Nature and Beauty are Bread for the Soul

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” – John Muir Photo taken a few days ago in Castlewood State Park in Ballwin, Missouri.  Get out and enjoy Autumn before the wind and cold sweep away all the

Seek Nature, Receive More

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”  ~John Muir Step away from the city-scape, seek the amazing craftsmanship of God.  The natural sights far surpass the city blight.  Took this photo last autumn at an outlook in Pere Marquette State Park in Illinois.

Muir Never Saw a Discontented Tree

“I never saw a discontented tree.  They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.”  ~John Muir Took this photo last fall at Pere Marquette State Park, near Grafton, IL.  What a wonderful evening trek it was.

Hitched to Nature, Hitched to the Universe

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” ~John Muir One of my favorite quotes…it not only inspires my continued appreciation for the natural world, but it also clarifies my thoughts on Sustainability. *I took this photo at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit,

My Thanks to the National Park System

I have been taking in the magnificence of the mini-series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” via Netflix.  It has inspired me to be thankful for the wonderful places I have seen and the great experiences I have had.  I am thankful for John Muir, who pioneered the idea of conservation in his eloquent, descriptive

Forest March in February

The truck rumbled and rattled and crackled along the gravel road back to the park office;  I was sitting in the bed, relaxing in the open air.  The cool air  and the speed of the truck felt brisk, though it was fortunately offset by the pleasant warmth and radiance of the sunny day.  The truck

Place of Peace, Power, and Gratitude

For certain, I find inspiration in the illustrative, passion-filled words of John Muir, the master naturalist, the whispering-to-the-wee plants botanist, the glaciologist, the avid and skilled hiker, the potent political activist, the great appreciater of His Creation.  His words moved Presidents and led to the creation of National Parks, ‘America’s Best Idea.’  But even Mr.

Muir’s Biblical Reason for Praising Plants

On his 1,000 mile walk from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, not long after the Civil War ended, John Muir encountered a man who questioned his motive to study plants, or ‘botanize’ as he often put it. The man said, “You look like a strong-minded man, and surely you are able to do something

Reminiscing with John Muir

The Yosemite Valley! So this roadtrip encompassed towing a trailer from Missouri to San Francisco to move a family member.  As the young, spry one out of the group, I had the privilege of driving most of the way.  We didn’t even spend much time in Frisco, except to cross the golden gate bridge and

Stewards of Earth

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” ~John Muir