on point ...

from the mountains ... to the sea ... Transferred from Webshots 12/30/07 - just remembering my 17 hour drive from Yosemite across CA to the Monteray Bay - then down the coast to LAX back in June of this year.

endings ...

... of the day - on Kitty Hawk Bay, as here are quite serene. I always find that a beautiful sunset, particularly on the Outer Banks, can make my heart beat faster - just anticipating getting a nice photo before sundown.

'extreme' drought ...

... the dry conditions are getting 'serious'. It has been many a year since both the drought conditions and the long term forecast have been so bleak across North Carolina. It is reported that we are 24 inches of rainfall short of what it would take for recovery, and the forecast projects a dry fall and winter ahead - not good! I'm wondering what changes we'll see in the coming years. Will we become the newest eastern 'Sahara"? Sure hope not ...

looking back at Springtime ...

... is about the only thing refreshing that I can do to overcome the sweltering summer. Sure hope we can have some cooler weather soon. I can hope ...

Understanding and forgiveness ...

Education and patience ...will always be necessary, but not always available. Hence, there will be some successes, some failures. And, we adapt, or we expire ...

fluffing ...

... on a fall afternoon. One of my favoite times of the year ...

... something about the 'Old South'

... that sparks the imagination ... and, the memory.

a silent spring ...

... of another kind - drought and wildfires - we may not realize it until the dry season this year is, at last, ... over.

Stricken ... yet strong ...

Sierra Nevadas - In elevations above 7,000 feet or so, the winds are very high, the lightning strikes frequent, and the rocky substrates offer little nourishment to the trees that survive there ... Still, trees like this Juniper do survive. And though the challenges are many, the 'character' they develop and project in the wilderness is ... so inspiring ... to me.

... Quoth the Raven

... Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

... And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore! - Edgar Allan Poe - published 1845
...

Time ... and the River

Time ... It is 'worn' on the clear water river ... as if it were the 'heart' on my sleeve ... ... in Yosemite

a grand intimacy ...

In the wilderness that is Yosemite, one can experience a 'smallness' unlike any other. It seems, as I stood there feeling alone and isolated by choice, humbled by the vast scale of remoteness, isolation, and rugged majesty of the wilderness before me - that the sky alone was matched as an equal to the land it covered. And I, in awe, was but a mere privileged particle in an entire universe - void of any other human population. Ah ... you say t'was but a fantasy, especially since I was there by choice. Ah ... I say, but you should try it ... :-)

lost in blue ...

I suppose that the one thing I will remember most, of my trip along the Pacific Coastal Highway ... is the overwhelming "blue" of both the sky and the sea - the sea being, of course, the Pacific Ocean. Both, enhanced by the vantage points one has traveling high on the hills along the Pacific Coastal Highway, ... provide a sight I could easily imagine to be unlike any other place in the world ... a place where the mountains meet the deep blue sea ...

a place in the sky ...

... to meet for a discussion among the elders in Yosemite ... :-)

In the distance ...

... From my trip to Yosemite National Park as viewed from a "high country" vantage point near "Glacier Point": With telephoto lens; below - the Merced river flows over the Vernal Fall (dropping 317 feet). If you look closely (click on photo), you can see some folks hiking at the top of the fall and on the trail leading up to the base of the fall (often called the Mist trail - which is closed in winter). Didn't get to hike this trail, but ... maybe "next time" ...

... trained by the wind ...

... anchored in the stone of your ancestry, misshapen and formed by a life of challenges, ... perserverant in principle and soul you stand steadfast, reverent of the creation ... that surrounds you, with grace you find beauty in the world ... never realizing ... ... ... you are the beauty in the world ...

- conversation with an elder - on a mountaintop in Yosemite Wilderness

a hope for ... 'evermore

You wander ... alone at springtime in the forests. And they ... come to you, as if curious - with their strangely unfamiliar calls, and suddenly you are not alone ... They claim your attention and ... your wonder. It is ... their right this time of year, and your duty to observe, to accept your privilege, to protect the memory of this day in your heart, and to give ... in whatever way you can ... an eternal hope for stewardship ... for now and 'evermore ...

... 8,000 feet and climbing ...

... thinner air ... snow-pack, breathtaking views, massive geological/glacier results - over millions of years ... you can find it all in the wilderness areas of Yosemite National Park. It takes me "higher" ...

There is an overwhelming peace ...

There is an overwhelming peace ... in Yosemite Valley in the early mornings. The rising sun casting long shadows in the river's calming and gentle flow, the crisp air, the morning dew on the meadows, and the total absense of all but the birds' morning greetings ... all of that and more ... grip you ... and hold you there ... and give you ... all that you had hoped for ... and you are at peace with your existence ... at this time ... and at this place ...

Yosemite ... the legend is real ...

and the weather couldn't have been better ... My only comment right now is ... "divine" ... More as I get the images posted.

Journey of big skies ...

... bombarded my subconscious every day during the week in which I put 1260 miles on my rental car as I traveled across California from Los Angeles to Yosemite to The Pacific Coast highway and back down the coast to LAX for the return flight home on 6/7/07... an exhausting, but in-my-mind rewarding trip ... The photos will help me keep the memories fresh and in-focus :-) ...

Lost in the highway ...

... going down the highway ... Absorbed in the beauty of the coastal highway (US 1) south of Monteray Bay, was what I was on my last full day in California and headed back to LA for Thursday's flight back home. I spent 17 hours on the road Wednesday traveling the long stretch of Pacific Coast highway ... incredibly beautiful!

Peace ...

... is not demanding. It just is ... It comes to us when we cease our demands, and accept it ... in mind and in heart.

more spring than summer ...

... yes, that is what it will be like in a few days as I reach Yosemite amidst elevations from 4700 to around 9000 feet. From the weather forecasts I've seen, it will still be spring, and even though the snow pack this year is only 40% of historic normals there - the waterfalls should still be flowing at a good clip ... Really looking forward to the trip!

Sweet 'youth' ... and a smile

Discovering his feet in the sand ...

There is something very akin to the life of a child in puppies. One has to believe that their young inquisitive and easily fascinated minds are similarly positioned in the 'grand scheme of things' ... As I begin to move on over the hill of my own life ... and look back now and again at where I've been, it is the 'youth' I've once experienced - the 'youth' I've witnessed in passing - and the 'youth' ... I'll see as I go - that never fails to bring a smile - magic and miracle - and 'wonder' to the world .... It tugs at my heart ... in a wonderful way.

fusion of the flora ...

... The eyes are seduced each spring ... by the always welcome, always amazing, flowers in the garden ...

Be still ... and listen

The forces of nature are always at work ... and we are all a part of that eternal hum. Be still, and listen to the wind ... In truth, there are no hierarchies. We are both predator and prey. 'Tis but a matter of scale ... for now.

seasons of color ...

Spring and fall - the seasons that demand attention to vibrant colors in nature ... My favorite times of the year ... Every year!

stemming the tides ...

When you know you're aging fast, as I know that I am, you simply have to undertake those things that will prolong the inevitable ebb & flow of the tides. We're all a part of that ebb & flow ... and that's a wonderful thing. But we have to "move", travel, see the world around us again and again - because it changes each and every time we have the great privilege to see it, to be yet another part of it - to preserve it as a memory - as an integral part of our spirit for eternity, because ... we are "mortal" nonetheless. Yet, we are eternal in spirit, just as is the sea ... and the tides that roll ... and bring the storms to life.

a "world ... too much with us"

I do understand what is meant about the 'never-ending over-analysis' by the media of events like the V-Tech tragedy. The only comfort I can offer is the fact that it is all beyond our control. My time on earth is so much better spent thinking about the good things in this world - of which there are many. I know there are alot of things to worry about, but we can not affect many of them. However, thinking about positive things can bring positive energy to the soul, and at least mask out the negative and the troublesome.

Some may say that's irresponsible and lazy ... but not me. Years ago, I made a promise to myself - so far I am trying hard to 'keep it'... with more success, than not. We 'stuggle' with internal worries, and we do the best we can about ourselves and the things and the people we care about. That's all we can do ... the best we can do.

Some times I just re-read random parts of "Simple Truths" (Kent Nerburn), because it is calming and reassuring to me. It cuts through the "nuisance" of a world that is often "too much with us"... I wish I ... could write so well.

saving graces ...

... abound.

Each year, we ...

... begin again to marvel at the new canvas that seems to overcome our horizons with a peace and hope that perhaps we thought would not come again... But, ... it does.

Spring close, summer next ...

... round and round the seasons go. Within a few days it will be spring. And, I'm still here to enjoy yet another. Each season we're in prompts thoughts of another, and yet another ... and I'm still here. How kind - this life. How fortunate - I am.

Family ...

We love our children, our "family" - because they are forever a part of us, an extension of "us". We and God made them, as our parents and God made us. At our core, it is the strongest bond on earth, and I'm sure - in heaven too ...

I believe that as we get older, we begin to realize many things ... The absolution of our own (and other's) perceived "mistakes" becomes paramount, enabling our own peace of mind and our own true sense of happiness. We must remove the "torturing mind", and simply put - just embrace the love in our hearts - for that is our only true salvation. It is the peace we have unknowingly sought all of our lives ... When we were younger, we understandably could not realize or comprehend. I guess it's just a "gift" only bestowed upon the aged -- like a good cheese or a fine wine ...

winter's end ...

is signaled by the birds' preparations for spring. They, perhaps more than anything else, seem to know when it's time to begin all the chores instinctive to continuing their species' survival. It is nice to know instinctively that all these things are not up to us. Rather, what is up to us is to "come and go" leaving no toxic footprints on the earth from our activities. It is way past time now for us to get off our thrones ... and, begin.