the earth ink

I love this photo: two (presumably Arab Christian) boys found a place to play in an alcove of the stone Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem. I like it because it is symmetrical. I like it because two modern jeans-clad boys are making use of a historical place with familiarity that it indicates they have not known anything different than living in Jerusalem's Old City walls. And, I like the picture because I project my hopes for Israel and Palestine to live, play, and share borders and historic land peacefully onto this image. In reality, the old city of Jerusalem is divided in to four distinct quarters where tourists cross through invisible boundaries, but locals rarely mingle. The Jaffa Gate is situated between the Armenian and Christian Quarters. The Jewish and Muslim Quarters balance out the remaining space between the city walls—less the site of Temple Mount that stands on its own right between the Jewish and Muslim quarters. Temple Mount continues to be a source of contention betw...

Drawn the Dale Chihuly's work on display (June-November 2014) at the Denver Botanic Gardens , my mom suggested that she would like to take my sister-in-law, nephews, and myself to the Gardens for a morning. I never know what to expect with Botanic Gardens. I have been to several where the flowers bloomed a month before I arrived—and all that amounted to the gardens were a couple pruned trees and grasses. Other gardens have impressed me and encourage me to return. The Denver Botanic Gardens fit soundly in the second category. Evenly sprinkled with art features and interesting foliage, a person could hardly take everything in during one trip. Strolling on the windy pathways, something interesting will undoubtably meet your eye. With a generous Modecai Children's Garden , kids are easily entertained looking for plants, learning about growing things, and playing in the babbling brook on the property. The Gardens play host to a number of activities and educational classes from ...

Brasil may be on the world scene as the site of World Cup Finals, but the country is, of course, more than futbol. My ten day trip started and ended in São Paulo, but sandwiched in the middle, I spent three nights in the marvelous little town of Parati in the State of Rio de Janeiro. A six hour bus ride from the City, this colorful colonial town lays right up against the Pacific Ocean in a bay. From an afternoon boat trip that romantically included a live guitar solo performance of Antonio Carlos Jobim's  Girl from Impanema  among other Brasilian music, I snapped this not particularly well-focused photo. But I love this scene for the context of Parati against the hills beyond. I stayed at the Misti Chill Pousada with two new friends that I made on the busride from São Paulo. They generously offered their friendship and company on the boat trip—as well as bicycling to a waterfall that we slid down and wandering through the beautiful and historic old town. The colonial town...

Though Brasil is surrounded by Spanish speaking countries in South America, it seems that some people are always surprised that Brasilians speak Portuguese. Though Spanish can go a long way toward reading Portuguese, speaking it is a little more difficult. Each morning when I left my hotel, I asked the desk attendant for a new phrase that I could use during that day to order food, ask a price, or get directions. It became a challenge game between myself and the hotel staff and a fantastic way to show respect toward and engage with the people of São Paulo. My experience in Brasil was vibrant and colorful. Women really do wear stilettos and look like fashionistas walking down Avenida Paulista. Fresh squeezed juice stands dot the street corners with beverages that rivaled my morning coffee! I waited for a friend of mine to introduce me to Metro Station, Sé. We got off the train and explored the Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo's tall spires. We walked inside to see the gothic a...

It is August. Light is fleeting, but beautiful. Though light begins to touch the sky again on Antarctica's coastline, the sun has not risen yet - nor has it popped above the horizon in nearly four months. August is the coldest month in Antarctica. Nose hairs freeze and skin cracks due to the lack of humidity - though exposed skin is hard to find. Privileged to accompany professional photographer and director of Antarctica: A Year on Ice , Anthony Powell out on the sea ice, this photo was captured as light reflected off white pressure ridges in the Ross Sea near Scott Base. Fellow winterover, Joe, stood contemplating his own photo through a hole melted in a slab of ice that pushed up through the sea ice's tempermental frozen coastal crust. In this area, weddell seals will pop up during the summer and summertime contractors and scientists will have to sign up for tours to negotiate the ice formations. In late January, this area to the shoreline will become slushy and unpred...

Flying. Most everyone seems to appreciate that feeling of loftiness - no strings attached, no obligations to attend to: freedom. Part of the reason I volunteered in the Philippines earlier this year was to lay things aside: a slow-growing business, deadlines, the internet, even friends and family. Of course, we always take some of this with us wherever we go, but now and then, a significant break is warranted. On this particular break, I wanted to fly - to get away, to hop on airplanes around the world, to redistribute my efforts into something physical and tangible. The funny thing is, volunteering is hard work - laborious and exhausting, but so incredibly freeing. I recommend it. Volunteering in a post-disaster area means difficult living conditions, sweat, a little blood, and probably a few tears, too. With All Hands Volunteers on the Island of Leyte in the Philippines, difficult living meant that 50-60 people from around the world shared two toilets; lived in tents, or in ...

Currently experiencing springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, this little birdy was a beautiful reminder of warmer weather that is trying to emerge between cold winter flurries and turbulent transitional storms. After the hibernation of winter, seeing life reappear on the trees and new critters hopping and flying outdoors leaves hikers refreshed and hopeful for summer. On this particularly warm Washington day, the leaves had not yet reappeared on the trees, but the birds were out in abundance near Lake Whatcom at Bloedel Donovan Park in Bellingham. Tree stumps showcased vibrant mosses and the smells of Washington's forests pervaded through my nostrils; more an earthy than musty aroma, the atmosphere smells alive, growing, and hopeful. I am no birder, but this looks like this might be a Vermilion Flycatcher in the crook of tree branches.