"Went looking for faith on the forest floor, and it showed up everywhere. In the sun, and the water, and the falling leaves, the falling leaves of time."-Neil Young #ecology #environment #hike #nature #zenmoment #macro #optoutside #pnw #mindful #photography #visualhaiku #autumn #forest #maple

4 hours. 4 miles of slow hiking, capturing the smells and scents of a post rain #PNW #hike through two wet forests. While the #autumn colors were abundant, the real #nature stars yesterday were all the #fungi popping up alongside the trails. A clear sign of #forest health...and my own as well.

Yesterday's #hike was just the right mix of emerging #fall colors, fantastic #fungi and crisp air temps to get the new week going. #environment #ecology #nature #pnw #wander #autumn

“All things are symbols: the external shows of #nature have their image in the mind, as flowers and fruits and falling of the #leaves.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow #environment #Longfellow#visualhaiku #contemplative #zenmoment #miksang #minimalism #mindful #pnw #trees #wabisabi #autumn #alder

In the simplest of terms, autumns theme of change often boils down to one fallen leaf, and the beauty of a morning rain upon it. #environment #ecology #nature #visualhaiku #contemplative #simplicity #zenmoment #minimalism #mindful #photography #trees #pnw #fallcolors #wabisabi #autumn #pawpaw

Fall is slowly taking hold, as I noticed on Wednesday afternoon, seeking out some quiet time in my happy place. Rains and cooler nights ahead will jump start fall colors. Practicing "photographer patience" here😬 #hike #optoutside #environment #ecology #forest #nature #wander #autumn #zenmoment

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus #environment #ecology #nature #naturephotography #visualhaiku #pnw #contemplative #simplicity #zenmoment #mindful #naturalworld #pnwphotography #trees #naturebrilliance #natureisart #fallcolors #autumn #maple

Look up, look down. Left and right. Frontwards and behind...beauty is everywhere, even if #fall colors are not yet here. So, the takeway is this- sniff the breezes, slow down, take a sit, and taste the sweetness of what's around you. #environment #ecology #PNW #zenmoment #optoutside #wander

Review. Assess. Rejuvenate. Restore. Refresh. Rosh Hashanah 2025. That was my theme as I quietly hiked around Round Lake following a reflective morning. Big plans await me in this next year. May all of you have a Sweet New Year. #roshhashanah #environment #ecology #wander #zenmoment #optoutside

Seeking some reflective time this afternoon, I naturally went to the #forest. It's dry out there, but a change in the weather signals a slow pivot to fall. The pond #frogs were quietly checking me out as I picked blackberries next to the Wapato plants. #ecology #environment #nature #optoutside

"Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees."- Karle Wilson Baker #momentofclarity #PNW #naturephotography #environment #naturalpattens #zenmoment #getoutside #thegreatoutdoors #lookup #visualhaiku #summer #forest #tree #zenmoment #optoutside #ecology

"despite knowing they won’t be here for long they still choose to live their brightest lives". - sunflowers Rupi Kaur #naturescape #nature #summer #environment #contemplative #simplicity #ecology #sunflower #zenmoment #miksang #minimalism #mindful #eyeswideopen #visualhaiku #lookup #PNW

"I suddenly realized I was in California. Warm, palmy air—air you can kiss—and palms". -Jack Kerouac, "On the Road". #sunset #nature #zenmoment #california #contemplative #minimal #mindful #visualhaiku #natureisart #sandiego #optoutside #palm #ontheroad #jackkerouac #sunsetphotography #environment

"All of a sudden I had the revelation of how enchanting my pond was."- Claude Monet Wapato on ponds edge and bullfrog bubbles make a serene scene... #nature #summer #visualhaiku #pnw #zenmoment #ecology #reflection #optoutside #pond #monet #environment

Acorns are dropping in the neighborhood park again. The squirrels are at it... around here, it means it's harvest time, as is the case in #August even with humans... #autumn is coming, so watch your head under the oak trees! #ecology #seasons #squirrel #nature #urban #environment #acorn

“To go out with the setting sun on an empty beach is to truly embrace your solitude.” –Jeanne Moreau Sand in my toes, beach on the brain in #SanDiego, California. August 2025 #nature #ecology #pattern #abstract #zenmoment #california #contemplative #minimal #visualhaiku #beach #optoutside

"I need the sea because it teaches me."- Pablo Neruda Your moment of zen...Windansea Beach, La Jolla, San Diego, CA. 8.5.25 #nature #naturephotography #zenmoment #california #contemplative #pabloneruda #mindfulness #visualhaiku #beach #sandiegolife #surfing #naturephotography #sunset

Spores that bring life. The Pacific Northwests iconic Bracken Fern in late summer. Spores or sori assemble, ready to spread on the wind. #environment #forest #PNW #nature #visualhaiku #summer #fern #spores #zenmoment #ecology

"The spiral is a spiritualized circle. In the spiral form, the circle, uncoiled, has ceased to be vicious; it has been set free."- Vladimir Nabikov Calla Lily in monochrome exemplifies the Fibonacci sequence in its natural splendor #fibonacci #nature #ecology #bnw #monochrome #flower #spiral

“She was like a hibiscus flower, she looked attractive in all seasons” – Unknown #wildflower #nature #summer #naturephotography #zen #pnw #contemplative #simplicity #ecology #hibiscus #zenmoment #mindfulphotography #mindfulness #visualhaiku #naturebrilliance #optoutside #hibiscusflower #flower

In the blink of an eye. A favorite neighborhood #magnolia tree that I await every year for its magical beauty. In a period of 48 hours, the #blossom opens, buzzing bees descend, and then thats it #naturescape #nature #summer #contemplative #zenmoment #visualhaiku #environment #ecology #macro

"Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole."- Ralph Waldo Emerson #naturescape #patternsinnature #nature #spring #naturephotography #leaf #environment #simplicity #raindrop #rain #zenmoment

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."- Vincent Van Gogh In late spring, blooms aren't just in the forest but in our neighborhoods. I am grateful for others who tend their yards and create #joy as I take my daily walks. #flower #naturescape #nature #spring #zen #PNW #vangogh

Yesterday was National Trails Day. Who was I to argue? Twist my arm... I just had to go to my happy place. And so did quite a few other happy, well-adjusted people with smiles on their faces. #environment #nationtrailsday #ecology #nature #washingtonstate #pnw #hike #wander #zenmoment

"green leaves, foreshadow, of sword-like regalia… lily buds unsheathed - dainty pastels of yellow, purple, pink and lavender". Kim Rodrigues  Calla Lily in its resplendent, sensual, after rain glow. #flower #callalily #raindrops #closeup #nature #environment #visualhaiku #zenmoment

On the #forest trail, I passed pond turtles and croaking bullfrogs. I picked some sweet #salmonberries and popped them in my mouth. Looking skyward and down at the new field #daisies, the essence of this day had a sense of #spring winding down and early #summer settlling in. #environment #ecology

It's not hard to be in love with the Pacific Northwest on sunny spring days. With Maidenhair Fern and native irises on display-nature abides. 🙌 Fallen Leaf Lake. Camas, WA. 5/26/25 #ecology #nature #spring #photography #zenmoment #visualhaiku #environment #trees #pnwwonderland #PNW #optoutside

"Am made to feel that I am now in a strange land. I know hardly any of the plants, but few of the birds, and I am unable to see the country for the solemn, dark, mysterious #cypress #woods which cover everything."- John Muir I wandered. Amazed. #ecology #swamp #Mississippi #environment #zen #hike

Drippy light rain added to the ambience in the #forest this afternoon. #Frogs croaked, raptors soared. The salmonberries are ripening, and I found a brand new plant, the Columbia Windflower. I am fully restored and ready to seize the work week ahead. #nature #ecology #environment #zen #pnw #hike

Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods at sunrise. Seize this moment of zen I am sharing with my BS peeps, and carry it in your mind the whole day. #zen #nature #sunray #sunrise #pnw #environment #optoutside #naturephotography #photography #visualhaiku #fog #naturephotography

The forest is blanketed by the greenest ferns and moss and bonsai-like trees, a wild majesty that beckons hobbits and pixies and elves and dreamers.”— Shannon M Mullen #naturescape #patterns #nature #naturephotography #pnw #contemplative #zenmoment #visualhaiku #simplicity #fern #forest #ecology

“Each kiss of an ocean wave is passed along, as long as there is life on and in the seas.” – Anthony T. Hincks Throwback Thursday to 2022, along the Central Oregon Coast. #coast #beach #blackandwhite #environment #nature #oregon #photography #travel #zenmoment #abstract #landscape #PNW

The #forest continued its march into #spring this weekend, offering up the last of the elusive #Trillium, emergence of the vibrant False Solomon Seal, and #beauty of the Little Robin geranium. The vine and big leaf #maple has created its soothing mid-level story under the tall #trees. #nature #PNW

“So, in the tulip, we have a flower of beauty and grace of charm, refinement and distinction. It is a powerful flower and it knows it.” — Tadashi Shoji #flower #nature #zenmoment #visualhaiku #beauty #tulip #spring #PNW #walk #optoutside

"This old world keeps spinnin’ round; It’s a wonder tall trees ain’t layin’ down."- Neil Young Get out. Look up. Find your place in this world and make it yours. #ecology #environment #nature #PNW #hike #wander #explore #neilyoung #zenmoment #natureisart #naturebrilliance #leftcoast

"My life is like a stroll upon the beach, as near the ocean's edge as I can go." -Henry David Thoreau. Get out. Find your space. Get some beach on the brain. Oregon Coast 2021. #environment #ecology #beach #coastal #oregon #Thoreau #nature #explore #zenmoment #optoutside #PNW #wander

"A peerless beauty from a distant land, now loved in rainbow colours round the globe, her tresses, curls and sumptuous curves delight, she’s surely clad in Nature's finest robe"-Peter Rees #Rhododendron #flowers flashing their varying personalities. What color are you? #nature #zen #PNW #blossom

Grab daughter. Head out to annual pilgrimage to heaven on earth. And B.R.E.A.T.H.E... Camas lily (Camassia spp.) is a native #plant w/edible bulbs that are protected as a significant food source. They remain a cultural element for Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest. #hike #PNW #nature

“The poetry of the earth is never dead.” –John Keats Yesterdays Arbor Day #forest #adventure was full of explosive #wildflowers, birdsong and the scents of #spring #nature #environment #ecology #optoutside #wander #pnw #explorewashington #hiking

"The ferns are silvery in the moonlight, the woods full of shifting shadows."- Holly Black Lady Fern, fresh in its early spring regalia. #nature #fern #environment #zenmoment #visualhaiku #naturalworld #photography #natureisart #pnw #monochrome #bnwmood #blackandwhitephotography #bnwphotography

Get out. Wander. Take it all in. Take Action. Happy Earth Day, y'all. Make every day Earth Day... I hope you take a moment today to soak in the beauty of the world around you—and then take action to protect it. #sustainability #savetheplanet #nature #ecology #takeaction #environment #earthday

Sending out this first video here on BlueSky and hope it works! Please enjoy a virtual walk with me in a very special mature growth #forest here in the #PNW. #naturescape #nature #visualhaiku #zenmoment #pnwphotographer #ecology #spring #wander #optoutside #environment

"I think I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless I spend four hours a day at least—and it is commonly more than that—sauntering through the #woods and fields absolutely free from all worldy engagements".- Henry David #Thoreau #optoutside #wander #forest #restore #breathe #ecology #PNW #hike

What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet." — Sir David Attenborough Get out. Wander. #naturescape #environment #nature #naturephotography #visualhaiku #zenmoment #pnw #ecology #explorewashington #spring #lookup #davidattenborough #wander #optoutside

"Gone to the fields to be lovely. Be back when I'm through blooming." - Lynn Unger It's Camas Lily season in SW Washington ...stay tuned for more as they begin unfolding their seasonal beauty. #environment #hike #nature #visualhaiku #zenmoment #pnw #spring #camaswa #camaslily #wander

"Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms." — Ikkyu Sojun. Appreciate these spring moments... #environment #nature #naturephotography #visualhaiku #zenmoment #pnw #contemplative #spring #blossom #macro #floral #cherryblossom #sakura

"Outside my window, grows a tree that blooms each year- now fifty-three. When dogwood blossoms open wide- May bares her beauty- amplified."-  Sandra Haight #naturescape #nature #naturephotography #visualhaiku #zenmoment #contemplativephotography #flower #spring #blossom #macro #floral #dogwood

"It’s an odd thing, happiness. Some people take happiness from gold. Or black pearls. And some of us, far more fortunate, take their happiness from periwinkles." - Patricia McKillip #environment #nature #naturephotography #visualhaiku #zenmoment #pnw #spring #blossom #macro #floral #periwinkle

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." — Henry David Thoreau An apt way to describe todays Pacific Northwest #forest #hike in my happy place..so full of life anew under sunny skies #nature #environment #wildflowers #trillium #ecology #zenmoment #visualhaiku #optoutside #thoreau #PNW