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31 May 2014

Bloom Where Planted, Missoula, Montana



“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. 
Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” -Nhat Hanh

30 May 2014

Grace-full, Missoula, Montana

This quote reminds me why
Frederick Buechner is on my list of all-time favourite writers. If you haven’t indulged, please click the text link on his name to dip your toe in his thought waters.

“Life is grace. Sleep is forgiveness. The night absolves. Darkness wipes the slate clean, not spotless to be sure, but clean enough for another day's chalking.” - Frederick Buechner, The Alphabet of Grace

29 May 2014

Same Trail - New Beginning, Missoula, Montana

Well, it turns out the secret to seeing further up the Ray Froehlich Trail is to start at the other end! If you begin at the trailhead further east, it’s known as Waterworks Hill. But trekking the main path brings you up and over the hill, where you may exclaim to your hiking buddy, ‘Hey! Down there’s where I usually park, at the end of Orange Street!’
The happy news is that, while I’ve now seen more of the Ray Froehlich Trail than ever before, many miles of branching routes remain open for well-paced exploration - starting at either end.

28 May 2014

Same Trail - New View, Missoula, Montana

I love how the same Montana trail (pick a trail, any trail), even on consecutive days, is never tiresome; there’s always a new view offered.
My current go-to hike (mainly thanks to my tick phobia) is the wide open hillside of Missoula's Ray Froehlich Trail. Each evening I begin walking across the parking area, I vow that, because I’ve repeatedly seen the first half mile, I will not stop to take photos until I venture further.
But I find the light keeps changing, shadows alter mood, and flora insist on unfurling magnificently, bewitchingly, en route to full bloom. And so I crouch, linger - snap, snap, click! - and return to another day.

26 May 2014

Cloudy With A Chance, Missoula, Montana

There’s nothing quite like a spreading span of storm clouds to enhance the drama of Montana’s Big Sky.

25 May 2014

Zoom In, Missoula, Montana

At first glance, the lines and shapes of a flower are lovely in their own right.
A closer looks shows how truly wondrous is the intricate detail, a small cluster of flowers creating each yellow satellite.

Seeing such sweet surprises during photo editing has been an unexpected bonus of maintaining this blog.

Take time to zoom in to a deeper layer of observation of the unassuming - almost like stopping to smell the roses.