Kick back and enjoy the ride!

When circumstances have you pigeon holed and no where to go, kick back and enjoy the ride.

On a beautiful summer day, our family of motor heads decided to take a small excursion to the mountains. On the way back we were stopped along a very tight canyon because of an accident. At first we were fidgety and thinking of ways to get out of the canyon the quickest. We could turn around and backtrack to the highway about 30 miles in heavy traffic or sit it out while the emergency crew did their job. We opted to stay put and wait it out. While we waited a red classic convertible approached behind us and the boys got to admire another great piece of machinery besides their motorcycles. The girls chatted and we all got to stop and admire the scenic setting around us. The river was roaring and you could hear it clearly. You could see the ragged detailing in the harsh rock, trees of all sizes and shapes dotted the roadside and you could see the petals of the summer flowers gently flutter in the breeze.

And not long after we stopped it was time to get moving again (funny thing is if we would have backtracked we would have come out the same or even added time on the travel down the mountain) The little roadside rest was actually what we needed. After a long ride and concentrating on the curves ahead you can get tired and not really see the beauty all around. So when life stops you, STOP! It's not always best to squirm and scheme a new path. We don't need to keep moving, going, striving. Rest is there for a reason. So just sit back and enjoy!

The Indulgent Side of Natures Beauty

When I'm ready to get off the crazy rides life can take you on, I like to head to the beach. I am not a water person. I am actually afraid to go in the ocean past my knees, but the gentle, consistent sound of the waves rolling onto the beach always overrides any of my fears. Somehow when your toe first touches the sand time slows down, your brain shifts into auto pilot and I swear you can feel your heart rate adjust to the cadence of the waves. Even the air is different. I've heard some people say it smells fishy or it's heavier due to the humidity. To me it says, you're in a different place than what you are accustomed to, enjoy the change, it sets the tone, creates a new atmosphere.

The neat thing about the beach is it's effects on the senses.Touching the sand, feeling it sink between your toes, it's gritty texture somewhat harsh but surprisingly soft at the same time takes me back to childhood when you didn't think twice about whether you had matching socks or the right shoes with the right outfit. Barefoot on the beach is perfectly acceptable. There isn't anything better than the fresh catch of the day either. I am well known in my circle of friends and family to be anti-seafood. I turn my nose up when the smell of fish is cooking, I cringe as my Crab loving husband cracks the shell in order to delight in the flesh. After telling my food flaw, as my husband would say, I DO understand the tastiness of the fresh catch. Thanks to my husband! He went crabbing in the fine ocean waters and brought home over 20 small blue shell crab to boil and feast on. As I watched the preparation took place I quietly mused about the task and how much work was involved. All this work, it better be out of this world, look at him boiling those little guys, then crunching their shell while steaming hot to get at the littlest amount of meat. Poor thing, I'm glad I don't like seafood. I ate those words literally. I have never nor will I (probably) ever have a more outstanding Crab Cake. I started off polite, I'll try this because he worked so hard, and ended with my mouth full of crab, almost licking the plate and asking for more. It was DELICIOUS!

I didn't mean to go off on a tangent but when writing about the beach I tend to get carried away. Speaking of being carried away, I will spend hours strolling the beach picking up bags of seashells. I am addicted. I get caught up in the hunt and feel I've found a unique treasure every time I see one in the sand. I love looking at each ones color and shape. I sometimes think of people along the same line as I do seashells. We all make a long journey, each one unique with stories to tell. People, especially ones close to you are small treasures, the time you spend finding who they really are is never time wasted.

And who can resist the gentle, calming of the waves. During the day it gets muffled by seagulls squawking for morsels, children laughing, people playing in the sand. Only at night is the sound more distinct and can be appreciated by floating off to sleep.

Natures Beauty

I wanted to talk about these particular photos. The one I used as my Profile (for now) was taken on top of Mt. Evans, Colorado in the summer. My Parents drove my daughter and me to the top of this 14teener. It was warm, about 73 degrees at the base of the mountain when we started and gradually it got cooler. By the time we got to the top it was 54 degrees and my daughter was making snowballs from the little patches interspersed throughout the terrain. What amazes me about these mountain flowers is the perfection in every petal, not a dark tip from too much exposure or a wilt from not enough water. I've seen the hen and chicks grow in warm climates, it's more natural habitat and look in need of a green thumb. Not only was this little patch of heaven growing in the rock crevice but as you hiked around other little patches of perfection in different arrangements were hiding for you to discover. I could have taken a hundred pictures and not have a bad one. When I see this picture I think of a masters touch, lets put yellow-for the sun, periwinkle-for the horizon and a touch of white-to represent the snow. Now lets add a bed of deep maroon behind the broad leafed green to enhance it's texture. Let's give it a background of variated grey rock with touches of moss to balance the landscape.... To me this is an artistic garden God layed out to show His beauty and through nature he says, "I am always there even when it seems I'm not." Above timberline can be desolate, rocky, a hard terrain, but if you look closer life, growth and small wonders can be found.

So when life looks like its got you between a rock and a hard place, look close, you're not alone.