Forbidden Trail

This can be seen while hiking at the forbidden trail in Pennsylvania. This is a great place for family outings or a peaceful walk to your self as you enjoy the fresh air and beautiful landscape. Many people come here to hike, walk there dogs, and mountain bike with friends and family. 

Mulholland Drive

This is one of the spectacular views  you can see while driving along  Mulholland Drive in California. Mulholland Drive is a road that runs along the Santa Monica Mountains over looking various parts of Los Angeles. Many of the homes set back off this road are the most exclusive and most expensive homes in the world.

Bicycle

Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving. 

Albert Einstein

Pelican

• The great white pelican catches about 1.2 kg of fish a day in its large throat pouch.
• The brown pelican dives from a height of 15 m above the water to catch fish below below the surface. 
• There are seven species of pelican. Most live and feed around fresh water, but the brown pelican is a seabird.
• A great white pelican comes in to land on the water.
• One of the largest pelicans is the Australian pelican, which is up to 180 cm long and weighs about 15 kg.
• The white pelican lays 1-2 eggs in a nest mound on the ground. Both parents help to incubate the eggs and care for the young.
• Pelican chicks are able to stand at 3 weeks old and can fly at 7-10 weeks old.
• White pelicans work as a group to herd fish into a shoal by swimming around them in a horseshoe formation. 
• In flight, a pelican flaps its wings 1.3 times a second. This is one of the slowest wingbeat speeds, when actively flying, of any bird.

Saguaro Cactus

• The saguaro is a slow-growing plant. 
• It takes the cactus roughly 14 years to grow three feet tall and between 60 and 75 years to sprout its first arm.
• The saguaro cactus produces its first flower when it is about 50 years old. 
• The white blossoms open only at night, last less than 24 hours.
• The saguaro cactus is home to two kinds of birds, both the Gila Woodpecker and Glided Flicker bore holes in the saguaro and use them as a nest.
•  Native American people made flour, cakes and jam from the saguaro's fruit, pulp and seeds.

Family Roots

Family like branches on a tree, we all grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. 

-Anonymous 

Horse

Again the early-morning sun was generous with its warmth.  All the sounds dear to a horseman were around me - the snort of the horses as they cleared their throats, the gentle swish of their tails, the tinkle of irons as we flung the saddles over their backs - little sounds of no importance, but they stay in the unconscious library of memory.  

~Wynford Vaughan-Thomas

Nature

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. 

-Anonymous 

The Path

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Clouds

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.

Rabindranath Tagore

In Motion

"Everyone who's serious about what they're doing must be in constant motion forward."

Ed O'Brien

Swans

The Mute Swans pictured here are native to North America. There habitats include costal ponds, bogs, streams and lakes. Their nest can be found along the shoreline and are made of aquatic vegetation, grass, brush and than lined with some of their own feathers. They are omnivores, eating only water plants and algae. These swans mate for life and will only find a new partner if their mate dies. 

Grand Caverns

The Grand Caverns offers breath taking views of these natural formations. This cavern has much to offer with a wide range of rooms to explore such as the Lily Room, Jefferson Hall, Bridal Chamber, Cathedra, Dante's Inferno and many more.  The Rainbow Room showcase is one of the Grand Caverns highlighted attractions. In this room, they placed vibrant colored lights to emphasize the structural beauty of these formations.

Santa Barbara Sunset

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Seal Sanctuary

At the Carpinteria Seal Sanctuary you can find a community of harbor seals; playing in the water and sunbathing along the shoreline. You can view these creatures from several different look out points along the rocky cliff.  This protected habitat is a place where the seals give birth to their cubs. 

Muddy Creek Falls

Muddy Creek Falls is the highlight of Swallow Falls State Park being one of the highest waterfalls in Maryland, standing at 53 feet high. The park offers some of Maryland's breathtaking scenery such as; white water rapids, numerous trails to hike, and deep pools for swimming. 

Nature up Close

Nature is always an interesting subject matter; not knowing what you might come across can result in some interesting, unexpected photos . The vibrant green leaf caught my attention as a walked along a side street in Santa Barbara. The sun struck the leaf just right, which made it appear to glow and allowed the veins in the leaf to stand out. The bee was also captured when I was on a walk; this bee was flying around this colorful flower stopping and gathering pollen from each. I was able to catch the bee just as it landed and for a split second sat still. 

Lizard

Capturing wild life can be a bit difficult but the out come is rewarding. Sometimes your subject matter will even appear to strike a pose for you as you take their photograph. I captured this lizard in Mexico as it sat among the rocks sunbathing, it soon noticed me and put his head up eyeing my every move. 

Grand Canyon

 This image of the Grand Canyon has captured one of earth’s most spectacular natural beauties and one of the world’s most visually appealing landscapes. The magnificent landscape of the canyon seems to be carved by famous sculptors. The sheer drop of the canyon is unreal, but in the distance I can see and hear the turquoise colored Colorado River down below, twisting and turning like a snake around each corner. The canyon walls shimmer as the sun struck them, changing each layer of rock from dull colors to vibrant reds, oranges and browns. The rough white rocks beneath my feet have rust red dust gently scattered across them. The whole terrain has cracks and crevasses where plants had pushed their way through and were now thriving in this harsh environment. The otherwise monochromatic surface of the dry Grand Canyon terrain had bursts of stunning green shrubs, bushes and evergreen trees. 

The lonely boat

Think salty air, sand between your toes, crashing waves, seagulls flying above, and kids building sandcastles: this is summer on Cape Cod. People come from around the world to visit this sandy peninsula which is surrounded by sparkling water, wildlife and some of the freshest seafood imaginable. The Cape has many harbors where you can find fishermen unloading their catch from the day, spectators admiring the boats, and families and friends enjoying a beautiful day of boating. Although the Cape is visited mainly in the summertime, you can still find plenty of things to do and see year round. This photograph is of a small row boat hidden behind the swaying sea grass along the coast of Orleans. The lonely boat gently rocked back and forth with every passing wave and chilly winter breeze.