Soft focus shot of a rose in a bouquet
Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries,  Travel in general

Gallery: times to treasure

July 5, 2022 / 43 Comments

If we lose our Money, it gives us some Concern. If we are cheated or robb’d of it, we are angry: But Money lost may be found; what we are robb’d of may be restored: The Treasure of Time once lost, can never be recovered; yet we squander it as tho’ ’twere nothing worth, or we had no Use for it …

Benjamin Franklin

I pondered awhile what treasures to share for Aletta’s Lens Artists challenge. Should I focus on the treasure that is the opportunity to travel and the wonders to be seen in the world? Should I talk about precious moments spent with friends and family? Or should I maybe feature actual treasures? The possibilities seemed endless!

I treasure the opportunity to be awed by landscapes such as these …
Waterfall on a river with mountains beyond

Cascada Paine in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park

View of misty mountains and pine trees

And the North Cascades in Washington State

I treasure every encounter with animals in their natural habitat …
Mother elephant with calf in long grass

Especially my favourite elephants (here in the Okavango Delta, Botswana)

Tiger walking between trees

And big cats, my other favourites; a tiger in Ranthambore NP, Rajasthan

I treasure the man-made wonders of beautiful architecture …
Tall slender stained glass windows
Ornate columns and carved stone walls

Such as the Sainte Chapelle in Paris and the Real Alcázar in Seville

Large marble building with yellow glow

Or of course the Taj Mahal

I treasure being able to walk in the footsteps of the ancients …
Rocky landscape with dead tree

At Tsankawi in New Mexico

Rock with primitive drawings

Or Twyfelfontein in Namibia

And I treasure the opportunity to meet today’s people all over the world …
Group of boys in white shirts and red ties

From school children in North Korea

Lady in pink veil with group of children

To a welcoming family in Rajasthan

I treasure time to stop for a coffee and watch the world go by …
Black and white photo of a man drinking coffee at a cafe table

Especially in Italy; this is in Lucca

Glass of white wine
Glass with a creamy yellow drink and river behind

Or something a little stronger: a glass of wine in Lecce or a Pernod by the Seine in Paris

Tub of ice cream
Tub of ice cream

And of course a gelato (or two!)

What these treasures all have in common is time. Time to travel and enjoy all these wonders; time to spend on my photography and blog; time spent with my husband and with family and friends; time for celebration and when needed, consolation; time to sit and appreciate my surroundings, whether that’s the natural world or a spot of people watching on a busy city street.

Line of drawings of hour glasses

Time is the true treasure. My time this past weekend has been well spent in the company of family. Together we celebrated the wedding of my nephew Colin to his beautiful bride Kirsty. My feature photo is of a few of the gorgeous flowers that decorated the tables for the wedding breakfast; and here are the happy couple themselves.

Bridal couple

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