Capturing the Sunshine

 Walking in the Columbia Gorge on a mild winter day requires

a coat, hat, chapstick and a camera.

Capturing the sunshine is the theme of the day.

It showed up in mysterious ways.

It rested on this overworked metal pipe

like a cozy hand crocheted afghan.

 It radiated through the clouds as

if it was searching to break through.

A traveling ribbon of cloud hovered diligently above the

Columbia river as if it were it's

own personal extra thick layer of sunscreen.

 Every now and then the sunshine 

was free to roam from the cyan sky.

Cotton ball clouds scattered and 

danced as if running naked in the sun.

 Stepping on the sky was allowed today.

I was careful not to startle the sunshine for it seemed

so happy to be free.

Today a little bit of sunshine illuminated the important things.

It stirred questions. It brought new perspectives to light.

It warmed my heart & soul.

2010 Hiked Over & Out

 A hike in the Pacific Northwest is always a magical feast for the senses. This was my last one of the year.

 I find moss covered rocks and remnants of fall leaves soothing & cocooning. I know it will be here for me when I return time & time again yet I still take photos and they always expose new perspectives.

 The forest emanates mystery with a content stillness. It's living and happy to do so right where it is.

 A mythical creature could appear and for some reason it would seem like a natural occurrence.

 The smell of a freshly cut Doug Fir was thick in the crisp air, cut down before it clobbered a hiker by accident.

 Nature creates the most amazing art. How could I not take a photo of this??

 This hike hosted historical treasures of bygone days and a way of life that is no longer necessary (although to create survival skills through critical and creative thinking while executing a good sound work ethic are virtues I believe are important during any lifetime).

To say I was inspired by my surroundings would be an understatement.

Simple. Nature. Soothing.

I hike for the exercise and the connection to the organics of what this earth produces. I can not hike without being enveloped with the colors and textures the forest displays. I stop along the way to create an unnatural composition of natural matter in simple form. I leave it behind for others to possibly notice and for the earth to take it back to it's uncontrolled arrangement. Andy Goldsworthy [CLICK HERE] is a master at this craft for which I am grateful to discover.

A simple snowy March Monday

These old & new bottles have a front row seat to Mother Natures grand performances. They sit perched on a 89 year old window ledge observing the ever changing Gorge weather, seeming perfectly content to be there without resistance. A simple flick for an uncomplicated day.