the earth ink

Hawaii has been a wonderful lab for practicing photography. With afternoon rainshowers, it is easy to test out my camera's macro capabilities on raindrops. Just as in a wine glass, a raindrop can reflect an image upside down. This image was carefully arranged to show the reflection of a palm tree in a dangling drop of precipitation.

Rome holds so many treasures that I was amazed at how busy I kept during the full three days I spent in the city. While wandering around the town on foot, I found several places where I could to sit with my journal for hours. The Pantheon with a cup of gelato, the Spanish Steps for sunset and a glass of wine, and the Trevi Fountain with a cappucino. Each locale oozed with Italian ambiance. Perhaps a little full of the tourist types, these locations also offer plenty of opportunities to people watch.  Even on this rainy day, I found joy in colourful umbrellas and the detail in the fountain's sculptures.

I recall looking through a magazine and reading about Petra for the first time. Fascinated by the early 1800s rediscovery of the lost and inaccessible city and enamored by the red stones, I remember thinking that there would never be a reason for me to venture deep within the country of Jordan . And, I could never imagine that there would be a person who would be interested in traveling to see this UNESCO World Heritage site with me. Several years later, I stood in the middle of the city of red stone absolutely amazed at the grandeur of the ancient city of Petra and in disbelief that I stood in the midst of the photos that I marveled at in that magazine article. All that, and I had a reacquainted high school friend to travel with! Jordan remains one of the most fascinating countries that I have visited. The people were hospitable and friendly despite an occasional Arabic-English language barrier. The country is home to fascinating historical sites, geographically diverse land