A hawk soars in front of Broken Top (left) and the 3 Sisters, all with a fresh coating of snow. Central Oregon high desert, December 29, 2005.

A sea plan awaits passengers along the inner harbor of Victoria, BC. August, 2005.

If the Dec. 9 photo was Winter Buddha, this must be Snow Buddha, huh? My back yard, Madras, OR, December 21, 2005.

Sometimes our expectation of nature's beauty doesn't meet the reality. This view, which includes Mt. Washington, used to be full of a lush, vibrant forest of pines, cedar and fir trees until a few summers ago when a lightning strike caused a huge fire that took it all out. It's coming back, but slowly. And it has a new style of vibrancy. High Cascades of central Oregon, US.

Mount Jefferson rises over a hay field outside of Tumalo in central Oregon, USA. December 24, 2005.

Happy HannukMas KwanzYear....

...and a Festivus for the rest of us.

For some it's a marguaritaville Xmas. Or is it a Corona Xmas? Oh, well. Changes in lattitude, changes in attitude. Portland, OR, Deceember 12, 2005.

Non-snowmen come in all mediums. Xmas in southeast Portland, OR. December 11, 2005.

A nearly fulll moon rises over a house in southeast Portland that is into Xmas light decorations. December 11, 2005.

'Tis the season to post photos of Xmas lights. Portland, OR, December 11, 2005.

Berries (if that's the right word), hang from a tree limb. The snow is very, very dry powder. Bend, OR, December 17, 2005.

A little girl gets her moment in the spotlight with Santa at a downtown Portland mall. December 11, 2005.

The Wisdom of Ram Dass

A woman told me that she was a seeker, so I asked her, "Have you ever thought of being a finder?"

Irrigation pipes await spring thaw in the high desert of Oregon. Madras, OR, December 11, 2005.

Talaquepaque Artist Village in the fall. Sedona, AZ. September, 2005.

Some sociological icons are so ingrained they cannot be ignored. If you're like me and grew up with the Beatles, you thoroughly understand why when I was taking this photo outside my house one morning last week, without a doubt I had strongly running through my mind the guitar riffs of George Harrison's "Here Comes Then Sun." Madras, OR; December 10, 2005.

On the grounds of the Musuem At Warm Springs. December 10, 2005.

Winter Buddha. My back yard, Madras, OR. November, 2005.

The winter sun offers excellent lighting possibilities and provides wonderfully long shadows. This is just a pic of the side patio between my house and garage, but it's good lighting, I think. Of course this was taken a couple of weeks ago and the patio is now buried under about 6 inches of snow. November, 2005.

Another snow shot, when the kids are using their sleds this guy's pretty alone. November, 2005.

With all the snow we'v e been having, I needed some warming up. So here's some hot peppers hanging outside a Scottsdale, AZ, store. Sept. 2005.

We got 8" - 10" of snow last week. I shot this one between storms when the sun was out. Madras, OR, December 1, 2005.

Red rock country as seen from the "ghost town"of Jerome, AZ. Jerome is an abandoned mining town that has since become an artist colony. This another one of those better seen at full size (just click on the photo). Sept, 2005.

Thought I'd inject a little color back onto the page. Fog is rather colorless. This was taken the day the fog lifted and the sun returned. The shadows created by the blind are projected onto the ivy on my table. Madras, OR, November, 2005.