! Lesley
ReplyDeleteLesley, the moon can play with the water and produce the most spectacular effects.
DeleteYes the effect is called Tide.
DeleteAdrian I walked into that one.
DeleteHad you noticed that in your top photo a spaceship had landed in the far distance? Spooky!
ReplyDeleteCro, it is the radio communications dish or whatever which tracks all the aircraft flying across the North Atlantic.
DeleteOr it could be a space ship! Do we really know?
DeleteJill, do we really know anything in this world. I just read what it says on the gate!
DeleteWe used to camp near the sea when I was a lot younger and I loved to hear the waves as I fell asleep. I also used to imagine a tidal wave crashing over the headland and carrying my tent away! Strange.
ReplyDeleteThe sea is just wonderful in all it's forms and the painting perefctly catches the beauty of a large body of water.
Thank you, Kylie, for your experience and thoughts.
DeleteI am so envious Graham! I miss hearing the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks and the ocean, you're very lucky
ReplyDeleteAmy, I am always conscious of my good fortune.
DeleteAfter growing up on Long Island, where the sea is never more than a few minutes' drive either north or south, I moved inland. It took me a few years to discover that I felt smothered when I couldn't reach the sea. So I moved back home - it was one of the best decisions in my life.
ReplyDeleteAs for the moods of the ocean, I prefer the stormy, crashing seas (provided I am not in a boat, of course). Some of my favorite moments, both home and abroad, involve standing near the coastline while winds whip the waves into a frenzy. In Ireland, I saw strong winds coming off the land that blew the tops of the waves backwards towards the sea, the way some people blow foam off the top of their beer. In Scotland, I have stood and watched incredibly translucent aqua waters crash on perfect sand (Harris). In Hawaii, I stood on the top of a huge cliff and watched the waves crashing below. The wind blew so hard that I could lean my entire body weight forward, and it held me up.
In my life, whenever I have had to face disappointment or sadness, frustration or loss, going to the sea has always been my medicine. It's my church, and my solace. As long as I have the ability to choose where I live, it will always be in reach of the sea.
Marcheline, thank you so much for the thoughts on your experiences. In the one period of my life when I have suffered from post operative depression (I was 16 and had part of a lung removed) I walked by the sea for hours on end. It seemed to work.
DeleteI love the sounds and the look of the ocean....it's been quite a while I've enjoyed the ambience...the pleasure.
ReplyDeleteTake good care, Graham. I hope all is well. :)
Lee, I can recall so many of your posts where the sea has been a huge part of your life.
DeleteIt is lovely to see the sea so calm but it's also nice to listen to the crashing waves. It was interesting to read the comment explaining why the streaks occur. The painting is lovely.
ReplyDeleteDiane, crashing waves and gale force winds have been so much part of my life that I can't imagine life without them.
DeleteThat is indeed a strange phenomenon which I have noticed a few times myself. Living by the sea can be like a therapy as its rhythms play out in the background.
ReplyDeleteIt can indeed, YP. I often just sit and listen to it.
Delete