Aspen Woods

The first time I photographed around Aspen, Colorado
      it was summer and beautiful.
The second time it was winter and equally beautiful.
The third time it was autumn and beyond beautiful.
Vivid golds and brilliant oranges and yellows
      rustled against lime greens, emerald greens, and forest greens.
The sun made the air itself dance.
I walked for hours through woods like this.
Every time I paused, there was a photograph.
Each time I turned, there was another.
Looking up, another still.
Looking down, two more.
It wasn’t long before I stopped photographing while I kept walking.
“The photographer in me cannot do this place justice,” I said to myself.
I find there are times when the most honest thing to do
      is to put down your camera and just be where you are,
            just see what you see.
To do anything more is to try too hard.
Someday I’ll go back to that same woods.
I know exactly where it is.
If things go well, I’ll be unable to do it justice one more time.