Create Freely. Share Boldly. Live Wild.

The Truth is Rude. Deal With It.

Welcome to TheRudeWayz. Photography, poetry, piano, stories, and community art: no corporate speak, no pretense, just real work made by real hands.

Read the BlogSee the Photography
Sunrise, Virginia Beach
Sunrise over the Atlantic with a pelican overhead and fishing boats heading out past a rock jetty

Latest from the blog

The Last Sunday of Summer

Sunrise, salt air, and a reminder of who’s in charge.

Read the Post

Photography

Real Mornings. No Stock Photos.

Sunrises, oceanfront light, and small moments from Virginia Beach.

A gull and kayakers on the water at Virginia Beach sunriseWitnessA low orange sun rising over choppy water beyond a rock jetty, with fishing boats and a man standing on the rocksSunrise Over the JettyTwo red hibiscus blooms lit from behind by the morning sun along the boardwalkRed HibiscusSurfers standing at the water taking in the sunrise at Virginia BeachThe Surfer’s PrayerSunrise over the Atlantic seen through tall sea grass and pampas plumes along the Virginia Beach boardwalkThrough the Sea GrassYellow daylilies and roses along the boardwalk as a runner passes and the sun rises behind the railingDaylilies and a Runner
See the Full Portfolio

The Books

Stories to Get Lost In

Four books, all free to read online.

Book cover for Dakota and the Vanishing Fireflies: three friends stand in a glowing field of fireflies at dusk, with their bikes in front of a small town

Dakota and the Vanishing Fireflies

Book One of the Dakota & The Hollow Creek Crew series, a story about light in the dark.

Read free →
Sal, a seagull in sunglasses and a striped shirt, meets Sugar, a seagull in round glasses, beside a sandcastle on the beach at sunrise

Sal & Sugar

Two seagulls at Rudee Inlet, one unexpected friendship, and why two are better than one.

Read free →
Book cover for The Trespass, a novel by Ricky Rude: a bayou at dusk with magnolia blossoms and dollar bills glowing at the water’s edge

The Trespass

A Southern literary thriller about buried secrets, family ties, and debts paid in truth.

Read free →
Amos the lion roaring over the savanna

The Lion and the Butterfly

A short fable about strength, gentleness, and the friends who change us.

Read free →
Noah and Tara kissing at their wedding on the water

Family & Love

Noah & Tara’s Wedding

Our son Noah married Tara this Memorial Day weekend at Mimosa Barn on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and it turned into the kind of story that deserved telling twice. Fog on the water at sunrise, rain that turned to gold light by the ceremony, a bride and groom who never once stopped smiling. Here is the whole day, start to finish, photos and all.

Read the Story
A man playing a blue grand piano on the beach at sunset, with a kite flying overhead and palm trees along the shore

Piano & Video

I started piano at 54.

Every note is proof it is never too late to begin. Got a song you would love to hear? Send me a request.

Visit Piano & Video

Meet Rick

The small things are the special things.

Ricky Rude is the pen name of Rick, a Virginia Beach storyteller, photographer, poet, and piano player who took up the keys at 54 because it’s never too late to create.

He looks at life through rose-colored glasses on purpose. To him, life is a gift, a blessing, a challenge, and an experience, and it’s meant to be enjoyed.

More About Rick

Follow along

Facebook Instagram