Nothing lasts forever, though in this day and age, impermanence is the norm and considered by many to be a feature rather than a bug.

While planned obsolescence and the replace-rather-than-repair mindset are textbook examples of contemporary impermanence, this week I'm thinking more along the lines of things we once held in our hands. So much has been reduced to bits and bytes. Things like books, recorded music and correspondence are, in many cases, no longer physical effects.

To each his own, but that's not my cup of tea. I am a fan of actual books - you know, the kind printed on paper - and I own a music collection.

Among my most cherished possessions are cards and letters saved over the years, especially some received from my parents. To me, these are priceless time capsules. Every once in a while I open the archival box in which these treasures are stored and re-read what was written and sent to me. My mother's beautiful penmanship is instantly recognizable. A text can't hold a handle to thoughts committed to paper. Neither can an email.

That's one of the many things which I appreciate about the natural world. It doesn't exist on a hard drive or in a cloud; it is tangible. You can touch it, feel it and see it, and it's always going to be that way. Sure, there are changes in nature over time, but there is a continuity about the landscape. A constancy.

It's always been special, but is even more important now as the virtual, digital world becomes ever more pervasive.

Those who think it possible to fully experience the majesty of nature while sitting on the couch wearing a VR headset are mistaken. There is nothing like personally interacting with a place: experiencing it with your own eyes, ears, and emotions - being able to touch and smell and see and hear everything around you. There is also great value in the journey: the hike to the location, the wait for whatever it is you hope to see, and maybe the people you meet along the way. Getting there is part of the package.

Nature and landscape photographers are blessed to spend so much time in the great outdoors. Making pictures is hard work, but take a look around our office. It's not exactly a windowless cubicle in some anonymous building.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am forever grateful for the natural world and the opportunity to photograph it. From northern Maine to the California desert, from Hawaii's rainforests to Alaska's grand vistas, from the prairies of the Midwest to the high country of the Mid-Atlantic, each area is beautiful in its own unique way.

I especially appreciate two places that have taken up permanent residence in my heart: New Hampshire, my adoptive home (the White Mountains in particular), and Grand Teton National Park. Long my favorite park service property, who knew I'd end up living in the shadow of the Tetons?

So many blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 In Local News

Grand Teton National Park published its year-to-date visitation numbers last week: to no one's surprise who lives here, 2024 has been the second busiest year on record, and it's not over yet.

3.5 million visits were recorded through October 31st. A visit isn't a visitor (a car may very well go through the gate more than once during the course of a day), but that number still represents a lot of people.

As is the case with Yellowstone, the shoulder seasons - April, May and October - are seeing some of the largest increases.

About the Photographs

Top: Lifting fog over Crystal Lake in Eaton, New Hampshire reveals "The Little White Church" on the shoreline

Bottom: Mount Moran at sunset during foliage season in Grand Teton National Park