A friend and I spent a couple hours on the Kure Beach, North Carolina, pier, an obviously well-known fishing spot for locals and non-locals alike. Leaving the fishing to the multitudes that gathered on this particular October day, we were more enthralled with the pelicans, gulls and dolphins that also frequent the waters there.

The pier has an interesting history of its own, and being one of the longest piers on the east coast (700-plus feet, according to its Web site), it allowed me to capture pictures that one may not often see - the backside of the ocean waves.

Normally, people stand on the shore and watch the waves come crashing in. But the back side, just as the wave is cresting, is surprisingly smooth and almost silky looking. I was truly fascinated and took many, many pictures, trying to capture its unusual beauty.

Oh, did I mention the pelicans? Some, flying past the pier to an unknown destination; others - perhaps the hungrier ones - hanging out on the railings of the pier in hopes of pigging out on the fishermen's discards. Lucky for me, the patient fish-eaters didn't mind having their picture taken.