Cabo Matapalo, I will never forget you. It seemed like we drove forever to get there, but that was, in large part, because Hwy 245 on the Osa Peninsula is full of potholes and ruts. And at some point we had to leave Hwy 245 and travel an even narrower, more rutted and pothole-riddled road to get there. But it was worth every minute. White sand, blue ocean meeting blue sky, hermit crabs scuttling everywhere, palm trees leaning into the wind, drift wood worn to a silver patina. I could have stayed there forever. So it was not lack of…

If you spend any time at all outdoors in Louisiana, you walk past them all the time. Tree trunks and rocks are among their favorite substrates, but most any long-exposed surface will do. Next time, stop and look. How many of the 17,000 species worldwide can you find in a single 6 x 4 patch? In fact, every lichen is at least two species–a fungi and an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both–living in close symbiotic relationship. Count them if you can! Divine complexity incarnate in the most #humble of creatures.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. –Pete Seeger How do you mark #time? Better question, perhaps: How do you measure the seasons of your life? I’m not sure “measure” is the best word for what I’m asking, but it’s the only one I can come up with right now. Here’s what I’m getting at…. I moved to Louisiana 21 years ago with a husband, two dogs and two living parents in another state. All of them are gone now. All five have died. So this is the season of being alone. Well,…

Be still. Wait. Listen. Look intently. A bird just might #visit you. Or an angel. What’s the difference? I’m not sure. Both bear gifts of awareness, wonder, fleeting glimpses of the Divine.

Early afternoon Oct. 26, I left the Gulf Coast and headed north on the east leg of the Creole Nature Trail (La. Hwy 27, Cameron Parish). A side trip on the Pintail Wildlife Drive before dark was on my agenda. It’s a beautiful drive. Some of my friends call me “lead foot,” but on the Creole Trail, I poke along. You never know what you might encounter. But… an osprey? Profile from a distance looks promising. I ease to the side of the road, bring up the 300mm lens. Sure enough. Hooked beak, dark band around a yellow eye and…