two dogs standing in a leafy wooded area with bare trees and scattered green vegetation | Two large dogs walking together on a paved path next to a mossy stone wall and green grass on a cloudy day

29 May ~2013

Back when I was a kid I found a shaded pond behind a gas station. I went there again and again to see the frogs and tadpoles and try to catch them. I don't remember much else about that time in my life, but I recall how awed I felt, like I had encountered something secret and mysterious and wild, and very special.

I may have found my hearts compass as a kid leaning over that pond, looking into the beauty and wonder of the natural world. It has taken me with my dogs above the treeline, spending nights alone in a multitude of wildernesses, down home walking with them on the path beneath the cottonwoods all these years, and lately by myself exploring the beauty of the coral reef sea . . .

Silhouetted tall trees against a dark night sky filled with stars and a faint glow near the horizon

A tent pitched on rocky highland terrain with steep mountains in the background; below, a serene alpine lake reflecting surrounding trees and cliffs

Man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and light shirt standing outdoors with a black and white dog on a grassy slope with rocky mountains in the background

Two black and white dogs sitting near a purple Coleman tent on rocky terrain with cliffs and mountains in the background

View from a kayak paddle fishing on turquoise ocean water under a cloudy sky; a colorful fish among coral; and a shark swimming over a rocky ocean floor

Underwater scenes with marine life including coral and two different fish, followed by a sunset over the ocean with silhouetted islands in the distance

Underwater scenes showing a shark swimming near coral reefs with a colorful fish above the reef in the first image, a close-up of the shark over rocky seabed and corals in the second image, and a rear view of the shark swimming away in the third image

Close-up of a hand holding a large, open seashell with pink and orange tones against a backdrop of calm ocean water and clear sky

Underwater scenes showing various colorful fish swimming near coral reefs in different group sizes and species

Collage of underwater scenes featuring various tropical fish swimming near coral reefs, including two fish with eye-like markings, a dark fish with yellow spots, a large blue-spotted fish, and a school of yellow-tailed fish

Striped lionfish with long, venomous spines swimming above sandy ocean floor and dark-colored eel among coral formations underwater

underwater coral reef with various fish swimming around rocky formations and coral structures

 

a stingray swimming close to the ocean floor among various sea plants and coral

shark swimming above a coral reef with various marine plants and rocky ocean floor

Long slender fish swimming near coral and surrounded by smaller yellow fish in clear blue water

Magnificent Frigatebird

white bird with wings spread wide perched on a branch against dense green foliage

Sun setting over a calm ocean with gentle waves reflecting golden light on the water and a sandy shore in the foreground

“What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams.” 
― Werner Herzog

“There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater,you realize that you've been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.” 
― Dave Barry