Beauty

After a strangely exhausting week, I thought it might be nice to just share some random beauty that I've encountered in the world. All of these pictures are mine. Enjoy.

Sunrise at a rest stop on Interstate 5...in the heart of my beloved California.

Hallowed halls of learning--California State
University, Chico.

Gorgeous red leaves at High Hand Nursery in Loomis, California.

Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe (on the California side).

The wild and rocky Pacific coast just south of Monterey, California.
The Pacific is always, always calling to me.

Fall pumpkins at Apple Hill, near Placerville, California.

My favorite California icon, the incredible Golden Gate Bridge.

Even a normal day at work can have unexpected moments of beauty.
This was taken from the playground of my school in Stockton, California.

I love the bright pink flowers set against the neutral stones of Mission
Carmel.

One never let's rain keep one from traveling in England--there's always a
tiny chance the sun will peek through, and Bath Abbey looks incredible in
the sunshine.

The River Crouch, as seen from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club in
Burnham-on-Crouch...my English home.

Cupid and Psyche...one of my favorite pieces in the Louvre in Paris.

At the Louvre.

There is even beauty in sacrifice. The men who rest
at the American Cemetery near Omaha Beach prove this.

Monet's water lily pond in Giverny on an overcast April day.

A lonely bench on the Atlantic shore of Ireland.

The Emerald Isle, as seen from above.

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome. I thought I was getting a glimpse
of heaven, right there.

A bright, happy flower at an old Mill in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The heartbeat of the Puget Sound is definitely provided by the famous
Washington ferries.

Sunrise on the Puget Sound.

Seattle's famous Space Needle.

The Empress Hotel, stately and grand, greeting arriving visitors to the
beautiful city of Victoria, British Columbia.

Spring in Victoria means tulips. Lots and lots of tulips.

A mosaic whale and Victoria's Empress Hotel, on the gorgeous Inner
Harbour.

Fall in the Napa Valley. The air smells of wine grapes,
and there is no way to convey in pictures how glorious
that is.

Half Dome...someday, I will conquer my self-doubt and climb you.

From Glacier Point, Half Dome is impressive. But all of Yosemite National
Park is impressive.

California's government is not beautiful, but our capitol building certainly
is, especially at sunset.

This picture is not remarkable--just a 747 taking off at one of the many
runways at San Francisco International...but to me, nothing is more
beautiful and sexy than the power of an airplane bursting down the runway
and leaving the ground.

Even Oakland, California, has its beauties.