Little white specks

Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw snow, gently falling to the ground.

A few seconds later I see it again. This time is was clear that indeed there was snow falling!

It was a cloudy morning, Honey and I were dressed warmly for our walk. As we set off along the train we enjoyed the beautiful snow as it fell. It seemed to dance in the blowing wind then gently fall to the ground where it disappeared.

At the lookout we watched the clouds move across the sky. Black and low, yet the sun still poked through in places.

We stopped to enjoy this moment, as everything around us seemed to be absorbed by the first snowfall of the year.

What makes a place?

Every place is unique. But what defines a place?

Glasgow, UK

History?

Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany

People?

Natural History Museum, London, UK

Art?

Glasgow, UK 

Landscape?

Devon Island, Northwest Passage, Canada

Economy?

Paris, France

We all have a part to play

As I admire the beauty of the natural areas I keep seeing the impact humans are having on the world. The smoke stack looms high above the tree line. The black smoke rolls out and appears as a cloud ready to rain, but the puffs keep moving. And you can sure smell it. Getting stronger when the wind blows from the west, carrying it all over the city.

The houses along the lake remind me that people live here, in this wilderness, too. I come to see the natural wildlife that we are increasingly a part of, yet have less concern for than ever in history.

The rocks are cut to make way for humans. But did anyone ever stop to think about the home it took away from the animals?

And the trash. Its everywhere. Along the paths, under a tree, behind a rock. Everywhere I go there is always something that does not belong.

Each time I notice the human impact on the world I am reminded that I am a part of this too. And I have a part to play, for better or for worse. I know what Im going to do, do you?