When I was a young girl, I would sometimes sleep outside on warm summer nights. Living on the outskirts of a small city, I could see the vast array of stars and planets, and recognize a few of the constellations. There was nothing man-made out there until October 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, into orbit. One time my brother and I spotted a Sputnik satellite racing across the dark night sky like a wayward falling star.
A decade later, on December 24, 1968, William Anders, in the Apollo 8 lunar orbiting module photographed our earth as it rose above the surface of our moon. This image remains as proof to me of what is possible when a nation puts its collective energy and resources into research and education.
Three years later, in 1971 */John Lennon’s song Imagine was released. According to Wikipedia it was among the top 100 most-performed songs of the twentieth century. It remains one of my internal theme songs asking us to “Imagine all the people living life in peace,” a forever pipe-dream that helps me hold onto hope in desperate times. The image of Waldron and Saturna Islands bathed in a cloudy pink sundown personifies Imagine.
Climate change has been pooh poohed way too long. I still wonder where we would be as a nation (USA) and international community if Florida and its “hanging chads” had not cheated Al Gore out of the presidency in 2000. I’m pretty sure we would be in a much better position regarding our warming atmosphere. After 47 years living in the Pacific Northwest, the past two summers have confirmed that we are in the midst of the heat-up. The above temperature gauge from 2021 is witness to an unprecedented hot few days, and the average/mean temperature in the greater metropolitan (Vancouver WA/Portland OR) region for August, September and October 2022, were all record highs.
This is just how the sun looked through a veil of clouds as it set in the western sky. No filters used! Digital single reflex cameras was an invention that changed my creative pursuit of photography. Without worrying about how much it will cost to make copies, I can snap as many shots as I want in order to get the one that I like best!
Having a place at the beach that I can retreat to whenever I want, is another one of those fantastic notions I held in my heart for decades – and then it happened. I’ll close with this shot of Moon-down at Sunrise seen through the dune rye grass at Long Beach.
Lindy Low LeCoq 
You keep getting better.
Thank you, Ralph. I appreciate your feedback more than you know!
Keep a-goin’. And get closer!
Beautiful images, and scary thoughts. My former husband was a science writer and expert on issues like energy conservation (probably before Al Gore was). We had heat pumps and solar hot water heating back in the 80s. Too bad nobody else was paying attention then. I recently xeriscaped our yard and put in drought-resistant native plants, as well as a rain barrel (which is now full after only two rains), and I can use rainwater to water the plants. I can’t do much but I do what I can.
Thank you, Jill. We all can only do what we have the resources and “wherewithal” to accomplish. I appreciate what you have done to make the planet more resilient!
Great photos and insights.Nice treat with Anders’ moon shot too. What a blue marble! Hope it doesn’t turn gray for a few billion years.
Thank you, John. I almost finished reading your Lampham (sp) post and will get back to it – good stuff! When the Anders moon shot was listed in the Whole Earth Catalog as a poster, we bought it. Later I had it mounted on paperboard, and it is framed behind glass in our home to this day!
Yours is such a thoughtful post! I was a child of the space race and watched the events closely. It is sad to see all of the deniers in so much of what is on social media these days.
Thank you, John. It isn’t often that I step out of my shell and say what’s on my mind, but this challenge gave me the impetus I needed!
A thoughtful and provocative post Lindy – so well said! These are difficult times indeed with so much discord and extremism all around us. It’s sad that technology, in addition to improving our lives, has given a platform to those who rant the loudest. I’ve often said I would not want to be a youngster trying to grow up in today’s world. Hopefully theirs will be a better influence on the world around us. Beautiful images to support your thoughtful post.
Thank you, Tina. Sometimes I just step out and say what’s on my mind, doing my best to be diplomatic. I so appreciate your thoughts and insights. These are indeed rough times!
Love your thoughtful post, Lindy. I always put nature first, and now we too have got ourselves a government that care less for the climate issues. I don’t know how people can not see how far it has gone and what we must do. We have the technology, but some people just stick their head in the sand.
Thank you, Anne Christine. Over here it is money that drives the powerful to play dumb.
True
I so love your beach retreat, a place to think reflect and breathe.