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.

This & That w/no Surprises or Pizazz

This July 4th I chose to stay behind and comfort an old friend. One who has had his fair share of explosive holidays (13 to be exact). It sounds like a war zone out there. In our part of the country fireworks are magnificently large and readily available to anyone willing to support the local organizations that sell them at the sidewalk stands. Our streets are lined with American Flags and the sweet smell of BBQ invisibly streams through the air.

Hand whipped made from scratch Vanilla Lemon Blueberry Mousse for my people as the firework mortars blast outside my kitchen window.

A hike to Elowah Falls on a warm sunny summer day.

Taking it all in.

A graphically prepared photo ready for encaustic work.

A cropping of a mixed media painting in it's infant stage, many weeks to go until completion.

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.