Through this window

Someone stopped here to look through this window, to watch the land give life to the people, then to witness the demise of gold-rush town Bodie, California from thousands of frenzied gamblers to a few old souls. The old rocking chair keeps up the vigil.  Alone. 

An Invitation from the Trees

An Old Orchard in northern California beckons . . .

We slow down, look and listen 

the ancient "ent-wives"  invite us  to join in 

 their decades-long conversation. 

The contours of their lives have become visible - 

growing toward the light, giving their fruits, 

dancing with each other.

  May we, too, grow in wisdom and age with grace. 

Stop and Look . . . UP!

             When you are stopped in your tracks by a "skyscraper"  that commands your gaze upward, go with it and see what it's pointing to.  In downtown San Francisco and uptown Oakland I felt the same visceral compelling urge to stop and follow the long straight lines with my eyes. Beyond the electrical wires that bind our communities with energy at street level is the limitless blue sky!

Hummingbird surprise!

Not six feet from our laundry room door I spied this little hummer nestled in a rope that hangs from our deck for summer's rope swing.  How many weeks has she been watching us walk right under her? She's surely brave, devoted and determined.  The space has been transformed for me, now that she is there and new life is in the balance.

Glorious Serendipity of Sun, Wind, and Waves

At Pt. Reyes National Seashore, on the hike out to the lighthouse, we can look north for miles and watch waves of the Pacific Ocean ceaselessly breaking on the North American continent.


On this day, late in the afternoon, the sun broke out between clouds above and fog bank below. The offshore wind was strong, creating veils of mist flowing gracefully from the crests of the waves. At one special moment, our angle of view revealed RAINBOWS in the mist!


A once-in-a-lifetime image!

Paradoxical Realities of a Military Mom

Stop and Listen!  After facing possible redeployment overseas, this time to Afghanistan, my friend Lt. Col. Vicki Hudson wrote on her Facebook status:

“Instead of Afghanistan, wrapped up in a blanket with the sick toddler, cuddle & tv.”

The polar opposites in this statement gripped me, challenging me to wrap my mind around both realities at once. What a dramatic reflection of the state of our world!

As Vicki later said, “Maybe more of the latter would result in less of the former?”

YES!

Spring is early this year in Northern California

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Blossoms are hard to ignore ~ "STOP AND LOOK AT US" they sing out.   Contagious delight!     Why is this annual happening always a surprise? One day the branches are bare, the next day blossoms appear, on the third day the whole tree is glorious, as though risen from the dead! Muchas Gracias!  

Soul Sentinal. Lee Vining, CA, USA

Stop with me to share this timeless moment. All is still - no wind - and it's very, very cold. 

The blanket of snow lays a quiet hush over the gravestones behind us.  Thick fog hides Mono Lake and the Sierra mountains before us.  Our tree stands as a lone sentient guard for the spirits resting here.  In peace.

Stop and Look! at the bottom of Telegraph Hill, San Francisco

One of the most famous images of San Francisco over the past 70 years has been Coit Tower on top of Telegraph Hill.  If, on some fine April day, one were to wander down the hundreds of steps to the bottom of the hill, near the waterfront, this display would be the reward! 

Actually, I was driving to work, and had to choose to go right or left in the face of this vertical cliff. As is sometimes the case in life, there is a third "outside the nine dots" choice: to stop the car, jump out, and revel in the beauty!

Stop and Look! near Klamath, California

A roadside attraction in Northern California that called to us.  What is the story contained in this image?  The building and trees have grown old together, and time seems to have stopped. Both their past and future are mysterious. What will happen next?  Does anyone care?  

Stop and Look! Grand & Harrison

Back to Oakland, California, where the chance rays of the setting sun transform a serious commercial building into a delightful reflection. From order to a bit of chaos. From sophisticated architecture to the strangeness of an amusement park distortion mirror, in which we can laugh at ourselves. 

Perhaps this also reflects our human communications!

Stop and Look! in Palestine

On the way to Jerusalem from Hebron. This, my first pilgrimage to the Abrahamic Holy Land, filled my heart and memory with thousands of images to accompany my prayers for peace..

Stop and Look in Kolkata, India."accident prone zone"

On a journey to sacred sites in India with URI interfaith colleagues in 2008, we spent some time at this intersection in Kolkata (Calcutta).  Teeming with life and color, many lives briefly intersect with one another here.  We are on our individual journeys together in our divinely diverse world.