Tollen's kind soul is evident in her abundant presence here on Flickr. Her images thrive with the joys of nature and the simple pleasures of life. She has a way of making what is magnificent more real, more tangible. When I see her images it's as if there is no distance between her picture and me. I'm there, feeling th… Read more

Tollen's kind soul is evident in her abundant presence here on Flickr. Her images thrive with the joys of nature and the simple pleasures of life. She has a way of making what is magnificent more real, more tangible. When I see her images it's as if there is no distance between her picture and me. I'm there, feeling the power and beauty and caring in the shot. When I speak of her presence on Flickr, I can not stop with just her images. Her comments have brought me uncountable happiness, and I can always find a smile when I think about her long-distance "love affair" with Mercury. :-) Tollen, you bring happiness to this world, and I always look forward to what's new from you.

Tollen *smiles* A constant joy to be around. The kind of friend you want everyone to be, she tells it like it is, you never have to wonder if she means what she says. If she gives you a compliment....take it, it's meant. She has a wonderful eye for the beauty that is all around us and a beautiful soul that shines throu… Read more

Tollen *smiles* A constant joy to be around. The kind of friend you want everyone to be, she tells it like it is, you never have to wonder if she means what she says. If she gives you a compliment....take it, it's meant. She has a wonderful eye for the beauty that is all around us and a beautiful soul that shines through in all her actions. I'm so blessed she is in my life! :)

To me, Tollen represents the best of humanity; her kindness, respect and decency to others is truly inspiring! Tollen was the first person to befriend me when I first joined flickr. Her comments to a shy, very raw amateur photographer, were friendly, upbeat and offered with good humor and cheer, and I began to feel co… Read more

To me, Tollen represents the best of humanity; her kindness, respect and decency to others is truly inspiring! Tollen was the first person to befriend me when I first joined flickr. Her comments to a shy, very raw amateur photographer, were friendly, upbeat and offered with good humor and cheer, and I began to feel comfortable amidst a group of her friendly contacts, and then grew confident finally enough to start making my own. I watched how Tollen interacted with others, and I saw this family of flickerites that surrounded her, laughing, smiling, grieving, sad, pensive...all the things that make a family special, and thought, wow, this is an amazing person! How very special to get to know her, how priviledged I am. We clicked immediately, as those who sometimes share a kindredness of soul can, and this feeling continues. Some of you may know that I created a weekly thread a while ago called the "Friendliest Person of the Week." Many of you will not know that it was Tollen who inspired the thread idea. And as the final selection as admin for that group, I was lucky enough to be able to choose my inspiration and honor her with this small gift of love and respect. Of course, without question I admire Tollen's photography immensely, not only because she is fantastic at her art, but because I find myself drawn to her images by feelings of the heart expressed unseen by mere vision. To me, that's the very best art has to offer. A sharing of emotion and thus, a sharing of thought. Thank you Tollen, for sharing.