Phyllostachys Aureosulcata Spectabilis

Bamboo is a vastly interesting plant. It adds spiritual qualities to the sometimes loneliness of gardening, so many lessons a man can learn from a mere grass. Some species set seed only once in a hundred years, and there after die, covering the forest floor with new hopes, new possibilities of new natural variety, and color. The reproductive cycles of others are unknown as there is no record or witness of flowering.

Bamboo has the ability to assume an entirely different behavior and appearance by the addition of water, or changes in soil types and nutrients.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllostachys_aureosulcata

Canal at Venice, Italy

Do not be confined by the ideas of others, but think for yourself.
There really are no restrictions, so long as your heart is true.
Many barriers which have influenced your life, your thoughts, and children, are not real.
There truly is no railing, and the danger you feel is genuine.
But the beauty is, all those things you cold dream are now.
All those things you could change, you might.
You are made of light, a beacon in a night sea...
So do good.

Old Zuni Mission, New Mexico

The Zuni build upon the ruins of their ancestral dwellings. It is not a custom to remove them.

No services are held here at the Zuni Mission. Its only a tourist attraction. Christianity was not accepted by the Zuni nor by many other tribes of  Native American People.

 Zuni, NM

Graveyard at Terlingua

my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.    “Because you have rejected knowledge,
   I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
   I also will ignore your children.
Hosea 4:6 NIV

Talkeetna Range, September, Denali State Park, AK

Oh Gracious Earth,
banquet for the multitudes,
abundance without boast,
infinite reason for the wondering,
extravagant symphony of healing,
relative order in song of peace,
Patient Teacher in the quiet.

Talkeetna Range Mountains 



Wai'ale'ale Falls, Kauai

The spirit of Humility awaits in a wild solitude, allowing fleeting glimpses of pure beauty to those so fortunate. It is here and there then gone again,  in its ultimate freedom to appear at will to those who long for it so, or remain hidden to hearts untrue.

Beach at Amalfi, Italy

It doesn't  need a sign.

Keel Billed Toucan

Understanding is the stuff beneath the wings of birds.
We who can see are in the midst of Eden.
Those who look for Paradise are blind.
 

Garden at Eze, France

“There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; There is nothing you can think that is not the moon.”   Matsuo Basho

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

I just stumbled upon this path, you see, it appeared as good as any so I took it,




 and then it forked and forked again, while little did I know, I had walked so far, as the time passed so quickly.


One day I happened by chance upon where I started, and stood there



just looking down, same place, same path . . . different man.

Russian River, Kenai Peninsula Alaska

 Spawning Chinook Salmon, Silver Salmon, Rainbow Trout.

Black Skimmers, Louisiana Gulf Coast

The South Louisiana Coast is wintering ground for shorebirds in numbers unimaginable. Sunsets reveal a sky that churns with every design, like The Gates of Heaven were left open and all the birds got out.                                                                                                                                                        

Yosemite Valley, Merced River

I figure God created  special places on the sixth day, after He was most well practiced, and  later that afternoon  sat down to enjoy them from a position most pleasing... If I were Him I'd be proud.

Duty

Young man, it is your sacred duty to walk the four corners of the Earth in search of your rightful place, but not your right to be complacent, and squander the precious talents you've been given freely. You were sent here with  abilities far superior to others who live in your time. Do not take the money !

Vegetable Garden at Montmartre

Vincent Van Gogh,  Paris 1887

Banyan Tree, Big Island, HI

God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.

John Muir

Lower right is the prettiest girl I ever knew.

Vatican Museum Ceiling Art

Man has the ability to do the most wonderful things, but he must use it. This is the magic that sets us apart from beasts.
       Rome, Italy

Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, New Mexico

 Above a vast  desert plane, a high out cropping of large stones is pointed skyward, as if all placed  there purposely for the inscription of prayers, hopes, and dreams of a  spiritual people.

 Three Rivers has all the qualities of a Grand Cathedral, yet also peace and solitude. The inscriptions are no less valid than anything ever written, 20,000 prayers and storys, all canonized by the Mogollon, (Mo-gee-yon) or sometimes called by their descendants, "First Peoples".

The impact of drought upon this already arid environment  caused the authors to migrate following  the desert animals they hunted, to lands more hospitable, where  rains allowed the planting of beans, corn, and squash.

There is little evidence of the large population that once lived here, as the land is now quiet, clean, natural, and the wild has returned.


There is plenty of dry camping in and around the site on BLM property, and many things to see very near here. New Mexico has a wealth of Native American Culture. It's not the type of place you'll want to hurry through. A camper or motor home is the best way to do it. New Mexico is camper friendly.

http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/las_cruces/three_rivers.html

Glacier National Park, Montana

"" A few more moons, a few more winters, and not one of the descendants of the mighty hosts that once moved over this broad land or lived in happy homes, protected by the Great Spirit, will remain to mourn over the graves of a people once more powerful and hopeful than yours. But why should I mourn at the untimely fate of my people? Tribe follows tribe, and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless. Your time of decay may be distant, but it will surely come, for even the White Man whose God walked and talked with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We will see "".   excerpt from   AUTHENTIC TEXT OF CHIEF SEATTLE'S TREATY ORATION 1854.   Version 1 as it appeared in the Seattle Sunday Star on Oct. 29, 1887, in a column by Dr. Henry A. Smith. 

The beauty of Glacier in my opinion rivals that of any other land in North America except Alaska. It is truly a spectacular experience. Across the border into Alberta is Waterton Lakes National Park,  which is just as beautiful, and it doesn't end there. 

Funny thing about boundaries, you don't hear much if anything about the other side until you get there. When you do, you don't hear much from where you came. It's got to do with economics, see. Get your gas and supplies on the U.S. side before crossing over. The Canadians will pull your eyes out. If you're in a motor home don't buy meat or fresh vegetables before coming back into the U.S. as they may be taken by the USDA people.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_%28U.S.%29  

Chiracahua National Monument, AZ

 Chiracahua  is a most interesting landscape, the hoodoo central of Arizona. It lies in the southeastern part of the state,  not so arid as the remainder, but a grassy vast expanses of flatland, and distant rocky outcrops, hills, and mountains used by the Apache for refuge from the elements, from enemies, and  an elevated place to pray.

The Native American Apache People were forced to live in this torturous maze to survive the loss of the more productive lands by the aggression of waring neighbors, early white settlers,  and  the U.S. Government, who eventually took their land and destroyed their culture.

Golden eagles are common place here where they sometimes perch a top the electric poles. Sunsets are Golden across a Big country. The hustle of a crowded society does not exist here, only peace, the sound of a gentle wind, and silence.

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/apache/chiricahua.htm

the sweetest person I ever knew

Adventurers travel treacherous extremities, politicians and men of faith assemble people of all walks and colors to one basic belief, but they're not as special as Reid, and I could never love them as much.                                                                   

Paradise

I once went to Paradise. It is inhabited by children.

Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon

Anasazi ruins at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

http://sacredsites.com/americas/united_states/chaco_canyon.html