national geographic

Hi there errrrybody!

Hope you all are enjoying June :) I know I have. Today I wanted to talk about the weather and nature. The weather has been beautiful here in Colorado. Beautiful and DRY. Which has actually been a terrible thing for our gorgeous state. It has been one fire after another, and the latest gigantic fire is only a few miles west of my hometown, Fort Collins. I am saddened by every news report I read, by every aerial view of the fire I see, by every heart-wrenching post I see on facebook about the fire. It has demolished over 43,000 acres of land, forcing thousands of people and animals to evacuate their homes. At this point is is ZERO percent contained, with over 500 firefighters working on it --- which is terrifying! I have been thinking about it a lot, saying prayers for the safety of people and animals alike, especially for the safety of those trying to contain and fight the fire. It is already tragic, with one life lost, and I am scared to see what continued damage this fire has in store. :(

I went camping near Bailey last weekend, and didn't manage to take any photos while camping. Which I can hardly believe! Usually I am a photo-taking fiend! Especially in the beautiful mountains. It was a weekend of bliss, lounging in my camp chair, enjoying the sounds of birds and the little brook we camped by. Must have been near comatose to forget taking a picture. 

Because I didn't take ANY photos, I decided to go to NationalGeographic.com to look at their astounding photos of nature, and share some beauty and devastation (nature's elements can surely be terrifying...as demonstrated by the recent fires) with you...

 

Lightning during the April 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull Volcano. Photograph by Lucas Jackson, Reuters.

Birds fill an orange sky over Germany’s Wattenmeer National Park. This coastal wetland, covered by the sea at high tide, is home to some 3,200 different animals and a popular stopover for many migratory birds. Photograph by Norbert Rosing.

 

Here, three giraffes in Botswana's Okavango Delta stretch their necks above the horizon before a glowing orange sky. Photograph by Chris Johns.

A cooking tent belonging to expedition scientists glows in the twilight on the rim of the Nyiragongo volcano—one of the most active in the world—in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photograph by Carsten Peter, National Geographic.

An adult leopard seal scans its surroundings on the Antarctic Peninsula. Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic. 

Two Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys, interact in a hot spring in Jigokudani, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic. I HAD to share this picture because the Japanese macaques are one of my favorite segments on Planet Earth --- it's insane how they have created a social status within their groups that determines whether you are allowed to stay warm within the hot springs or not. Unfortunately for the macaques of lower status, they are forced to huddle in groups amidst the ice and snow on land, watching as the more powerful macaques lounge in the hot springs.

During the dry season, elephants in Chad’s Zakouma National Park drink at the last remaining water hole. Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic. 

This is the great Japanese maple tree in the Portland Japanese Gardens. Photo by Fred An.

 

Photo by Andrew George. The Aurora Borealis in Iceland. I only hope to see a glimpse of the Northern Lights once in my life --- seems like a fairytale.

A tiny green frog sits atop a large lily pad in the waters of Atchafalaya Delta. Photograph by James P. Blair. 

  

Man vs Nature Photo by Matthew Titmanis. Perth's Australia Day celebrations. In the battle for awe inspiring sky shows...nature wins.

 

A lion and lioness share some quality time with their cubs in Kenya. Photo by Brandon Harris. 

I hope you have enjoyed these images! Just a sampling of the beauty I found as I perused NationalGeographic.com this morning :)

Cheers ---