In the summer of 1994, my family took a memorable camping trip to Acadia National Park in Maine. While there, some of us went on a Kodak-sponsored photo walk, where we learned how to take more creative pictures of the natural beauty surrounding us. These are two of my attempts -- amateurish to be sure, but a whole lot of fun in the taking! This one was a practice in focusing. Unfortunately, I ended up focusing splendidly on the brick wall and the background flowers, instead of the yellow bloom at center stage! I liked the picture anyway though -- it was something you had to stop and crouch down to notice.

Another shot I got was this one of the harbor in a tiny Maine coastal town. The dangling leaves provide a nice frame for the bay, which gleams in the sinking sunlight of mid/late afternoon. To me, this is a picture of serenity. The integration of trees and water seems typical of what nature really is all about -- an integrated whole, rather than a series of chopped-up layers. It's also an interesting contrast of light and shadow, and captures the memory of an eye-opening afternoon.

One of my favorite places around Austin is Zilker Park, right near Town Lake and Barton Springs. My husband and I have spent many an hour there, and we always leave reluctantly, wishing we had more time to spend smelling all the roses in the springtime, flying our kite, or sitting reflectively in the beautiful Japanese garden, which always seems to retain some aura of tranquility even on crowded Sunday afternoons. In fact, the gazebo in the picture is where we ate a picnic dinner on one of our first dates -- before watching "Twelfth Night" performed at the Hillside Theater. From that gazebo, we could watch the setting sun shade in the horizon over the cityscape. In my experience, one can pretty much always find an undisturbed corner at Zilker Park, even if it means hopping off the trails for a few minutes. Or, one can relish the shared enjoyment of all the other nature lovers of Austin!

In the summer of 1997, Tim and I traveled to Europe and visited Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. I took this picture of Tim communing with a swan in one of our two favorite places: a small village named Hallstatt, perched on a lake in the Austrian Alps. Because of rain the day before, you can see the mists rising off the lake almost like a bridal veil being slowly lifted. The mountains reflect in the lake in perfect symmetry, and all is varying shades of deepening green and gray. I saw a sort of symmetry as well in these two, eying each other right at the edge of the lake. The camera caught the morning's quiet, thoughtful moment in a way I couldn't have described in words.

Here's a picture of me in Interlaken, Switzerland, our other favorite place. Interlaken rests on a neck of land between two lakes -- hence the name "Interlaken," or, "between lakes." One day we took advantage of our Eurail passes to get a free lake cruise on one of those lakes. (I'm waiting for the boat.) The color of the mineral-rich water, freshly melted and tumbled off of the glacial Alps, took our breath away. To be surrounded by such relatively unspoiled scenery (mountains and water are two aspects of nature which impress me the most) and to be able to sit back and enjoy absorbing it all, rather than rushing through by car or train, was a real privilege. Truly creation does declare the glory of God.

Another treat during the summer of 1997 was to visit relatives in Washington State. While there, we stayed in cabins at Mt. Rainier, which is an awesome, snowcapped dormant volcano. One particular hike was gentle enough to allow time and attention for the many facets of nature thriving on and around this majestic mountain. We hiked through evergreen trees, over gurgling streams, through small meadows glorying in their tiny yellow flowers, and up to a lake, all the while aware of the sleeping giant that towered in the background. Here's a picture of us somewhere along that winding hike.