Most of the incredible sights in our world are those that move us from thinking about our feelings to making them come alive. And they do all this by simply being there. _____________________ Half Dome, Yosemite National Park. The striking Half Dome was created when molten rock pushed through the earth’s surface and became sculpted by moving glaciers. During a sunset in Yosemite, everything you see and think you feel transforms into the landscape before you. You can feel the dominance of the weathered rock, taste the cotton candy pink and blue of the sky, and the fading light is a part of you.
I am glad we have this big pile of sand out in Colorado. Same for the big hole in the ground in Arizona and so many more simple yet magnificent natural structures. _____________________ The Great Sand Dunes are such an extraordinary landscape. No stunning waterfalls or dense vegetation are in sight, but there is such immense and wonderful scale. Dunes up to 750 feet tall create this peaceful sea of sand that seemingly extends forever between mountains. And sometimes small sand avalanches occur in the dunes resulting in noises that make it sound as if the sand is singing. Isn’t that sweet?
Zion National Park, Utah. This is my favorite place in the entire world, at least for now and for how much of the world I know. I love it so much that, when I die, I want my ashes flushed down the first stall in the visitor center toilet. _____________________ I can close my eyes and immediately go back to this exact space and time. The way the light hits the rocks in Zion National Park is unforgettable. And along with the incredible light, the fact that dinosaurs walked through the park makes the place even more special. The 20-foot and 1,000 pound Dilophosaurus once roamed these rocks and today so do we.
one of the most fascinating things about the eiffel tower is that it was originally built to stand for only 20 years. _____________________ the legs and second level of the eiffel tower were completed on august 21, 1889. so if we went back in time to 129 years before now, this is almost exactly what the tower would look like. some of the best competitors in life are the things that have permanence. that is why gustave eiffel was going head to head with the pyramids when he was making his tower.
bread is great. i ate an astronomical amount of bread this summer. so much that i used the word astronomical. _____________________ perhaps it’s strange to talk so much about bread, but i think there is some value. bread traces back to the neolithic age and in some findings even further. we been eating bread for a minute! and we all are eating this stuff. from baguettes and tortillas to naan and injera - bread is universal. kind of neat how we can be connected through a mix of flour and water.
european people dress so fresh. this hand painted denim jacket was low key cooler than the arc de triomphe. _____________________ there is a small section in the road in front of the arc de triomphe marked off for picture posing. as i waited in line to photograph my friend, i set my camera by taking photos of others. and just as i had my settings, this girl in the dope jacket appeared. sometimes photos just happen by chance.
i love the streets in paris. they make you feel like you are right there just roaming around on the set of ratatouille. _____________________ cities built for walking are so great. especially when the streets become the sidewalks. jane jacobs said that cities are by definition are full of strangers. and based on all my time roaming i’d say that the streets are where you meet.
when was the last time you played with bubbles? or took a bubble bath? both are really quite important to do. _____________________ play is an invaluable part of being a child. all throughout europe i saw kids playing games or dancing in the street. and as these kids laughed and chased bubbles, i also saw grown people with ice cream cones doing the same. no matter what age we are, we must never forget to play.
this summer i spent some time in europe. this week i want to share some photos from my adventures in france. i learned the word chofleur and it means cauliflower. _____________________ one thing that stood out to me everywhere i went were patterns. patterns of colors painted on houses to intricate details etched into century old buildings. in some ways i think the patterns tell the story of place. for example, i had ice cream that was the same colors as that first building.