I am a strong believer in walking as a good exercise and I have several routes that I take through the neighborhood just about every day. During the fall there are a lot of different oak trees along the way that were producing really pretty cool acorns. Some Bur oaks and some oaks that I wasn't familiar with but I liked the acorns that they produced so when I would see one in good shape I picked them up. After a while I had a pretty good collection, so this spring I am going to see if I can plant them in containers and bring them up to a good size and plant them at the ranch. This image is one that just sort of came to me in pieces. First the acorns, then I ran across this really neat part of a stump, and got the leaves from my neighbor's oak tree. I took it all to the studio and set up this shot. I call it "An Oak Motte To Be"! I probably will not see these trees grow into the giants that they are genetically programmed to be but these are not for me so much as they are for those that come after. Think of the value they add to the land. A provider of a food source, shade, co2 and o2 transfers, esthetics, and all the other things that trees provide. We are going on a new path of being stronger stewards of the land, providing a well balanced environment between livestock and wildlife and a respite for family and friends to escape the hustle and bustle of this busy life that we all live. Do I have all of the answers on what this means? Well heck no. It is going to be a new realm of discovery for all of us. It is charting a new course that will take energy and persistence. Sometimes you just know the way and other times you are not so sure. It reminds me of this paraphrased quote from Jose Y Ortega Gasset that I read just the other day.

"This is the simple truth. That a part of living is to feel oneself lost. They who accept this have already begun to find themselves, to be on firm ground. Instinctively, as do the shipwrecked, they will look round for something to which to cling. And that tragic, ruthless glance, absolutely sincere because it is a question of their salvation, will cause them to discover order in the chaos of their lives. These are the only genuine ideas; the ideas of the shipwrecked. All the rest is rhetoric, posturing, farce. Those who really do not feel themselves lost are losing the art of discovery, never finding themselves, never coming up against their own reality."

So if there are times that you are feeling a bit lost, take refuge in this quote and know that it is part of the journey. You would think that the older you become the more confident you are in knowing the lay of the land. But I have not found that to be true. Just part of the circle of life and how you deal with it in a positive way.