Feathery, pink-tinged Apache Plume seed heads twisting in different directions against a soft, dark background.

Faded, Frayed, and Still Beautiful

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Lens-Artists Challenge #420 – Looking Back to #125 You Pick It! “Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.”— Richard R. Powell, Wabi Sabi Simple What a clever … Read More

Close-up of a Southern Lapwing on cracked gray pavement, showing its thin black crest, red eye, pinkish bill, black breast, white belly, and iridescent bronze-green wing feathers.

Quero-Quero: Striking Gold in a São Paulo Parking Lot

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When we were in São Paulo in June 2026, I felt a bit under the weather all week. I rested as much as I could and also took advantage of my youngest nephew’s willingness to drive both Keith and me … Read More

Wide view of the ancestral Pueblo stone ruins at Aztec Ruins National Monument, with roofless masonry rooms, a round kiva at right, a paved path, and tall green cottonwood trees under a sky streaked with wispy clouds.

A Monumental Misnomer: Aztec Ruins National Monument

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Lens-Artists Challenge #419—Landmarks and Monuments This week, John hosts the Lens-Artists Challenge and asks us to “focus on Landmarks and Monuments.” As easy as it may seem, I had a hard time deciding what to respond with. I’ve visited several … Read More

A cluster of small white five-petaled Fendler’s Sandwort flowers with yellow-green centers, some with red anthers, rising on slender stems among pointed buds, tan seed husks, and grasses at Loveland Pass, Colorado.

Red-Tipped Stars of Loveland Pass

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Whenever I reach higher elevations, I am always surprised by the wildflowers I encounter. When Keith and I were in Colorado last month, we drove a few passes. Loveland Pass, elevation 11,990 ft (3,655 m), was one of those. So, … Read More

Black-and-white night view across Praça Tiradentes in Ouro Preto, Brazil, with a cobblestone street, lamplit colonial buildings on both sides, the granite base of the Tiradentes monument on the left, and the Palácio dos Governadores on a walled rise at the far end.

Black Gold in Black and White

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Leanne’s Monochrome Madness is hosted by Ritva this week. It sent me back to Ouro Preto, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, a town that seems made for black and white. The name means “black gold,” after the gold that prospectors found … Read More

Metal tree sculpture with a rust-colored trunk and a wide canopy of hanging silver bead chains, rising from a dark steel planter on a concrete plaza in Memorial Park, Round Rock, with green trees and a pastel sunset sky behind it and two people walking in the distance.

A Willow of Steel and Light

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Among the trails I bike around Round Rock, Memorial Park along Brushy Creek often gets me to stop. Sometimes it’s the wildlife I see along the creek, and sometimes it’s a new piece of artwork the city has unveiled. The … Read More

Rocky mountain creek flowing toward the viewer between dense shrubs and willows turning yellow and gold, near the Snowflake Trailhead in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Where the Creek Leads

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Lens-Artists Challenge #418: Memories Memories have an interesting way of playing with our minds. Big or small, they stay vivid when they play an important part in our lives. That was true of this short, scenic trail in Breckenridge. We … Read More

Low-angle view of a Leafy Aster with several lavender, yellow-centered flowers and orange spent seed heads, rising from golden grass in a Colorado meadow with pine trees and cloud-covered mountains in the background.

Lavender Stars of the High Country

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Colorado in late September is about more than fall colors. Under cloudy skies, we set out on a short hike along the Lower Salt Lick and Sunrise Trail Loop. Although the trail runs parallel to Interstate 70 in places, it … Read More

Black-and-white photo of a metal road sign at a highway fork in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, reading South Texas 166 and North Texas 118, with a two-lane road curving in each direction beneath a partly cloudy sky.

Lens-Artists Challenge #417: Where Does It Lead?

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What does the title get you thinking about? Trails? Leading lines? Maybe animal tracks? There’s no single right answer, and that’s exactly the point. This week’s header image says it well: a signpost fork on a lonely stretch of highway … Read More

Black Jeep Wrangler parked on a dirt road beside golden and green aspens under a stormy sky on Boreas Pass Road in Pike National Forest, Colorado.

Mountain-High Colors

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On the second day of fall 2026, Keith and I traded our hiking boots for a scenic drive. Of all the places that came to mind, Boreas Pass rose to the top. We had driven a section of it back … Read More

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