Dear Mother Earth,

Each morning when I wake up you offer me twenty-four brand new hours to cherish and enjoy your beauty. You gave birth to every miraculous form of life. Your children include the clear lake, the green pine, the pink cloud, the snowcapped mountain top, the fragrant forest, the white crane, the golden deer, the extraordinary caterpillar, and every brilliant mathematician, skilled artisan, and gifted architect. You are the greatest mathematician, the most accomplished artisan, and the most talented architect of all. The simple branch of cherry blossoms, the shell of a snail, and the wing of a bat all bear witness to this amazing truth. My deep wish is to live in such a way that I am awake to each of your wonders and nourished by your beauty. I cherish your precious creativity and I smile to this gift of life.

—excerpt from Ten Love Letters to the Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh, Emergence Magazine

“. . . everything is made up of fleeting glances, to be kept close at hand for a journey that sometimes gets rough.” —Tonino Guerra, Instant Light

I woke up at 6am, well-rested and ready to spend the day on some small adventure. I checked the weather and the time for sunrise, noting the conditions would be perfect for frost. I had a spot or two in mind. But darn, photographing frost and fog are a huge challenge for me. I can’t see the possibilities just yet.

Nevertheless, I nudged my dear husband out of bed. Want to take a little hike on Salamander Trail this morning? We can grab a hot chocolate and a banana for first breakfast, and have second breakfast at Chick-fil-A after we take a few pictures. The trap was set and I knew he’d take the bait because he loves those breakfast biscuits.

As it turns out, he was enthralled by the shimmering lights of the pond—cold water on the surface sinking and pushing warm water out and up. Water movement driven by convection. I happily took pictures, eyes focused on the scenes before me, but ears listening closely to the sound of his voice. I love it when he nerds out on science-talk; it’s our thing.