YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANT TO CLICK ON THESE IMAGES TO SEE THEM LARGER. Today was the first time I attempted to stitch individual images together to make panorama shots without distortion.
Last night in his State of the Union Address PRESIDENT OBAMA spoke words I needed to hear. He instructed, cajoled, scolded, encouraged, and ordered Americans on the street and their elected leaders to work together to solve America’s problems. He talked tough to Republicans AND Democrats, pointing out that simply saying NO to whatever the other party suggests doesn’t bring solutions and new direction to the country. I like him for all kinds of reasons... among them: He is bright. He is tough. He is optimistic. He is honest. He is a patriot. No other American citizen works harder than he does. The country can heal itself if people will work together under his leadership.

One man I met a couple of days ago, a self-proclaimed life-long Republican, said he would rather see the government fail and start over again than to see Obama succeed. The man is an active member of a fundamentalist Christian church. When I challenged him to explain why, he said God will take care of the country if Americans will get rid of people like Obama in government. Wow! We have our work cut out for us in the next election cycle if there are many citizens out there who share his view.

This afternoon I took a walk in a giant redwood forest to keep my mood elevated after last night's speech. It worked. These magnificent trees inspire hope. I took my camera and tripod into the woods, got pictures that could be stitched together, and carefully edited them on my computer.