4 feet 2 mouths

Pulchritudinous Plants (by Nathan)

There is so much in this world to see.  It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of travel, moving quickly from one big site to the next.  Carmen is good at slowing me down and reminding me to “stop and smell the flowers.”  It is so wonderful to examine and enjoy the intricacies and details of all that surrounds us.  From details in the Inca stonework in Machu Picchu to the grasses that sway over the hills of Sonoma, there is so much to see and investigate.  Here is a collection of many of my favorite plant photos that I have taken worldwide.  They remind me of the undeniable beauty (pulchritude) of plants.  I love the gentle curvature and perfection of color that each provides.  I am reminded of how the subtleties of nature make plants so magnificent.

We are still hiking the Camino de Santiago, so this collection will have to suffice until we get back to internet:

Berkeley succulent

Plants have the most wonderful colors, most commonly greens, but purples too.  The petals of succulents have such an amazing frequency and proportion to them.

Fallen ginko leaf in Tokyo

Carmen and I were caught in the rain in Kyoto.  The downpour stopped and the Ginko leaves brightly scattered the street and each elegantly posed for a photo.

Lichen on a fence rail in Sonoma

Moss on an oak tree

There is beauty in the plants that depend on the wood around them to grow.  The soft greens of lichen and the furry moss provide a texture to their surroundings.

Oak leaves scattering the path on Angel Island

During a hike in Angel Island, I stopped to admire the abundance of colors and textures created by the leaves of the live oak forest above.

Summer fields in the Sonoma hills

Dew on wheat

On weekends I tend to wake up early; earlier than most people consider morning.  I can’t help it, my body gets really excited for the weekend.  One camping trip I woke so early that I needed to leave the campsite because my hangover friends were not going to be happy if I started making noise.  I hiked deep into the hills behind Lake Sonoma.  The pine forest continued up the steep hillside and at the top I found a beautiful clearing of golden brown wild wheat.  The dew had condensed on them and I sat there for over an hour just watching them sway.

City dandelion in Chicago

In Chicago, we found a softball sized dandelion that took Carmen and I several breaths to fully release all the seeds into the wind.

Entanglement of Tres Sabores vines

Visiting wineries has not entirely been about drinking.  We often meander through the vineyards tasting a grape here and there and touching the intricate vines.  Then we return to a glass of wine.

Succulent zinfandel grapes