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“Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe, and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget everything and every person that has the least place within your heart.” ~ Author Unknown

Quick visit to last winter's archives....this one was from our trip to Yellowstone. Spotted this guy not far from an elk carcass, patiently waiting his turn....in the meantime, he was searching through the snow for something, anything to eat and once in a while, he would come up for a breather, snow covered face and all.

Have a great Wednesday....thanks for all your visits & comments!!!!

A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them. ~ Leonard Louis Levinson

Just had to stop alongside the road when we saw these clouds rolling in....photographed near Wahweap Marina, Lake Powell...Page, AZ - September 2011

Have a great Tuesday, and as always, thanks for stopping by to visit!!!! 8 more days till vacation :-)

The kiva is always the center of the mandala. It is the secret, hidden place where the sipapu meets the sky, the safe place where the past meets the future. The kiva is a place of refuge, a sanctuary from the unpredictability of the elements, a private and safe space combining the practical and spiritual dimensions of existence in one form, a womb of culture and vision, a special opening into the reality of mother. Smaller kivas may have been used like living rooms, the focal point for local clans, a place to stay warm on a winter's day or to keep cool during the summer months while relaxing. The larger kivas provided a place to smoke and discuss community business. At certain times of year, they were used as holy places, accomodating many people visiting from outside the canyon. At these times, there would be chanting, recounting of oral histories, relevant stories and teachings in preparation for rituals. The circle around a central fire pit is a natural mandala, tending to bring the participants into visual contact and intimate communication. The kiva is an architectural form designed to host the spirit of council fires and gatherings of all kinds which had once taken place outdoors or in caves and natural rockhouses. (source: thssite.tripod.com/shel1/kiva.html)

Shot of one of 37 kivas located in Pueblo Bonito at Chaco Canyon

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend...many thanks as always for all your visits & support...have a great week!!!!

“You take this big, barren, chunk of wood that doesn’t look like it's good for anything except maybe to cut up and burn for firewood, and you start chiseling away at it, and, little by little, something starts forming. And in the end, something beautiful is made out of something that other people might see as worthless. I feel like our lives are shaped that way." ~ Mark Chavez

In 2003 a fire devastated the Bosque, and Pueblo Montano park., part of Albuquerque’s Open Space program. Trees and vegetation were destroyed. Today, that bleak landscape has changed. Rather than uprooting the dead trees, the park has been turned into an unusual sculptural showcase through the chainsaw artistry of Mark Chavez. Chavez was one of the firefighters who fought the Bosque blaze. Now retired to pursue his love of wood carving, Chavez took the charred hulks and made them into owls and turtles, and birds, and a beautiful eagle with spread wings. There’s also a firefighter with his foot on a vanquished dragon in honor of the men and women who quelled that blaze. (source: examiner.com)

"You walk through a series of arches, so to speak, and then, presently, at the end of a corridor, a door opens and you see backward through time, and you feel the flow of time, and realize you are only part of a great nameless procession." ~ John Huston

Lower Antelope Canyon - Navajo Reservation - Page, Arizona

Wishing everyone a fabulous weekend...and many thanks for all your visits & support!!!! 12 more days to vacation :-)