It’s been quite a while. I’ve been busy exploring Oaxaca and the pueblos nearby, taking a two month road trip from here to Maine and back, and working on Ocean, the sequel to Atmosphere.

This image is from my 5th trip to Monte Alban. A friend from Tucson was visiting, who happens to be a biologist, so we spent much of his time here at spectacular archaeological sites, looking at plants and bugs. With one exception, I had already visited the places more than once, so I likely would have ended up photographing the mundane anyway. I doubt I would have ever seen this critter, though, had I not been specifically looking for bugs.

I suppose there is a lesson here, maybe something about perspective, or attention to detail. Maybe about camoflage, or adaptation. Or maybe the lesson is that even if you think you know a place inside and out, it will often surprise you.

You could apply that to people as well. You think you know them, or you think you’ve figured them out, when all of a sudden, they throw you a curve ball. I have come to realize that when I am surprised by someone, it is rarely because they were hiding anything from me. It is usually because I wasn’t paying attention, was making assumptions, or both.

When I titled this post, I thought I might make a reference to Greta Thunberg, who continues to stand up to world leaders in defense of the world itself. We would be foolish to not pay attention to her, or to make assumptions about her or her message.

The world is changing before our eyes, and at an accellerating pace. I’m sure nature will survive, and it is likely that a portion of humanity could adapt and or migrate in the face of rising temperatures and sea levels, but is that what we want?

When it comes down to it, I doubt many people prefer smoke filled skies, polluted water, and mass extinctions. I don’t have the answer, but Greta and her generation might.