Life takes place in the setting of a miracle, like a sunflower that absorbs all the rays of the sun except yellow, which it rejects and we receive. But this only deepens the mystery of why creation should be so generous, why we are not created as beings who live in a black and white world.
Sunflowers, Mashiko-machi Hega-gun, Tochigi, JapanWhat appears to be brilliant flower buds are actually birds perched on branches. Lachen, North Sikkhim, India.Dead cherry blossoms afloat on the Imperial Palace moat. Japan’s samurai class loved the ephemeral nature of the blossom was well as the its beauty, comparing the ideal path of samurai to a short but beautifully lived life. Michael Yamashita.Fall in Tokyo. Fall is the time to strap on your camera to hunt down the best autumn leaves and stroll under golden tunnels of ginko trees.Kamikochi, Nagono Prefecture, Japan. The summit of a mountain peaks through the clouds and is framed by a stream in valley “where the gods descend” which is what Kamokochi was known originally. This remote mountainous highland valley in the western region of Nagano Prefecture has been preserved in its natural state within the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park. Photo: Wilson Au.Arashiyama bamboo forest, Kyoto, Japan. Although you probably have seen pictures of this bamboo forest in Kyoto, no picture can capture the feeling of actually being there. Standing in the middle of this sprawling bamboo grove gives a palpable sense of otherness quite unlike any other forest I know of.Klevan, Rivnens’ Ka Oblast, Ukraine. Known affectionately as the “tunnel of love”, this stretch of gorgeous greenery is a section of industrial railway located near Klevan, Ukraine. Not surprisingly, it is a favorite place for couples to take walks. Georgia boasts more than 500 varieties of indigenous grapes—nearly one-sixth of the world’s grape varieties—including endangered vines found nowhere else on Earth. Photo taken in late September 2019.The miracle of color exists even on scales too small for the human eye to perceive. This electron microscope image shows the tightly-packed molecules of a lump of table sugar (yes, sugar).Lovely cloud floats on a clear summer sky in the Scottish highlands.A seagull soars high above the cliff of Neist Point, the most westerly part of the Isle of Skye, off the coast of northwest Scotland. The Faroe Islands comprise 18 volcanic islands that straddle Iceland and Norway, connected by road tunnels, ferries, causeways and bridges. Hikers and bird-watchers are drawn to the islands’ mountains, valleys and steep coastal cliffs that harbor thousands of seabirds.Baa Atoll, Maldives, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve rich in marine life.Tiny cythobenthic fish that lives among corals are more than just pretty little things; they play a crucial part in maintaining the health and biodiversity of the earth’s corals. Candy-colored sea glass, JapanFloating Tori, Miyajima, Western Honshu, Japan. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. The red structure of this tori stands out gloriously in the darkness of night. Photo: Kate Pedley.A dazzling restaurant setting, Villa Mian, Rome, Italy. David Gerstein, “Euphoria”, hand painted laser-cut metal cutout, “Millenium Residence”, Bangkok, Thailand.Lanterns, Penang. Red, an auspicious color to the Chinese is the color of these lanterns hung on the rafter of a temple in Penang, Malaysia.The pastel colors of Istanbul’s streets make it seem like one is right inside a children story book. Santorini full of stars. Santorini is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. The picturesque town is quiet in the day, but comes alive after sunset, attracting dinners and stargazers attracted to its magical nocturnal charms.Dean’s Village, just minutes’ drive from Edinburgh town delights not only to its residents but also tourists who flocked to this quaint settlement by the Leith River for its color and charm. The village’s name comes from the old Scottish word “dene” which means the deep valley of a small river. Tobermory on the Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland has one of the prettiest waterfronts of any Scottish island village. It is famed for its signature red, yellow, and blue buildings.Auroa Borealis, Norway. The Northern Lights called the Aurora Borealis arises from when large numbers of electrons from the sun stream in toward the Earth along its magnetic field and collide with air particles. The air then lights up in a similar manner to what happens in a fluorescent light tube around 60 miles (100 km) above the earth’s surface. Photo: Steffen Schnur.
