“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”

― Henry David Thoreau

One of the luxuries of summertime is the beauty of an early morning walk, something I know I will miss as September creeps closer. Sharing these images might just let me hold onto them a little bit longer.

 

I’m one of those people that walks around with a camera in my hand…I’ve found it helps me pay attention to those small moments in life.

Even when it’s raining…which rarely happens in the summer where I live!

One glorious summer morning my son and I headed off to spend the day with my aunt and uncle. Cameron wanted photography lessons, so my Uncle Paul took us to the Oakland Cemetery-it was a crystal clear day with gorgeous views, but I kept my camera on the little things.

Sometimes I don’t make it out of my own backyard…but that’s sometimes ok.

When I do go out, the university arboretum is one of my favorite walks. There’s always something interesting to see there.

I love it here. I love it in the snow, I love it in the rain, and I love it in the glow of the sunrise.

 

This summer I even loved it on an early morning bike ride from Tahoe City to Squaw Valley and back! Not as easy to take photos without falling off my bike, though.

Whenever I travel, I try to find some small place to photograph. This was right outside our hotel room.

This wasn’t actually taken on an early morning walk, but I was walking…I’m infatuated with dia de los muertos decorations, and this store was full of them!

This morning I spent in the air, so technically this qualifies as an early morning photo! Most of our mornings in Nicaragua were early, but spent in the back of a  pick-up truck driving to the work site.

I love this image I took in Granada, Nicaragua. The beauty of the flower against the harshness of the stone wall exemplifies the absolute disparities that exist in this lush and beautiful country.

Back in the seclusion of my own garden, I found my hollyhocks still holding on. These old-fashioned flowers are stubborn; they keep shooting out and blooming until I pull them up and gently gather their seeds to scatter again next year.

Back at home, back to my special place to walk.

My daughter shot this out the passenger side window while I was cruising down I-5 one early morning. It took dozens of shots, but it was worth it. It’s rare to see Mt. Shasta not covered in clouds. Maybe someday I’ll walk its peak.

My daughter was very patient with me on our college tours. She knew that when she turned to me and I wasn’t there, all she had to do was look for the nearest flowerbed and she’d find me.

We’d had a very long drive before this walk…but as I got out of the car, I couldn’t help but be a bit awed by the beauty of this campus. As we continued to walk around the university of campus, I wasn’t disappointed.

Ok, I’ll admit it. There was no early morning walk this day. I had just woken up after driving 550 miles the day before, and all I wanted to do was savor my dear friend Dawn Wink’s first published novel, Meadowlark, while sipping my coffee.

It’s not always about the walk. Sometimes we can find our small moments right next to us, inside. A blessing for the whole day, indeed.

 Many of these photos were posted on my Instagram account – I’d love to connect with you there, too.

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