Honfleur is a French city in Normandy where the Seine river meets the English Channel. William the Conqueror departed from here in 1066 as he was on his way to invade England. The harbor is lined by tall buildings built from the 16th to 18th century. I really wanted to do a painting of it, so here it is.

Sunlight on the umbrellas and beach chairs invite me to sit down and enjoy the waves rushing in from the ocean.

I witnessed a man fishing from the shore. He thought he’d caught a fish–no. It was a shark. He grabbed it by it’s tail and tried to drag it back to deeper water to let it go. It was a big struggle, but finally when it got to deeper water it swam away. The fisherman was shaken. He could have been bitten, but was happy to let that amazing animal swim to freedom.

In the morning the beach is empty. Umbrellas and beach chairs from the previous day are there alone. The sound of waves and seagulls fill the air. The sunlight on the beach has a yellow glow and the shadows are blue. It is beautiful.

Right before sunrise, the waves rush to the empty beach.

In the morning as the tide goes out, it leaves a puddle in the sand.

Taking a leisurely stroll down the beach . . .

Reflections in the wet sand, the sound of the waves crashing, seagulls singing and the afternoon sunlight are things that I remember while I was doing this painting.