View allAll Photos Tagged neverstopexploring
If spiders aren’t your thing...sorry! Spiders normally aren’t so much my jam either. But hear me out for a minute — what if we looked at things a little bit closer, with eyes of curiosity, rather than judgment? What if we tried to find the delicate in the creepy, the intricacies in the rough... the beauty in the messy & uncomfortable?
These large Yellow Garden Spiders (Argiope aurantia) have been a frequent summertime sighting here in central Texas — hanging over trail-heads, under shade trees, along fence-lines. The spider in this image (captured while I was out on an early morning walk) constructed her three-foot-diameter web between the tops of two bushes! While I’m not afraid of these critters, I did find myself looking the other way and walking a bit quicker. 😅 But the lighting offered an opportunity too good to pass up, so I zoomed in to get a closer look and snapped a few photos. I was surprised to see the intricate designs on the spider’s body, the ombré-dipped coloration on all eight legs, and the mind-blowing complexity of the orb web, including the zig-zag stabilimenta centerpiece...
Without curiosity, I would not have seen how beautiful these creatures are. Yes, I am aware that it is a far stretch to equate spiders to beauty, but maybe the concept can also be applied elsewhere in our lives... Stay curious, friends.
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Rookery stairs in Chicago. Photos available for purchase at Wits End Photography Follow Travel Photography blog at Traveling at Wits End for ways to create travel adventures everyday.
This image was captured a few seasons ago while on a spur-of-the-moment diversion on the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia. We were on a bigger cross-country road trip, heading back to Texas from Connecticut, smack dab in the middle of peak fall foliage for Appalachia. It would've been silly to pass up the chance to experience this unplanned syncing up of events. So, we cut left off the busy interstate and ventured over to the Blue Ridge Parkway for the afternoon. With overcast skies and a chilly breeze, we walked a few trails, admired the many scenic overlook views, wandered into a small mountain town for lunch, and drove through one tree tunnel after the next painted with shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. It was the perfect mix of spooky and enchanted. By late afternoon, much to my delight, the clouds broke up and golden sunlight glazed across the landscape, highlighting all the vivid color of autumn’s fingerprints on the sea of rolling ridges. Every direction I looked there was another beautiful composition to be captured, but this image ended up being one of my favorites from that charming day in the mountains. Still to this day, I am so thankful to have made the spontaneous decision to take advantage of the opportunity for an experience like this one.
Roanoke, VA | Nov 2021
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Happy first day of Spring! 💐Happy Vernal Equinox! Happy Aries season! And also, my water bill is due today. 😬
I’m reposting this image and my original caption because it seems appropriate (again, unfortunately) after more tragic, hateful losses in the USA this past week. Springtime calls for great change — bringing light to what was once shadowed; beckoning the cold, bare terrain to grow once again. Over the course of our existence, opportunities for learning and growing seem to always cycle through — so long as we have the courage to feel the discomfort of the growing pains. I truly believe we humans can do better (I mean, I know I am far from perfect), and there is always room for us to grow with the seasons...
#StopHate #StopHate #StopHate
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We live in a colorful world, filled with a wide assortment of pigmentation. From the flowers to the sky, the humans to the skyscrapers — every facet of life is painted with a variety of colors. 🎨 Maybe this is by mistake. Maybe it’s on purpose. ♀️ Either way, this fact is to our good fortune, because to exist in a monotonous world — a world lacking in diversity — sure wouldn’t be as beautiful or interesting... 🤔💭💐
Splash of Paint | 2019
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BRRR!!! Any other Winter non-fans out there?!
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There’s currently a bitter cold Arctic front blasting most of the U.S., and I am feeling the furthest from thrilled about it, with a daytime high of only 45F degrees way down here in Texas (and this is the better of most areas affected by this front! Yikes!) 😱
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📷 Photo is a dip into my “warmer days archive” as an attempt to channel fiery vibes, capturing Firewheel flowers soaking up the heat from the evening sun this past spring. ☀️
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Bundle up out there, folks! Bring your pets & plants indoors, and share warmth with your friends & neighbors. Old Man Winter is barging his way in. 😑
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artist:DAX
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Happy Earth Day! 🌎🌱
Our busy, blue marble of a planet is the perfect combination of lots of water, some plate tectonics, and a protective atmosphere — effortlessly sustaining an immense range of life like it’s not something incredibly phenomenal! And to think we would be nothing without this very special, very particular mix of ingredients that make up this spectacular place we call home!
Get outside if you can, friends. Take care of each other, and take care of our home. Every day. 💙
📷: Limestone tufas and puffy cloud reflections mingle on the mirrored surface of an ancient saline lake. CA 2017.
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Spotted some cute baby dragons running amuck at a local park! 🐉😍 These Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) are abundant in South Florida, although they are technically an invasive species (and a well-established one at that). 🙈
Port Salerno, FL | Aug 2024
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