
When a human being is born, the first thing he does is crying. The rest of his life he’ll spend discovering why.
You can only find the right way after you lost it.

When a human being is born, the first thing he does is crying. The rest of his life he’ll spend discovering why.
You can only find the right way after you lost it.

From a ridgetop garden
Nature’s treasure hides out
Offering its harvest
Flora lives all about
Flowers blooming early
Winter now disappears
Colorful bouquets reign
Sweetest fragrances cheer
Warming springtime sunshine
Changes the ground cover
New, tender shoots of grass
Young deer will discover

Trellis roof shelters grapes
Ripen in summer’s sun
Fill with juicy flavor
Birds enjoy tasty fun
Apple and black walnut trees
Shading nature’s grand shrine
Fruit dropping to the ground
Squirrels and deer will dine
Former home site lives on
Garden paradise waits
Coming alive each spring
Winking back at its mates

All of the photographs were taken during a couple of recent morning walk at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park, which is just minutes away from Canal Winchester, Ohio. The hilltop garden remains long after the house (built in the 1930s) was abandoned. I was blessed to spend several minutes photographing a very cooperative deer while I was quietly standing near a tree.
Have you ever visited any of America’s western badlands? Some of my travels have allowed the me the privilege to experience these wonders of nature.

A panoramic view of the Painted Canyon Overlook off of Interstate 94 near Medora, North Dakota and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Hidden beauty, waiting to be found
Western badlands, ready to be crowned
Nature proclaims its rugged features
Wildlife views from its austere bleachers
Kaleidoscope of creatures around
Falcons, eagles, deer, bison abound
Barren environment, a wasteland
Native tribes nicknaming this “bad land”
Slippery clay gumbo, sinking sand
Fur trappers evade these harsh badlands
Timely erosion unearths treasures
Fossil beds offering up pleasures
Late spring rains transform the quiet view
Green velvet covers buttes, right on cue
Sleeping landscape erupts with color
Prairie flowers dazzle and holler
Brilliant colors reflect morning’s light
Ravines, gullies paint prismatic sights

Another view of the North Dakota badlands. If one looks closely, there is an American Bison in the center of this photo.
My journeys out West have allowed me to visit three of America’s treasured badlands: Makoshika State Park (near Glendive, Montana), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (near Medora, North Dakota), and Badlands National Park (near Rapid City, South Dakota).

Sunrise at Walnut Woods Metro Park in central Ohio.
Every day, filling with precious moments
Life’s simple pleasures, love-filling treasures
Never again, take any for granted
Traveling life’s long road, each step measures
Darkened dawn sky, erupting with bright hues
Granddaughter taking first tentative walk
Life sometimes slows down, bringing a replay
Neighborhood sidewalk, hopscotch drawn in chalk
Neil Diamond lyrics, harmony through song
Mother calls, reminding me her love cares
Favorite novel, author’s words smile back
Trio of daughters, sweeter than a pair
Evening sunset, brings awesome pleasures
Tomorrow, witnessing simple treasures

Sunset in Columbus, Ohio.