Footsteps

Sea of Glass

Heather Dugan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:58:16 +0000

Sea urchins, anemones, mermaids and stingrays swam in the glass ceiling, fused together into an essence of ocean above my head. Entwined like floating strands of seaweed, the vibrant swirls of color seemed caught in the surge of a wave that would surely roll on by. But they hovered on, and so did I, [...]

Starry Nights

Heather Dugan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:23:26 +0000

Not even a ceiling could block our view of the night sky at Perkins Observatory in Delaware, Ohio. Stars, artfully carved into the entryway ceiling were certainly more appropriate than swirls of plaster, although one could make a case for those as a rendering of our Milky Way galaxy, I suppose. We pulled into the Perkins [...]

Anchovies Anyone?

Heather Dugan — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:31:29 +0000

Not seeing themselves for the tourist attraction they’ve come to be, the sea lions of Pier 39 simply rolled over, splashed into the Pacific and swam away. At first no one even knew where they went. One of San Francisco’s landmarks had simply vanished. The protective signs posted around Pier 39 seemed ironic at best. Staring [...]

Lights Out, Stars On

Heather Dugan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:31:54 +0000

To really see what’s going on, it’s lights out at Perkins Observatory. And once the lights are dimmed, any light source such as a cell phone or camera flash is strictly taboo, garnering the same kind of disapproving glare as singing aloud with your mp3 player at the gym might bring. Our pupils react almost [...]

Garden Glass

Heather Dugan — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:53:46 +0000

Our winter white needed a color accent or two. Last week, my annual mission to survive and even thrive through yet another freezing February took us to Franklin Park Conservatory near downtown Columbus. The facility is a favorite for school groups and clubs. Wandering through the lush indoor gardens without the clamor of hundreds of elementary-aged [...]

Record Snowfalls, Record Fun

Heather Dugan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:04:49 +0000

Cocooning is overrated and easily overdone. Long periods of inactivity may be a course of self improvement for caterpillars, but the results are generally not so favorable for people. If there were ever a winter to compel hibernation, this might be the one. Record snowfalls and low temperatures make for interesting reading and better [...]

Colossal Cones

Heather Dugan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:42:50 +0000

Surrounded by trees extending almost three hundred feet straight up, I had an understandable urge to look skyward as we wandered through the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. Fortunately, a young boy showed me what was lying right at my feet: giant sequoia cones! Winter winds blow pollen from the sequoias’ lower branches up to [...]

The Giants of Mariposa

Heather Dugan — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:22:41 +0000

That they are old is not enough. Age is an effortless achievement -just ask any woman over forty. But here also is grace. A simple yet steadfast strength. The presence of a peace that expands from within one’s own self to embrace the very sanctuary that seems to call it forth. The Mariposa Grove of Giant [...]

Into Yosemite

Heather Dugan — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:08:23 +0000

With a roughly 3:1 ratio of road miles to trail miles, Yosemite National Park could never be properly seen from a vehicle. Not to say that there won’t be some stunning images framed by your open car window, but these are but teasing hints of what lies beyond. Shuttered blinks of glory. For anyone who [...]

Buskers by the Wharf

Heather Dugan — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:12:21 +0000

It’s got to be love, right? The attention span and focus of their audience is minimal, and most passersby are looking for lunch or the next ferry to Alcatraz. Street performers, or buskers, must relish the act of performing enough to ignore being ignored. Exposing a bit of heart in hopes of an answering smile, a [...]