"...if there is a state where the soul can find a resting-place secure enough to establish itself and concentrate its entire being there, with no need to remember the past or reach into the future, where time is nothing to it, where the present runs on indefinitely but this duration goes unnoticed, with no sign of the passing time, and no other feeling of deprivation or enjoyment, pleasure or pain, desire or fear than the simple feeling of existence, a feeling that fills our soul entirely, as long as this state lasts, we can call ourselves happy, not with a poor, incomplete and relative happiness such as we find in the pleasures of life, but with a sufficient, complete and perfect happiness which leaves no emptiness to be filled in the soul. such is the state which i often experienced on . . . my solitary reveries, whether i lay in a boat and drifted where the water carried me, or sat by the shores of the stormy lake, or elsewhere, on the banks of a lovely river or a stream murmuring over the stones."
-- j.j. rousseau

this leaf was a favorite. and now for a close up... 

check out the shadow of the aspen's trunk in the sun's suffusion of the falling snow; it makes for a really cool effect. 

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my descriptions of the wedding would only undermine it; instead here are some more pictures i took outside from that fantastic weekend. congrats and all the best, jason and bree!!!!! 

the girls 

the boys 

ehhhh 

the happy couple and bride's parents 

the happy couple and groom's parents 

it was a beautiful place, a beautiful day, a beautiful ceremony! 

yeah, dad 

and before we knew it, the men were in one lodge drinking whiskey out of the bottle, the women were in their cabin preparing, and the ceremony was imminent! here we see dad wondering what is taking the nurosurgeon so long with the corsage 

soon the caravan was off paved roads entirely! 

from telluride, the wedding conclave packed into cars and soon we were strung out in a caravan on our way to the ceremony location of dunton, colorado. the drive was epic. you 'mericans might know that mountain to the right as the coors beer mountain. wilson peak, standing over 14,000 feet is a common sight in beer commercials. 

this pic comes on the day of the wedding; 7 inches the day before and now it looks like a small dusting of snow (down low at least)... 

bree's family enjoying some spa action. as you can see, the colorado sun has come out and is beginning to work its magic. 

of course, the biggest event to take place thus far, was my brother's wedding. here are jason and bree, a day before their wedding in telluride, colorado. now this was to be an outdoor wedding, and we got dumped with 7 inches of snow the day before! 

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and with the arrival of my favorite season, colorado turned gold 

it's incredible that it's already been two months since leaving nippon. it seems like such a long time ago some days, and like yesterday on others. graduate school applications have taken up most of my time since i've been here, but there have been some highlights as well. one of those has been the chance to get back into the mountains of my beloved colorado. and with a partner like ivy (those of you with a loop hikes book might recognize her!), i've had a great time revisiting some of my favorite areas in the state.  

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and that does it for japan! i hope everyone, where ever you may be, is doing well! more on life back stateside coming soon...