This week's Oregon roundup features

• Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor,
• South Falls at Silver Falls State Park,
• Smith Rock State Park,
• the Bat Barn near Estacada,
• Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach,
• Dean Creek,
• the Coquille River Lighthouse,
• Three Fingered Jack,
• and Lake County.

Back in high school, I wanted to be a photographer.

But there were essays to write and books to read and work that had to be done.

Homework.

I was so busy, which I think you can probably relate to. Everyone I know is so busy.

The problem was that if I wanted to spend time in beauty, I was going to have to figure out how to make it a habit. You know what helped?

People surprise me. And they teach me.

Of the more than seven thousand photos I’ve published to Instagram and Tumblr and  Facebook and Twitter, the 101 images people most frequently view and download aren’t all perfect or even beautiful. There’s something else there that people respond to or relate to or resonate with. Do you want to see what I mean?

They’re everywhere on the internet:

• 43 Genius Life Hacks for an Easy Life
• 15 Tips for Buying Your First Rental Property
• This One Weird Trick Will Save Your Coffeemaker

Underneath most of these tricks is the unspoken promise that

Almost half your life is spent at work, which makes it central to your experience of joy. But if your days are anything like mine, most of your work might feel more like a burden you can’t wait to get out from under each day or a distraction from all the things that really matter. For me, those things that really matter are good food and family, the tomatoes in my garden, walking through the woods, or sitting somewhere next to water.

But our lives don’t ever compartmentalize.

Can you hang two identical pictures on the same wall?
What do you do with a blank wall?
Can we hang horse painting in bedroom?
How much weight will wall anchors hold?

Maybe you’ve asked questions like these

Poetry helped make me a better photographer because it changed the way I think, the way I see, and the way I act when I’m behind a camera. That’s right. Poetry! And there are 7 poems I like to share – texts that are going to shape your heart and direct your vision – pieces that are going to point you in the way you should go if you want to bring beauty into the world and gift it to others.

Which prompted me to think some more ... about beautiful places you can drive to. Places like Rowena Crest, the roadside view of Heceta Head Lighthouse, the viewpoint for Cape Horn, or the pullout on Highway 101 above Manzanita.

What beautiful and easily accessible places do you think of?