There will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how you use them. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Souvenir from Lake in Michigan

The whole secret of the study of nature lies in learning how to use one's eyes... George Sand

"True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid...”

L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz

"The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting ...."

~Eden Phillpotts

kitchen scrubby

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. ~ Helen Keller

“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.” — Wendell Berry

Yerba (white) and Soraya. At Staple Fitzpaine, Taunton Deane in Somerset.

He tried to imagine the sound of the color red.

Pete Hamill

“True friendship comes when the silence between two [beings] is comfortable.”

– David Tyson

Snail hunting in the rain

HMM!

Mushrooms are the food of the gods. ~Greek proverb

Paddling in the millstream at Staple Fitzpaine, Somerset.

I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful — an endless prospect of magic and wonder. –Ansel Adams

Grow through what you go through

In the January frost.

Otherwise known as - Physalis alkekengi, bladder cherry, bladder herb, Chinese lantern plant, devil's berry, devil's bladder, Japanese lantern, red nightshade, red winter cherry,

strawberry tomato, strawberry-and-tomato, winter cherry.

Two tiny beetles on a magical mystery tour.

In a hedgerow at Mill Farm, Staple Fitzpaine in Somerset.

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”— Henry David Thoreau

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The hum of bees is the voice of the garden.

-Elizabeth Lawrence

Celebrate Life. Care for others and share whatever you have with those less fortunate than you. Broaden your vision, for the whole world belongs to you. ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Real flowers are much more beautiful than plastic ones, in part because of their impermanence. People appreciate the seasons, the autumn and the spring, because the seasons are a process of change. Each season is a precious time. In this way, impermanence is beauty.

~Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again. ~Gautama Buddha

The snake that cannot shed its skin perishes. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

“Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out values all the utilities in the world.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Dragon Fruit Flower blooms only one or two days each year. In Florida it blooms in Autunm (September). Seeing this beautiful tropical flower bloom is a great joy of Autunm.

“Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.” George Eliot

Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life. James Cromwell

Plants are my best buds!

Carpocoris mediterraneus

Photo in explore Sept. 30, 2020

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent.” –Milan Kundera

The mixture of weird textures and organic surfaces creates an interesting dialogue.

Kelly Wearstler

Wood painted by my niece Josephine:)

In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia. ~Charles A. Lindbergh, Life, 1967 December 22nd

What the world needs most is openness: Open hearts, open doors, open eyes, open minds, open ears, open souls.

Robert Muller

La bonne vieille mouche domestique. Bien tranquille au coucher du soleil permettant de s'approcher un peu et de faire du focus stacking. 36 images empilées.

This good old housefly resting or sleeping at sunset as the temperature was dropping. It gives me the time to close up and take my time. 36 pictures focus stacked.

He was looking for the Caterpillar he once saw, but to his surprise all he found was a Butterfly! :)

"The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are." ~Rumi

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. ~Mahatma Gandhi

I just love bushcrickets - they're so cool 8-)

Bushcrickets are known as katydids in some areas (the males call sounds like "Katy did"). They are more often found in or around trees and maintain crepuscular habits.

Most/all UK species are spreading.

Life is a great tapestry. The individual is only an insignificant thread in an immense and miraculous pattern.

~ Albert Einstein

A photo walk around the property today and while there was still not much in bloom there were quite a variety of purple wild-flowers.

"Kindness is like snow - It beautifies everything it covers.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

“Play is the highest form of research.” ~ Albert Einstein

Olympus - Focus Stack

Utxesa - Lleida - Spain

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People sleeping in front of a wall sized poster of a cappuccino somewhere in Frankfurt airport.

Tulle