Images for the Future

After returning from my visit to Alaska's Southeastern coast where I got to once again see magnificent tidewater glaciers calving, black bears catching salmon, Bald Eagles soaring down mountain sides to the ocean, I have been looking at the images from the trip.
One of the advantages of digital photography is the ability to capture images on my CF card as opposed to the film I used to buy. This trip I shot about 6,000 images. Yes, that is six thousand.
Often the best image comes down to what was depth field in each image and sometimes it is the angle of a tree or plant as the wind has tossed them. Sometimes it is simply the light streaming through the canopy, highlighting the height of the canopy. Like the Black Bear With Salmon shown here, it was the motion of the water and the bear that makes this one a keeper!
Being a photographer is a blessing. I get to take images of God's work "now" for others to see in the future. Glaciers and rainforests change. Glaciers advance, trees grow, age, loose limbs and such. My "now" images record the now, and remind me that the only constant in my life is God's love and his glorious works all around me. Alaska Geographic can give you great resources for Alaska's beauty.
Stay well and enjoy God's beauty.

Serendipity!

Sailing into 60 mile per hour winds is not my idea of great fun, and the captain of Holland America's ms Westerdam had the same idea! So our ship set off on a new adventure, sailing Tracy Arm, part of the Tongass National Forest, south of Juneau Alaska. Serendipity!
Fed by the Stikine Icefield, the North and South Sawyer Glaciers calve frequently as tidewater glaciers. The fjord is a narrow, granite lined 30 mile or so, corridor to 2 beautiful glaciers.
Rain on the day of our visit only enhanced our amazement at the steep walls. Since the rain had no soil to stop its flow, instant water falls filled the area with the sound of rushing water. The fjord is known for having many wonder falls year round, but during rain, many more are created.
The ice flows are often the size of 3 story buildings. So maneuvering a ship in such waters is a tentative task. Motion is slow, so we enjoy the views as they drift by. The different colors of the glacier ice is amazing. Ranging from white to a turquoise blue, to a deep green blue, the colors are those that make you want to learn to paint.
So take a chance, change your path and see what Serendipity might cross your way.

Rainforest and Persistence

After a recent trip to Alaska's Temperate Rainforest, I was enthralled with the relationship between the rocks and the trees. Since the rocks are a predominate part of the landscape, the trees have little soil in which to plunge their delicate roots. I was amazed as I rode up a very steep mountain side to a boardwalk that wound through the delicate rainforest. The trees seemed to grow right out of the rocks as you look at them! Amazing...
I had the pleasure of talking with a Tlingit guide while I was in part of the Tongass National Forest which is part of the largest temperate Rainforest in the world. My guide spoke with great knowledge and passion about the rainforest as we maneuvered carefully down the steep mountain trail. She pointed out the different stages of the forest, as the trees went from new to old and then after they had fallen, lived on in a way as a nursery tree, supporting the life of a new tree!

My guide told us that the trees depended on each other during the winds that plague the area. Without their neighbors, the trees would fall easier in the winds since their roots are shallow. In the rainforest, the trees intertwine their roots and grow close to each other to help keep each other strong. As a tree ages, its roots spread over more and more of the forest, reaching out to more and more trees.
Reminded me of how we have to live our lives, interacting with others and supporting each other. When we face a challenge alone, we are not strong enough. But with friends and family, and of course our God, we can face any obstacle. Even in death, the forest gives back life, just as we do when we leave our legacy for others to follow.
Please help the Audubon Alaska Group, Alaska Sierra Club, the Alaska Wilderness League and others keep our temperate rainforest free from logging. Each time one of the old growth trees is cut down, part of the forest dies. These trees cannot be replaced. The forest starts to dry out and we, as citizens of the USA as well as the world, loose something precious and vital to our survival.

Diamonds! Where you Least Expected Them!

I was reading about Mount Edgecomb in the Sitka Alaska area, and found that there had been a Diamond rush back in the days of the Gold Rush! As early as 1895, folks were finding Diamonds as they panned for gold in the Mt Edgecomb area. There was an article in the Tacoma WA newspaper about prospectors waiting for snows to melt on Mt. Edgecomb so they could scour the lava fields in hopes of finding more of the brilliant stones. This image Copyright 2002 by Michael A. Kyte.

Mt Edgecomb is an inactive volcano near Sitka AK, and has not erupted in over 10,000 years. It and its sister volcano, Crater Ridge, are part of a complex of several volcanic vents in that part of southeastern Alaska. There are few volcanoes in that part of Alaska due to the lack of direct subduction of the ocean crust.
Finding this out made me consider how many other "Diamonds" we might have in our lives. Even in out of the way places where you might least expect to find a "Diamond", there might be one waiting to be discovered.
Look around you today and see if you find any "Diamonds" waiting for the snow to melt around them so they can be discovered and converted into prosperity and fulfillment.
These diamonds may be an opportunity to help a family in need, or to start a new business, or to start a mentoring group for your local high school students, or to teach English as a 2nd Language or whatever else might be out there. That "Diamond" might have the power to lead you on a new adventure in these new times! So as we are waiting for the snows to melt, start planning to find those "Diamonds"! Challenge yourself to new growth and activities that are new for your personal health as well as the betterment of the neighborhood.
Enjoy the Journey! The adventure is only just begun.