Paddle boarding into sunset

LOCATION: Currituck Sound, Duck, N.C.

EQUIPMENT: iPhone 12 Pro Max

THE STORY: The general silence can strike you, especially when you're used to bodies of water like the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Those waterways seem to constantly hum with motors.

Living in that part of the Mid-Atlantic means the constant presence of propellers and motors is just something we accept whenever we're near or on the water.

As my wife and I sat at a restaurant deck in laid back Duck, a small community in the Outer Banks, I couldn't help but notice the quiet. Our perch overlooked the wide Currituck Sound, and even though it was a warm, calm evening in October, not a single boat motor could be heard.

Our waiter explained that, sure, sometimes a motorized pontoon boat might meander on by, but generally, the sound is too shallow for boats.

Excellent.

Meanwhile, the sun sailed towards its bed in the western Piedmont as clouds from the remnant of a storm seemed to wave a greeting to us.

A single paddle boarder way out on the water moved southward, and although I didn't have my camera, I did have a new iPhone 12 Pro Max.

I waited for the right moment, when the paddle boarders silhouette reached the sparkling highway that was the sun's reflection on the water.

Sure, in Lightroom Mobile, I enhanced the colors, but it's really not that far off from what we could see with our eyes, a scene of gold and water, and a paddle boarder making his or her way home.

Dave Pidgeon is a seasoned writer and photographer from Lancaster, Pa. You can reach him at dave@pidgeonseyeview.com.