natural bridges, santa cruz

our natural bridges excursion has turned into a summer annual ritual with the gang, the usual group of young people and moms who have spent year after year together in cooperatives. the kids are nearly all taller than the parents at this point. their antics get a bit more adventurous every year. the sand castles have morphed into more intrepid hikes and rock climbing along the "roman road" and tidal pools. imagine my sheer disappointment when i thought i'd inadvertently deleted the card while processing work related images. how could it be? alas, my worst fears were eleviated when, after being away from the situation for two days, i returned to find the cards, unaltered. such relief. the images speak for themselves. i love these peeps.
straight out of the camera:

(thank you nico for this shot)