When Cirque du Soleil goes on the road to perform, they do it under a Very. Big. Top. Portland, Oregon; May, 2010.

Spending time in the Jerome Grand Hotel is akin to going back to the 1930s. The feeling is quite real. This photo shows part of the hotel's restaurant, The Asylum. The name of the restaurant probably reflects the craziness of the menu (our food was very good, btw), and the fun attitude of the waitpersons--our's was exceptionally fun, sharp, and attentive for a 20something; I gave her a 30% tip because she could keep up with me. Jerome, Arizona; May, 2010.

An example of the Pre-digital Age; not as ancient as the Paleolithic Age, but probably close. This well-preserved display is the out-front artwork of a small coffee shop in a converted gas station. Good thing it's small, since the red rig takes up one of the very few parking spaces on the property. Cottonwood, Arizona; May, 2010.

A sunlit Cathedral Rock can be seen through the trunks of a juniper tree. (click on the thumbnail for more detail) Sedona, Arizona; May, 2010.

A delicate tree branch blows in the wind among its colleagues. (click the thumbnail to see which leaves have been eaten) Scottsdale, Arizona; May, 2010.

Although I was in a different part of town, I still looked around for Jack the Ripper as I walked among revelers along the Thames and looked up at these ancient street lights during the Mayor's Festival. London, UK; September, 2009.

There's still snow in the high Cascades, even though it's almost June. Rural Linn County, Oregon; May, 2010.

Mt. Washington in the Oregon high Cascades, with remnants of a lightning-caused fire in the foreground. Rural Linn County, OR; May, 2010.

Suttle Lake. Rural Jefferson County, Oregon; May, 2010.

The Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, with its spectacular facade, reaches for the clouds. (Click on the thumbnail to zoom in on the gargoyles) Paris, France; September, 2009.

Moss grows thick on trees in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area. Rural Hood River County, Oregon; April, 2010.

Trees framed by gate. Near Redmond, Oregon; May, 2010.

This was so weird, we were forced to pull over and take a photo. One cloud with 2 rainstorms perfectly framing Mt. Jefferson. Strange. But we had a camera! Taken from Madras, Oregon; May, 2010.

A barn on a clear Spring morning. Redmond, Oregon; May, 2010.

The setting sun shines through a tree growing from one of the bucolic pastures along the Canal du Nivernais. (Click on the thumbnail to see the chateau on the hill). Burgundy region of France; September, 2009.

Sahalie Falls tumbles 140 feet into the McKenzie River. High Cascades mountains in rural Linn County, Oregon; April, 2010.

Clematis blossom. Vancouver, BC; May, 2010.

I traveled north this weekend to attend a meditation retreat at the Asian Centre on the campus of the University of British Columbian. This is one of the areas used for walking meditation. The azaleas were blooming. (Click on the thumbnail to see the face at the peak of the roofline) Vancouver, BC, Canada; May, 2010.

It's Springtime in the Pacific Northwest of the US and the bees are back, hard at work. This one digs around in an azalea bush after (during) a rainstorm. (click on the thumbnail to see even more captured pollen) Clackamas, Oregon; April, 2010.