Through My Mother’s Eyes

Very few possessions hold as much meaning to me as the paintings my mom created. Each one is a piece of her—her perspective, her spirit, her love of the world around her. This particular painting captures the view from her porch, overlooking the Pearl River. There was always something special about her art. It carried a folk-like charm, a raw honesty, and a sense of freedom that reflected exactly who she was. I often find myself lost in her brushstrokes, feeling close to her in a way words can't quite express. I sincerely wish she had lived long enough to fill a gallery—her work deserved to be seen, shared, and celebrated.

You can see the porch she looked out from here. 

You can see her inspiration here, the Pearl River in front of her house. 

Side-Eye

The residents of Roatan, Honduras, are incredibly friendly—though they tend to prefer just hanging out and watching you go about your day. They're more than happy to silently judge your choice in swimwear, but don’t expect any advice or suggestions. They keep their opinions to themselves, letting you live in your questionable fashion decisions without a word. It’s like having an audience that’s totally chill... except for the side-eye you might get from time to time.

 

Baja Blast

Mexico is a breathtakingly beautiful country, far more diverse than I once imagined. The Baja California coast, with its rugged mountains and stunning shoreline, left a lasting impression on me. During our visit, we took a trip to La Bufadora, a natural blowhole on the Punta Banda Peninsula, about 17 miles south of Ensenada. While the blowhole itself was impressive, the best part was the walk along the cliffs after exploring the market. I loved watching the waves crash against the towering rock formations that rise like cathedrals from the Pacific.
 

Also linked to: Sunday Best.

Aloha

 

The world is a beautiful place with many sights to behold.  I lived most of my life surrounded by people that were content to just stay in their little corner and that was fine for them.  I am not one of those people and I thrived to be around people that were like me.  Others seeking adventures in faraway lands and to seek out new experiences and breathe in what this world has to offer beyond the comforts of home.

Paluxy River

 

Living in a metroplex like DFW you can forget what nature looks like outside of your area.  Walking down the Paluxy River served to remind me of the beauty of Texas and gave me a moment to get back to my roots.   Back home in Mississippi, I used to walk in and on rivers pretty often, that seems like a lifetime ago. 

Footprints In Time

Yesterday I took a trip to Glen Rose, TX to visit the Dinosaur Valley State Park.   I have seen dinosaur bones in a museum and even dinosaur tracks in museums, but I have never seen dinosaur tracks “in the wild.”  I was not only amazed by how preserved they were but how they felt like a direct link back to these creatures.   The footprints look as if they could have been left yesterday buy animals just walking through, not some animal that died over 90 million years ago.   It also amazes me to think that these footprints have withstood eons of time and were still so well preserved.  It would honestly amaze me if a footprint survived a week not only millions of years.   I mean consider this… a living breathing dynamic creature walked across the shoreline of an ancient sea and left footprints.   The creature went on it’s way and lived it’s entire life.  The species that creature belonged to went extinct.  That ocean receded.  Meteors hit the earth, continents shifted. Climates changed.  New animals evolved and even went extinct too.  People evolved.  Wars were fought, civilizations rose and fell like the waves on that long gone ocean.

And yet those foot prints remain.

 

What may look like holes in the rocks are actually footprints for a giant sauropod believed to be Sauroposeidon.

The three toed footprints are believed to have belonged to Acrocanthosaurus.