Tabernacle at Temple SquareSalt Lake City, UT
Have you ever heard of the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir? 
This is THAT tabernacle. 
It was designed to be so acoustically sensitive that a pin dropped up there at the pulpit can be heard all the way in the back of the hall. And the pipe organ up front (with its 11,623 pipes) is quite huge... one of the largest in the world. Built in 1867, no less. 

I just love being in places like this and learning stuff about who and why, when and how. Just wish I couldn't heard that pipe organ. 
Sigh.

©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
The Palace of Light Arts
Wandering around San Francisco one day, I got a hankering to check out the Palace of Fine Arts. It's so iconic, been shot about a billion times, half of that for wedding shots... and is truly one of the coolest landmarks in the city. 

I landed here. I liked the perspective, loved how it felt ancient and elsewhere - and of course my heart leapt at the sunburst. That was the real shift for me. The sunburst. At that moment, it was no longer simply a palace of fine arts... but of light arts. Naturally I went on to write a little story in my mind about that. sigh.

Brought to you by Karen's imagination.

©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
EscapePortland, OR
It was like another world. Dream or reality?
She voted dream and narrowed her eyes as she read the wall scrawl. 
Escape. Right.
To just where, exactly? On whose terms?
And who would be waiting?
She surmised that those who'd leapt before her, never to be seen or heard from again, didn't bother to question these small details.

©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Etched in StoneSan Francisco City Hall
Brushing away the debris, she couldn't believe her eyes.
The detail that still existed in the finely chiseled piece was truly astounding.
Her history books had claimed that a few forward thinkers had somehow intuited that their "digital technology" (she thought that's what they called it) wasn't forever - and wanted to preserve some of their world for the futurians. 
So they had gone to work, carving images into stone using lasers... hoping it would last. Trying their best to reach through generational and dimensional bounds as if to shout out; "We were here!"... much as the ancient cave dwellers had done. In that moment she realized that the desire to connect was stronger than time itself. 

Her hand trembled a little as she realized what it held.
A perfectly rendered scene of the once-gloried San Francisco City Hall... as it looked one sunny day... 400+ years ago.

©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Under The Skies Where It All Happensnear Lodi, CA

There's something to be said for just being there. 
You know... not trying so hard to DO and FORCE and DEMAND. 
Just be there where it all happens. 
Cause it all sure does happen.
And it sure is a choice.
It Was Time To Spread Her WingsNyack Lake, California
It seemed everywhere she looked...
especially in the stillpoint of dead center...
she saw the signs.
It was time to spread her wings.


©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Utaahhhhh LakeUtah Lake, Utah
The muted colors, the peaceful glow, the majestic overlook... they all put the 'aaahhhh' in the "Utah". Yes they did.


©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
The Fateful Finger of FogIt crept in the morning, the fateful finger of fog.
Breathing upon, touching, altering all in its path.
Was it frightening or enlightening?
None could ever say. 
For it wakening and stirred that which
Each dwelled upon the most. 

What if...?
Just a thought.


©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Sky On Fire
When a scene like this is presents itself to you, it's kind of like the spotlight switching on and the director barking "Action!!". You're on. You're in the zone. Maybe a little nervous about hitting your mark, saying your lines right. Which is kinda silly, since a scene like this has nothing to do with you. All you can really do is be in awe. And do your best to be in service of such a moment so that maybe someone who wasn't even there can understand why you were left completely speechless.
The sky was indeed on fire that night. 
July 2010. Glenshire pond,Truckee, CA.


©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)

Utaahhhhh Lake

Utah Lake, Utah
The muted colors, the peaceful glow, the majestic overlook... they all put the 'aaahhhh' in the "Utah". Yes they did.


©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Utaahhhhh LakeUtah Lake, Utah
The muted colors, the peaceful glow, the majestic overlook... they all put the 'aaahhhh' in the "Utah". Yes they did.


©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)

Utaahhhhh Lake

Utah Lake, Utah
The muted colors, the peaceful glow, the majestic overlook... they all put the 'aaahhhh' in the "Utah". Yes they did.


©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
See photo in original gallery.