Today I found a quote that resonated…filling my mind and heart with images of warmth and light.

Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.  Theodore Roethke

And I started thinking about my week off from work…which was filled with light and sparkling images.  A long winding drive through a forest of redwoods showered us with shards of light filtered through those tall majestic trees.

And who knew that wild raspberries grow on the tops of the sea cliffs that overlook the fiercely beautiful waves of the Northern California coastline?  They seemed to wink as I stopped to take their photo!

How have I missed quaint sea towns like Mendocino, a jewel of weathered historic buildings, sparkling blue water, and tall water towers.

Even in the shade, an inner glow seemed to sparkle through this luminous purple flower.

And when we arrived at our destination, Glass Beach…near Fort Bragg, we were greeted by smooth, tumbled beach glass that covered the sand.  This place that once served as a dumping ground is now seen as a treasure.  I watched children clamber up rocks, pretending to be pirates high above the sparkling glass.

The glass beckoned, urging fingers to search for unique shapes and colors, letting the bits and pieces trickle through our open hands.

At the end of the day, through the window of our hotel room, we were treated to the sparkling sun dipping down into the Pacific as the fishing boats came in from a day on the ocean.

So this week be on the lookout for images that sparkle in your life.  Is there an inner light, the sun shining through, or maybe a sparkle less literal that only you can see?

You can post your photo alone or along with some words: commentary, a story, a poem…maybe even a song! I love to study the photographs that others’ take and think about how I can use a technique, an angle, or their inspiration to try something new in my own photography. (I love a great mentor text…or mentor photo, in this case!)

I share my photography and writing on social media. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter using @kd0602. If you share your photos and writing on social media too, please let me know so I can follow and see what you are doing. To help our Weekly Photo community find each other, use the hashtag #sparkling for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

What is sparkling in your life this week?  I can’t wait to see what sparkles through your lens!