RL4B: Relentlessly Looking For Beauty

This past weekend I found so much beauty that it can't be summed up in one picture, or even one post. Granted, we were camping in the mountains of Montana, so there wasn't anything relentless about seeing the beauty, but we were relentless in finding it. When we head to the hills, we like to camp near the trail heads for riding our ATVs. Montana's National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have designated hundreds of miles of trails for motorized use (most were historically used for logging and mining endeavors). Though myriad entities have bought acreage in our state, many of these trails which cross private ground were maintained for public use (as long as you stick to the trail!). This is a beauty in itself, especially for a person like me who would otherwise not be able to access these places without a motor and some wheels. On one particularly long and arduous trail, I rode with my dad in his side-by-side (picture a cross between a golf cart an

There's a special beauty in eating a tomato fresh off the vine - especially when you've invested the time to cultivate that vine in your backyard. In early June, I christened my new container garden with seeds and seedlings. The growing season here in Montana is short enough that you'd better start most vegetables indoors. That being said, I don't really care for most vegetables, so the indoor commitment required was minimal. However, the varieties I do like, I like with a passion. If I'm going to be patient enough to tend to these plants, they have to be my favorite. Those who know me best know that my thumb is far from green... more like a withered brown, so low maintenance is the key! I began my garden at my local nursery (God bless nurseries!) They have much more patience than I and gorgeous green plants! I purchased two large tomatoes with little green fruit already on them (that's not cheating, it's just using resources wisely). Then I bought s

Let me begin by saying, for the record, I understand that taking pictures while driving is not the safest choice... but I couldn't help it. The beauty of an open road on a crisp, sunny morning was too much to resist! This road could be going anywhere, and I'd happily drive all day under that sky! The clouds were perfectly wispy, the sun was bright but not overbearing, and the breeze was keeping it all flowing. Wow. However, I wasn't traveling far on this road... I happened to be on my way to my mom's house just a few miles away. She and I had planned an early morning of treasure hunting at some area yard sales, despite my aversion to rising before 10 am on a weekend. We had in mind what we were searching for and we set off. We spent about three hours (and $45) laughing, sharing, bartering, and buying under the brilliant skies of a summer Saturday in Montana. It was beautiful in many ways and I wouldn't trade it for any amount of extra sleep! When I think of &q

This time of year, fireworks are easy to buy, easy to watch, and easy to find annoying when you're trying to go to sleep. Yet they really are beautiful. Of course there's the outside beauty, the brilliance of the colors and the crackling sounds, but the chemistry and timing behind the scenes reveals a beauty far deeper. The simple components of a fuse, a shell, and some explosives combine (almost magically) into a spectacular show that bonds friends, families, and our country together. An article from TheVerge.com points out that a Chinese monk was the first to create what we would call a firework - not for viewing pleasure - but to scare away ghosts. Can you imagine the insight and ingenuity (not to mention the courage bordering insanity) it took to develop a cardboard shell stuffed with powders of various explosive elements and then light it on fire? What a plan! It seems like quite the risk for such a short amount of entertainment... but then again, how much more me

As I flipped my calendar to July this morning, I knew that I had to post my inaugural entry today. The inspiring quote for this month (along with some cute giraffe picture) is today's RL4B experience, and it's quite infinite in it's meaning. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. - Marcel Proust The quote itself seems to be about Relentlessly Looking for Beauty, so by finding it's advice beautiful, I think it's quite like looking into one of those mirrors that reflect other mirrors, or dreaming that you're dreaming, or coming upon an unending loop in some computer code. .. which makes me think about spirals which are (nearly) always beautiful. A person could get caught in this web of thinking pretty quickly, so I'll jump out for now. I am yet unsure of where my blogging adventure will lead. In the least capacity, I hope for it to serve as a creative outlet for my words and as a way for me to refle