In front of the local Post Office someone took the time to prepare a rather large display of summer flowers and foliage. It is well cared for and quite impressive to the many passersby picking up their mail. Although a rather common flower, this gladiolus had exceptional form and I couldn't resist capturing on film. The bright pink row of buds in varying degrees of development against the surrounding dark green plant life created a very nice balance.

Sunrise on the high plateau of Colorado.

another spectacular view of Waimea canyon. The lush vegetation and diverse soil colours make for some very nice canyon photos.

unique purple lily blooms in southern China

this is a closeup shot of a copper snake chain necklace. the islands of gold are parts of corroded copper links that are kept bright by constantly rubbing against the skin. the aqua river is the remaining part of the copper that goes down into valleys between chain links where the corrosion has gone untouched and turned a beautiful blue-green. the chain of this necklace measures 0.045 of an inch in diameter and this photo captures an area equivalent to the thickness of a credit card.

i just couldn't pass up a side trip to Mars to grab a couple of surface shots! Or maybe i just happen to be inside a volcano crater and the surrounding red-rock landscape looks much like a Martian world.

hiking through Waimea canyon on Kauai

Looks like these two are watching each others' back preparing for a mission.