Photo-of-the-Week #102 - Summer at Lake Tahoe, June 2006, Lake Tahoe, California

The beauty and contrasts of this country never cease to amaze me. This photo was taken at the end of June 2006 after the Summer Solstice. Below this bird's eye view is the deep blue water of the late. Above is the light blue of the sunny sky. In the foreground are the deep green of the pines. And, on the other side of this small inlet off the main part of the lake is the snow cover on the dark volcanically formed mountains surrounding the lake.

There is just no way to express it other than to say it's amazing. Nature is tremendous and the U.S. has some of just about everything nature has to offer. High in these mountains, even though it's early summer, nature demonstrates these contrasts. Cross the country and drive out onto the Florida Keys and you're in the tropics with warm water, palm trees and balmy temperatures.

I don't know where my nomadic wanderlust is derived, but I'm sure the opportunity to experience so much of nature just in the U.S. plays a large part in my motivation.