Winter Solstice Sunrise

I already posted this photo, but I am re-posting it because I want to remark that this was on the winter solstice: an awesome winter solstice Sun-rise!


7:30am Tuesday 21 December 2010
Rocky Mountains near Idaho Montana border

Glacier Park Lodge and Landscape with Mountains and Sky

This photo is from Tuesday the 21st of December 2010, the winter solstice. It's the view from the left side of an Amtrak coach train car on the West-bound Empire Builder (route #8). This is the Glacier Park Lodge, in East Glacier, the lodge is not in the park. This is in Montana. The photo is geo-tagged on Flickr.


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Amtrak Train Empire Builder Route

Glacier National Park

Rays on the Bay

Wednesday 8 December 2010
Budd Bay Salish Sea (Puget Sound) Cheetwoot (Olympia Washington)

Clouds

Sun and Clouds
Friday 22 October 2010
Olympia, WA

Harvest Full Moon with Jupiter

Thursday 23 September 2010

Great Sky

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Tuesday 29 June 2010, Wyoming—There is little, if any, of the American landscape that has been left untouched by industrialization. Utility poles, mining operations, electrical generating facilities, roadways, settlements, smoke from industry: these aspects can be witnessed almost everywhere across the entire landscape.

p.s. Please come to the Cascadia Freedom Caravan Olympia report-back on the US Social Forum this Sunday the 29th, 7pm at Fertile Ground Guesthouse. more information: http://olyblog.net/cascadia-freedom-caravan-report-back-us-social-forum

CFC Return to Cascadia

Day 17 Aboard the CFC Blue-Green Machine

June 30, 2010

Somewhere in Eastern Oregon—This is one of the many beautiful scenes that I was able to imperfectly photograph along the route of our journey. As usual, the best ones (images, scenes...) got away...

The Cascadia Freedom Caravan returned to the Cascadia Pacific Northwest region today (June 30/July1). Though many were tired, the travelers were in mostly good spirits. And while most were glad to be home, I think there is also some pain of loss and separation in seeing the end of an amazing journey, and as friends new and old go separate ways.

For me, the trip was somewhat of a pilgrimage. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time with so many amazing people. I made good connections and had some awesome conversations. For me, it was an educational and transformative experience.

Both the Allied Media Conference and the US Social Forum were worthwhile. I learned a lot at both. I learned about myself, and about the world. I learned about the work of making the world a better place for all people.

Detroit is an amazing place, full of contrasts, and a past of conflict. In the midst of the chaos of economic instability, there exists an amazing spirit of resilience, opportunity, and even beauty as communities learn to adapt and grow despite the presence of unfavorable social trends and pressures.

I have nearly 3,000 photographs from the trip. I hope to compile a few sets to tell the story, including a set of the best ones. That is after I get some much needed rest!

Peace,
Berd

Lone Tree in Yellowstone National Park, June 2010

Beautiful nature in Yosemite!

Clouds in the Sky, These Clouds Signal Change

This type of cloud formation, I think the scientific name is alto cirrus (but I might be wrong) are also known as mare's tails, and they are an indicator of changing atmospheric conditions.

I saw these clouds while passing by The Olympian newspaper office building.


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Dramatic Clouds

Lately, the atmosphere, clouds and sky, have been very dramatic here in Olympia. It's beautiful and inspiring, and stunning.

It also makes me wonder if these dramatic cloud forms and weather patterns are part of global warming. I can't help think about how human beings en masse are affecting the planet, ecosystems and physical systems (like the atmosphere.)

Maybe it's nothing, but with all of the human caused environmental degradation and pollution, it's possible that there is something to this theory.

I hope that we as human beings can clean up our act. I worry that humanity will destroy the living systems of the planet...

Here is an example of some of those amazing clouds, I have lots more cloud pictures on my flickr site.

Nick Cave Song and Photo

Instructions: start the music playing, then click on the link, view larger, below the photo. The photo should open in a new tab or window. Enjoy.


Nick Cave, The Last Waltz (from The Assassination of Jesse James)


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Amazing and Wondrous Clouds

Amazing and wondrous clouds, seen here on Friday, May 7, 2010, in Olympia, Washington. The clouds have been amazing and wondrous recently.

Great Blue Heron at Dusk

Great Blue Heron at Dusk

Beautiful Sun Cloud Play

Amazing Clouds

The sky has been spectacular lately.

Majestic Clouds

Majestic Clouds

Dramatic Clouds

Percival Landing Panorama, February 2010

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

This panorama is far from perfect, many of the seams are off. The color temperature is off. Perfection isn't the goal.

Whoa were there some awesome clouds today!

view full size (11 MB 30,000 x 4,111): Percival Landing Panorama 20100224

Olympic Mountains over the Puget Sound, seen from Budd Bay, Olympia, Washington

The Earth and Human Beings On the Cosmological Scale

On the cosmological scale human beings and the Earth are very small, and precious. I hope humanity will live to see a day when all people and the earth will be treated well. People and the planet deserve to be treated well. Really - does anyone deserve to be treated badly?

Earlier tonight I was sitting outside enjoying the wonderful warm weather and the light misty drizzle, when I noticed a star (maybe Sirius) peeking out from behind the clouds. I mentioned this to someone near me, which provoked a great conversation about cosmology. We talked about the relative size (mass) of human beings and the planet Earth in comparison to the Universe.

The Sun is one of a billion stars in the Milky Way. The galaxy is one of billions in the Universe.

The Sun comprises over 99% of the mass of the solar system - Jupiter, 2.5 times the mass of all of the other planets combined, takes up the bulk of the rest the rest of the mass.

That makes the Earth very small. And that makes human beings very very small.

And so it is important to remember that sometimes the best gifts come in small packages. I think that's a good way to think about people.

(We also talked quite a bit about society, politics and economics, and how necessary change is - considering the many serious ongoing injustices in the world today, including the fact that one billion human beings suffer from chronic structural hunger.)

The photo is of the peak of Mount Rainier peeking out above clouds, from September 2009.

For a bit of sardonic humor, below is the Galaxy Song, from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, on YouTube: