#105 – Water and Music

Stare into the face of a wave
and see how little separates water
from music.

#104 Having New Eyes

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
- Marcel Proust

#103 Geography of Hope

“Hope is not the same thing as optimism.
It is not the conviction that something will turn out well
but the certainty that something makes sense
regardless of how it turns out.”
-Vaclav Havel

#102 A knock-your-socks-off Year!

This morning the waves were singing,
“It’s going to be a wild, wonderful, knock-your-socks-off year!”

#101 – A time of reflection and gratitude

I wish you all
grace, simplicity, wholeness and peace.

#100 – Ballet of Liquid and Light!

There is nothing more beautiful on our planet
than the ballet of liquid and light!

#99 – Heaven on Earth

I used to envy the father of our race,
dwelling as he did among the new-made fields and plants of Eden;
but I do so no more, for I have discovered that I also live in “creation’s dawn.”
The morning stars still sing together, and the world, not yet half made,
becomes more beautiful every day.
- John Muir

#98 The beauty of reflection

Reflections always give me pause.
Time for my own reflection
and quiet gratitude.

#97 – Miracles abound

There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
― Albert Einstein

#96 The Gift of Waves

Waves are perpetual miracles.
Always there to put me back in touch with the rhythms of nature
and give me perspective on my all too human-centered world.

#95 Go out and Play!

Yesterday, deep in a storage shed, I found a giant bubble wand that I hadn’t used in years. Spent the afternoon in childlike delight.

Sometimes life gets much clearer if you allow yourself a little time to just play…

#94 Heaven in a Flower

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
— William Blake

#93 – Finding Peace and Beauty

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the earth in the present moment; to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

#92 A New Perspective

Flying over a deserted beach, I had no idea what I was looking at.
Always wonderful when I can find a new perspective on my world,
or on my life.

#90 – Break the Pattern!

Our patterns, too long unquestioned, become our prisons.
Break the pattern!
And see the scene before you with new eyes.

#89 Will you just Stop?

Will you just stop for a minute?
No, I have a huge amount to do. I can’t possibly stop.
Seriously, just for a minute. You’d be surprised at what you’d see…

#88 – I have always known I would take this road.

I have always known
That at last I would
Take this road, but yesterday
I did not know that it would be today.
— Narihira

#87 – The Magic of Water

65% of the human body is water.
Same stuff that this waterfall is made of.
How beautiful is that?!

#86 – Balloon in the Palms

Sometimes, if seen from the right angle,
man is his own exclamation point
to the beauty of the landscape.

#85 – Sun-drenched, audacious beauty

Up from the earth.
Full of energy and light.
Sun-drenched, audacious beauty.
It fills me with strength to greet my day.

#84 – Life as Art

Consciously or unconsciously, our life is our finest work of art
and the tracks we leave are a painting for all to see.

#83 – Beauty surrounds…

When I open my eyes,
I am always amazed at how much beauty surrounds me.
Time to get in my boat and row out to greet it.

#82 – Trust your intuition…

The sunset had ended. The twilight long past.
The enveloping darkness held nothing but stone-gray clouds.
Still, something told me to stay.
Then, just for a moment… This Light.
(I love when I listen to my intuition.)

#81 – A friend brought flowers…

A friend brought flowers to brighten a rainy day.
They held more than beauty and friendship within them.
When I saw them through the raindrops,
they held magic as well!

#80 – Pure Honey, Pure Trust

Pure Honey, Pure Hospitality, Pure Trust.
Would that we could all live like this all the time.
No use waiting for someone else to start.
The Higleys didn’t.

#79 – The Earth not yet half made

I used to envy the father of our race, dwelling as he did among the new made plants and fields of Eden.
But I do so no more.
For I have discovered that I also live in “creation’s dawn”.
The morning stars still sing together, and the earth, not yet half made,
becomes more beautiful everyday. – John Muir

#78 – Awe and Wonder

How many time have I stood in front of a view like this
and realize I was the only one seeing it?
Whoever was putting on this show wasn’t waiting for me to show up.
Whoever was putting on this show was just laying it all out there,
without any regard to whether it would be received or not.

#77 – Memories

Think about a time in the past
when you’ve seen or done something incredibly cool.
Memories are well worth celebrating!

#76 – Just Right!

No matter how many folks disagreed,
the young cowboy knew exactly what he wanted
and when he made it just that way
he was totally content.
What a lesson.

#75 – Wind and Wild

There are times when wind is howling
and the ocean is roaring so loud
you can’t hear your own cries of delight.
When layer upon layer of beauty press on you with such force
that you barely have the courage to press the shutter.

#74 – The Sun Rose Early Today…

The Sun rose early today, filling the land with light.
I don’t want to miss a second of it!

#73 – The Tints of Morning and Evening

“Perhaps the facts most astounding and most real
are never communicated man to man.
The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable
as the tints of morning and evening.”
– Henry David Thoreau

#72 – Purest Gold

There are moments of insight when ancient truths do stand out more vividly,
and one senses anew his relationship to the earth and to all life.
Such moments are worth waiting for, and when they come
in some unheralded instant of knowing, they are of the purest gold.

– Sigurd Olson

#71 – Out for a Walk

“It was not like taking the veil,
no solemn abjuration of the world.
I only went out for a walk and finally
concluded to stay till sundown
for going out, I found that I was
really going in.”

— John Muir

#70 What the road passes by

“How long the road is. But, for all the time the journey has taken,
how I have needed every second of it in order to learn
what the road passes by.”

–Dag Hammarskjöld

#69 – Spread Your Wings!

Today is full of possibilities.
Who cares if others don’t see them?
Spread your wings!

#68 – Summer Grace

In each of our lives there are moments of simple grace.
Don’t be moving so fast that you fail to notice them.
It would be like missing the best parts of a long summer day.

#67 – Good Conversation

Nothing is more worth celebrating
than good conversation
with a good friend.

#66 – Light in the Redwoods.

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies;
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies;

…For the wonder of each hour,
Of the day and of the night;
Hill and vale and tree and flow’r,
Sun and moon, and stars of light –

Happy Earthday, Happy Easter, Happy Day!

#65 – The colors of our thoughts.

Our days are painted with the colors of our thoughts.

#64 – Star Trails

Staring at the night sky
I felt alone and insignificant
and perfectly safe…

#63 – Dolphin Rising

Just the thought that somewhere a dolphin is jumping
can completely change my day.

#62 – Flowers celebrating

“You know, Honey, you are still looking great!”
“Thank you, Darling, so are you!”

#61 – Balance

Balance. It seems so hard to achieve.
But working on it doesn’t have to be a struggle.
Just a delightful part of the journey.

#60 – Today’s Gift

When the great photographer, Minor White, would go out to photograph
he would never say, “What will I take today?”
Rather he would ask, “What will I be given today?

#59 – In the silence…

“The light died in the low clouds… Shrouded in silence, the branches wrapped me in their peace. When the boundaries were erased, once again the wonder: that I exist.”

- Dag Hammarskjold

#58 – Grandma

They tell me it takes far fewer muscles to smile than to frown.
And when you do….What a gift!

#57 – Ballet of Trees

Sometimes the camera can see things that are beyond our sight
like the ballet of trees in a mountain meadow.

It astonished me, but really shouldn’t surprise me….

#56 – Heather

In Scotland, folks put heather in the grill of their car
to insure safe travels on their journey
to town… or through life.
Just another way to make the ride a celebration…

#55 – YES! YES! YES!

YES! YES! YES!

#54 – Grandson

No words necessary….

#53 – The Field

e.e. cummings wrote:

I thank you God for most this amazing day
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and the blue dream of sky
and for everything which is natural
which is infinite
which is yes

Last night in the field, his words took form.

#52 – The Painter and the Flag

When we get down to essentials -
Who we are -
What we believe in -
Then it’s just a question of letting our lives reflect that –
Every day.

#51 – Just Helping Out

I may not own the mansion in the valley
but I have more than enough to be grateful for
right where I am.

#50 – Lucky Horseshoes

We’ve all had times in our lives when we feel like we just can’t miss.
Certainly seemed that way for this miner I photographed 30 years ago in British Columbia.
May your 2011 be filled with times like these!

#49 – The Road Ahead

Christmas Day 2010
I took this picture on my iPhone. My iPhone!
What a astounding time we live in.
I’d say the road ahead looks pretty good.
…I’m going. Care to join me?

#48 – Thank You!

“If the only prayer you ever said in your whole life was, ‘Thank You’ ,
it would be enough” – Meister Eckhart

I couldn’t agree more….

#47 – My Dog

A Moment of Celebration for those who wait for our return
and simply love us for who we are.

#46 – Rainbow Birds

On Molokai there is a man who dyes his homing pigeons with food coloring
and flies them at weddings, or any time he’s in the mood for Celebration!

#45 – Rainforest Path

The Path
Sometime scary. Sometimes overgrown,
Sometimes hard to believe it’s even there.
Just have to learn to trust ….

#44 – Summer

A still afternoon.
A boy, a ball, and a dog.
The essence of summer.

#43 – Bad Hair Day

You thought you had a bad hair day?

No, you didn’t.

Consider my friend from Scotland!

#42 – Molokai Waterfall

#41 – Yosemite Trees

#40 – Volcano

#39 – Golden Lily Pads

Retreat and Return;

Reflection and Reality.

Both equally needed;

Both equally beautiful.

#38 – Glencoe

Rub your eyes. Turn around twice. Pinch yourself.

It’s really there before you.

Such beauty is just hard to believe.

#37 – Dew Drops

There, in the stillness, a treasure trove of beauty.

#36 – Skye

Every evening nature sets before us a visual banquet.

How often do we join her at the table?

#35 – North Coast Valley

Man and nature. They are not separate, much as we sometimes think they are.

And when they are in balance, it is beautiful to behold.

#34 – Brian

The eyes of a child. The innocence. The openness. The possibilities.

What greater gift?

#33 – Redwoods

Layer upon layer of beauty. Not a battle for survival, a tapestry of co-existence.

#32 – Roots

Let your roots sink deep into the beauty of the Earth…

#31 – Great Fountain Geyser

Earth, Air, Fire and Water. What a show they put on every sunset.
A visual banquet every eve.
Perhaps it’s time to stop and watch a sunset.
Or, if not, then just to smile knowing that banquet is always out there.

#30 – Abundance

In a tiny pond, layer upon layer of beauty.

As Elizabeth Browning penned:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven”.

It’s there for us to see everyday, if we take the time to look.

#29 – Golf

Hey, with the right perspective, the fairways are green, the clubs are new,
and you’re only as old as you feel.

#28 – Molokai Storm

Awe — feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.
Rarely do we venture far enough from our human-centered world to feel it.
But when we do, it shakes us to our very souls.

#27 – Eagle Falls

I rose very early yesterday to photograph dawn at Eagle Falls here in Tahoe.
No, I don’t always rise this early. Rather I sleep with a smile, knowing that all this goes on
everyday, whether I’m there or not. Beauty beyond measure….

#26 – Auntie

There are days when the only thing to do is to put on your party hat and…Sing!

May today be one of those days.

#25 – Donner Lake

Sometimes when we stand in nature, open as the new dawn,
Everything seems so simple.
Remember that moment, that simplicity….all week long.

#24 – Valhalla

Navajo Poem –
“Beauty is before me.
Beauty is behind me
Beauty is above me
Beauty is below me
I walk in beauty!”

#23 – Tree and Cloud

The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.
True of any great composition be it a photograph,
or a life well lived….

#22 – Delicate Arch

When I have spent too much time in our human centered world,
It’s time to stand in nature and remember my place in the scheme of things.

#21 – Dream Wave

Annie Dillard once wrote, “Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery”
And that, for me, is a great cause for celebration!

#20 Tree and Rainbow

Robinson Jeffers wrote,
“Is it not by his high superfluousness
that we know our God?
For to meet a need is natural, animal, mineral.
But to throw rainbows over the rain!”

#19 – Hula Sisters

The connection of like minds and hearts.
Is there anything that fills us with more joy?

#18 – Wonder Child

Wonder. When we see it on a child’s face, it brings tears to our eyes.
How often do we let ourselves feel it?

#17 – Magic Waters

Loren Eiseley one wrote, “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”
Looking through the lens that evening, I knew the truth of his words…

#16 – Tide Line

The Tide Line — confluence of sea and land and air. A place of energy and reflection.
A place that puts life in perspective. A place of gratitude…

#15 – Solar Flower

Inside the water lily, the sun is rising!

#14 – Blue Mountains

How could I leave this vista?
Rather just stand amazed, and let Blue Dusk
wrap me in her arms.

#13 – Spring

The colors of the new season in Monet’s Garden.
The hues of the flowers
become paint brushes of light.
Magic!

#12 – Nankoweap

The powers that set this banquet are far, far greater
than my tiny consciousness.
I was just honored to be allowed to partake…

#11 – Dawn on the Columbia River

Alone in the light. The Banquet is laid though nobody comes.

#10 – Inspiration!

Sunset light through a towering wave. Truly awe — inspiring!

#9 – Monet Garden

Stop a moment and let your heart take in the beauty!

#8 – Magic Stream

Come on, this much beauty is magic. No question.
Let’s celebrate it!

#7 Sunrise!

Sunrise over south San Francisco Bay.

May it remind us all to “Celebrate What’s Right with the World!

#6 – Wide eyed for learning!

A young boy, wide-eyed for learning, in a Montana school house. May it remind us all to “Celebrate What’s Right with the World!”

#5 – Two Koi

#4 – Flower of Spring

#3 – Point Reyes Sunset

#2 – Giant Blue Wave

#1 – Thank You!!!