Nature on Parade

Hello All-

 

There's nothing about the great outdoors that I don't love.  The warmpth of the sun on my cheeks, the fresh smell of rain.  Nature is amazing!  However most of us are too busy with our daily lives to pay any attention to the wealth all around us. Growing up in central Cali I was outside all of the time so in celebration of the great outdoors today's post features LOs from great places I have been.

 

My family owns a bit of land up by Chico, CA.  It's set way back in the mountains, has several cabins and offers year round activities.  It was one of my favorite places to go as a child.  We'd spend hours hiking trails or swimming in the creek,  digging history out of the dirt or haning around the fire pit.

 

The only place I loved more than our family cabin was Fort Bragg.  I can 't resist the draw of the ocean.  It's beauty and energy amaze me no matter how many times I visit.

 

 

With years and marriage I've moved around quite a bit and have yet to find a place that I would love to call home, though each place has left a bounty of wonderful memories with me.  In Missisippi we had a bird's eye view in our 10th story studio appartment.  It was litterally across the street from the beach.  Our entire back wall was glass and looked out over the gulf.  It was heaven watching the sunset every night from our balcony.

 

The New Mexico desert offered White Sands National Park, white sand as far as the eye can see and Cloudcroft, a rustic mountian town.

 

Las Vegas is our latest stop and though it isn't one of my favorite places, the sun and heat make most outdoor activities rather unpleasant, I have found some places that I do love.   
 

Red Rock Canyon is a spectacular national park.  There are tons of hiking trails, rock climbing and numerous excellent photography locations.  The key to enjoying this wonderful place is to go in March or September when the weather is cooler; a cloudy day doesn't hurt either.

 

And my favorite place in Vegas is Aliante Park, I have a thing for water.  This park may be man-made but it is beautiful and when I'm there I can almost forget that I'm in the desert.  My favorite thing about the park as you can guess is the giant waterfall. I love to sit at the base of it and just listen to its calming rhythm.  There are hundreds of turtles and birds that call this park home and if you're quite enough you can get great photos of them. 

 

 

If you're not the great outdoors-man, I hope you can enjoy the beauty of nature through these LOs.  And if you are I hope that you continue to bask in the many wonders of our world.  Our world is precious and something to be enjoyed so why not slow down and take a look around!