The Way to Heaven is Heaven

"We are already and always on sacred ground. The gifts of grace and delight are present and abundant; the time to live and love and give thanks and rest and delight is now, this moment, this day. Feel what heaven is like; have a taste of eternity. Rest in the arms of the divine, we do not have miles to go before we sleep. The time to sleep, to rest is now. We are already home."

Excerpt for Wayne Muller's book SABBATH, (Bantam; 1 edition, September, 2000)

I took this shot on a crisp, fall morning on Cedar Lake near Ely, MN. When I read Mr. Muller's book and especially this passage, I couldn't help but pair the two together. I recommend the book to anyone looking for some quality timeout from their overworked, overloaded schedules.

Refuge of the Roads

Refuge of the Roads. Yes, I stole the name for this blog title and category from the title of a Joni Mitchell song from her Hejri album recorded circa fall 1976. It was my first year of college. I was a fan and she did great lyrics.

Like many, I'm sure, the road has always been an awesome escape for me and there's nothing like crusing the way back roads of Ely, MN on a cold, wet October day. The mud, the potholes filled with water, the damp muted colors, just a lonely stretch of dirt offering some small adventure.

After hiking down this winding road for a bit, there was finally a short straight away where I could take a picture to show the warmth of such a gloomy day.

Nature's Design

Nature's design. I have always been turned on by the textures, shapes, and designs nature provides on its infinite canvas. How nature manage to paint this modern design on a rock face beneath a waterfall in Grenada, baffles me.

I'm sure there's some organic sense to it or some mathmatical fomula that can explain it, but sitting on the rocks shooting Concord Falls, a sun beam put a spot on this water spattered section of the wall beneath the falling water.

I photographed it and called it art.

Moments

Moments. The right place at the right time. Those times we manage to capture something that might happen only once in a life time. A moment that becomes a memory etched permanently, at least you hope so. If you were lucky enough like I was to be hanging out in the British Virgin Islands on Peter Island with a bunch of beautiful models scouting locations for a photo shoot for a 3SQ client calendar, you would understand. The sun was setting. We were feeling a little spiritual. I picked up my camera and shot several pictures while the girls got into the moment.

There's Always a Cozy Bar Nearby

Last week i drove Minnesota. That's right. I drove from my sunny home in Tampa, FL to where I grew up in Minnesota. Minneapolis has had the most snow in December since recording snowfall in 1891. 33.4 inches as of Christmas Day and more on its way. And I drove through most it. But, after doing this road trip several times over the years, I've learned, especially in the midwest, you're never too far from a cozy restauant or bar to escape the hazardous driving and make room for the snow plows to clear a path for the next leg of your journey.

You can see the driving conditions on I-80 near Davenport, Iowa. Slow and scary. Thanks to Del's Eatery and Pub in Eldridge, IA, the conditions improved exponentially, at least for an hour or two.