October 11, 2007


Officially, this is the final day
of One Year of Beauty.
What a journey it has been.
I feel as though I have truly lived
one of my favorite quotes
from Wayne Dyer:

"Change the way you see things
and the things around you change."

I now understand
that beauty shows itself
in every moment of every day
if we take the time to look up.
I now see
that there is light
even on the darkest days,
that every cloud does, indeed,
have a silver lining.
I now recognize
the power of
acknowledging and appreciating
every thing and every being
that catches my eye,
from the littlest ladybug to the tallest tree.
I now believe,
without a doubt,
we are all one and the same,
we are all beautiful.

This is both the final day
and a new beginning.
I will continue posting
my beauty sightings
and reflections,
though not daily.
I am so touched
by your frequent visits,
by your notes
of encouragment and thanks.
I hope you will continue
to come back,
but more importantly,
I hope you continue to
choose beauty.
It is in you,
it is all around you.
All you need to do
is look up.


October 10, 2007


I dressed in layers today
and so did the world around me.
Crimson, green and amber leaves
were splashed against a canvas
of ominous clouds
and hovered over dancing,
steel gray waters.
The day was heavy and damp,
rich and beautiful.

October 9, 2007


In that very same bush
where I photographed
a leaf yesterday,
I noticed today
one last flower
hanging on for dear life.
All the others
have shriveled up
in the cooler weather,
bracing themselves
for what's to come.
But this one
is sticking around
as long as it can,
outliving and outshining
the others
simply because
it convinced itself it can.

October 8, 2007


This leaf found a safe landing place
and then welcomed a few raindrops,
which remained cradled
in its palm
throughout the day.

October 7, 2007


I kept noticing
streaks across the sky
out my kitchen window
this afternoon.
I assume they were from planes,
but it's more fun to imagine
someone's up there
just doodling away!

October 6, 2007


We went to an ice cream shop tonight
with an outdoor terrace illuminated
by strings of lights hanging
from the tree branches above.
The pinkish sky provided
a light show of its own
in the background,
but the colorful bulbs added
an extra bit of whimsy.

October 5, 2007


This fire-red and golden leaf
reminds me of a stained glass window,
with every speck of color
shimmering in the sunshine,
every delicate line aglow,
every inch a work of art.

October 4, 2007


I apologize for the unexplained absence,
but I just returned from the land of
palm trees and slot machines.
Feel free to go back in time
to see the last few days of postings
from my vacation in Vegas.

October 3, 2007

We saw Stomp Out Loud
and just loved it!
The way the performers
can make music with literally anything -
brooms, buckets, street signs -
is phenomenal.
I even loved the set,
a feast for the eyes
created from scrap metal
and household items.
Makes you view the world around you
in a new light.

October 2, 2007


This river of apples
is at the Conservatory
in the Bellagio Hotel,
fully decked out for fall.
A great place
for people (and an occasional orb)
to relax and take in
the beauty of autumn.

October 1, 2007



I love the mixture
of architectural details here
outside the Paris Hotel.
Sure, it's all pretend
(and the real Paris is much better),
but I find this pretty nonetheless!