Ever since we decided this week’s Flickr Challenge would be “Getting in Close: Nature,” I was excited.  I’m one of those people that just love hazy, out of focus shots of the edge of a rock or a flower or a waterfall… anything that captures my imagination and reminds me of how I experience the great outdoors: up close and in slow motion.

Each year I’d go to summer camp up in the Sequoias in California and while all the other kids would tromp all over the place, smashing the greenery and knocking over rocks, I would usually wander off by myself (adding much consternation to my counselors who were already wiped out watching the other kids), gingerly climb up on a rock and just watch the minuscule world of bugs, water, air currents and plants.  I’m no scientist - I couldn’t abstract myself from the scene - but I was content to get out of the way enough to allow the world to work in its magical way.

This week I get treated to this wonderworld of nature through the photos of our community, the tips and tutorials of our writers, and the reminder to join in on the fun of it all by stopping, being still, and looking.  During the day I may be a cubicle villager, but tonight I’ll take my headphones off as I walk our dog and let her stop and sniff for just a few more moments while I wait and watch.