August 8, 2022 by D. Wallace Peach

Canadian Rockies Haiku

I’m back after two weeks of exploring the Canadian Rockie Mountains. I hiked just shy of 55 miles (88 km) and climbed almost 15,000 feet (4572 m) in elevation. It was glorious.

The internet was horrible, and I dropped and smashed my laptop while searching for a place to get online. Oh well, more time to enjoy the beauty of the wilderness. While I get back into the swing of things (on my new laptop), I’m delighted to share some photos and mountain-inspired haiku.

The view from my room – Moraine Lake – unedited photo. The water is really that color.

glacial ice trickles

into roaring white cascades

pristine topaz lakes

fragrance of balsam

northern woodlands soothe the soul

deeply shaded green

Lake Louise sunrise, another unedited shot

at the water’s edge

sunrise creeps down the glaciers

reflections of gold

On the way to the Plain of Six Glaciers tea house.

tea house in the clouds

blueberry juniper tea

on top of the world

Indian paintbrush

yellow columbine abound

Alpine meadows bloom

One of many waterfalls – Athabasca falls and canyon

waterfalls cascade

thunder through narrow canyons

carving ancient rock

No bears were harmed in the making of this photo

far and wide we searched

for brown, black, and grizzly bears

not disappointed

And a few other photos from the trail:

Thanks for coming along for a look!

May 28, 2022 by D. Wallace Peach

Canyon Haiku

I’m back from two weeks exploring canyons in the American West. Now I need a vacation to rest up from my vacation! As I work my way back into the daily routine, I hope you enjoy a few photos and some canyon-inspired haiku.

parched earth, dry with dust

the white sun bakes a blue sky

a spring desert blooms

arid land fractured

by a river’s slow wander

through five billion years

golden canyons cleave

ancient swirls of earth revealed

smoothed by the winds’ breath

spring cold and waist deep

rivers lead around the bend

carved canyons beckon

uplift of the land

seas recede, plates in motion

beauty wrought by time

***

I also read 11 amazing books and will share my reviews shortly.

November 7, 2021 by D. Wallace Peach

Hawaiian Haiku

While visiting my brother in Hawaii, I couldn’t resist a little haiku based on the beautiful island of Oahu.

aquamarine sea

wind-stippled sparkling silver

laps on silken sand

tricksters somersault

sailboards soar with wind-borne kites

breathtaking in flight

We visited the memorial at Pearl Harbor

sacred burial

Battleship Arizona

beneath azure waves

Hawaiian sunsets

eruptions of vermillion

cauldrons in the sky

We hiked to the sacred ruins of the queen’s summer palace through a bamboo forest.

ruins in the jungle

bamboo clatters in the breeze

musical pathways

Cooling off in a waterfall. It was cold!

Thanks for taking a poetic journey with me.

And this is what I arrived home to:

everywhere we roam

a precious world awaits us

where beauty abounds

NaNoWriMo Update:

NaNoWriMo, (or as my husband calls it, Ninny Rhino) is going well. I’m ahead of schedule, though that probably won’t last. To everyone who’s writing up a storm… keep going! To everyone else, take advantage of the month of light blogging, enjoy, and relax!

July 8, 2021 by D. Wallace Peach

Ranger Diana

During the last two weeks of June, my husband and I took our first vacation in nearly a decade and headed to Yosemite National Park. It’s a wonderous place of waterfalls, huge trees, and giant rocks. I hiked and read books and was mistaken for a forest ranger. How did that happen, you might ask.

I was wondering why tourists approached me numerous times over two days, asking for information on trails, directions to the parking lot, and Band-Aids for blisters. Despite being my first time at Yosemite, I was able to answer their questions, show them the trail to follow on my map, and distribute first aid.

It wasn’t until my husband and I browsed our photos that the reason became clear…..

Other highlights:

Giant trees. I’m standing beneath one that was hollowed through the center by fire:

This tree is named Old Grizzly, estimated at 2900 years old:

The closest thing we saw to a bear. So scary!:

Sunset on Half-Dome :

Rocks and rocks and more rocks:

Vacations are wonderful, but it’s nice to come home.

February 19, 2016 by D. Wallace Peach

Under the Sea – Shark Tales and Manta Rays

pixabay – skeeze

I was 16 years old when Steven Spielberg released the movie Jaws. After watching that film, I didn’t go in the ocean for 15 years. I guess I’ve always had a vivid imagination and being featured on the seafood menu didn’t appeal to me.

When my first marriage fell apart I was 31 and suddenly alone. Our friends were his friends. My family lived thousands of miles away. I gave up the house for a small apartment, didn’t ask for alimony or child support – anything to break free of a relationship that had run its course.

I was adrift.

I needed to “get a life.”

With nothing to do besides climb the walls, I decided to try a “discover scuba” event. We blew bubbles at the bottom of a community swimming pool, and I won a door prize of a mask and pair of fins. Three years later, I had not only discovered a fun group of friends but had worked my way up to rescue diver and divemaster. I went on three shark dives in the Caymans.

Yep, I patted a shark.

Diving was my cure-all for divorce.

When I met my husband, Randy, we made a deal. I would become a Boston Celtics basketball fan and he would learn to dive. So began a successful decades-long marriage.

The last time we dove was in 2001, our last vacation. This trip is long overdue. To celebrate, this is what we did last night:

I once again apologize for closing comments. We have a couple days left in paradise before returning to the rain … and perhaps a glimpse of the coming spring. Hope your weekend is full of joy and peace 🙂

February 16, 2016 by D. Wallace Peach

On Vacation in Hawaii (without the girls)

My husband and I are on vacation, our first in 15 years. Why has it been so long? We could blame it on kids, work, unemployment, lack of funds, family obligations, broken down cars and leaky roofs, college educations, and a host of other excuses. Here’s the real reason- my husband has two girlfriends.

Honey and Lulu

Honey and Lulu are sisters. The “girls” haven’t spent one day in a kennel since we rescued them in 2004. I think they might be spoiled.

Well, one of our human kids offered to fly up from LA and dog-sit for a week. It was the only way my husband would agree to leave his loves. I’ve dragged him reluctantly off to Hawaii for a long overdue vacation. We arrived yesterday afternoon and my husband has only called home four times 🙂