the mistaken road | oakland photographer

sometimes a simple mistake, a spur of the moment change in plans, can result in a treasure you least expect.

a trip to the beach didn’t come to be as the weather changed from sunny and 60’s to cloudy, windy and not 60’s in a matter of miles. my sister and i, along with the boys were loaded up and ready for some playtime in the sand when we realized it would be far too chilly at the shore today. we had just driven through the caldecott tunnel when it was decided that we should head back towards home. berkeley slowly passed by, and the gorgeous bay was just ahead. i knew i needed to find an exit to turn around but there was construction. last minute, i exited, expecting to simply get back on the highway… but no. we ended up climbing the hills of oakland, with no u-turn signs a plenty. it was looking bleak and we laughed at the situation we had gotten ourselves into. the streets were narrowing and the houses growing. gorgeous old homes with lines and architecture so rare these days. i felt myself sucking my breath in, as i weaved around the fancy cars, trying desperately not to scrape them as i searched endlessly for a road wide enough to turn around in.

then i saw them. just ahead and to the left. don’t ask me how, but i whipped around that tiny street without so much as a blink. my heart was leaping from my chest, my camera literally jumping up and down in the back seat. there were just two of them, sitting alone & strong near the gorgeous house with stained glass windows. as if on cue, the wind died down and i snapped, 4 or 5 before getting back into the car. silently i swooned, the colors soothing and the end result something i couldn’t have planned.

beach or no beach – the kids had a great time at a nearby park, and my sister and i enjoyed our identical, yet difficult starbucks coffee orders. though i didn’t get the images by the sea i had set out to, i came home with a smile on my face and a peace in my heart. thank you mistaken road, thank you.

(linking up to one of my favorite blogs today, chatting at the sky. it’s been far too long since i unwrapped my tuesday. care to join me?)