Henry David Thoreau’s iconic words serve as an introduction to this gallery of nearly 20 photos I’ve taken with my cellphone in recent weeks, depicting various nature scenes in the region where I live.
Because I’ve not traveled to the dramatic Sierra Nevada crest during the winter months (e.g., Lake Tahoe area), most images capture views of the gentle, rolling foothills, around 2,600 feet in elevation. And so, there are photos of forests, meadows, wildflowers, boulders, overlooks, streams, and so forth. Many scenes are not particularly spectacular but are rather quite ordinary, yet they spoke to me in some way.
I’ve been a nature mystic since my teenage years. When I immerse myself in nature, all human-made constructs melt away, as do the artificial, pressing duties of the world. This is a deeply spiritual experience for me – when I shed the world whilst meandering in nature and reunite with my soul.
And so, in this change of pace from my usual blogposts, I’ll simply let nature speak for herself.
All photos (c) 2026 John Roger Barrie. All rights reserved.
