Don't Forget the Good Planets Carnival!

Wanderin' Weeta has done a wonderful editing job with the Good Planets Are Hard to Find carnival this month. She has designated each week with a theme: Water (February 3), Earth (February 10), Air (February 17), Fire (February 24 - still to come). It's not too late to add your contribution to the Fire issue. Anyone is welcome to submit images. Send your photos (suitably sized for the Internet) illustrating fire on our beautiful planet to susannah at dccnet dot com.

From its inception at The Dharma Bums last August, Good Planets has been a weekly carnival. This is going to change. Robin Andrea, who with Roger, conceived and launched this wonderful carnival celebrating the glory of our planet says:

We're going to tweak Good Planets a bit, and think maybe in March and thereafter, it should be twice a month on the second and fourth Saturdays. The March host will be amazing and wondrous Bev of Burning Silo. Would anyone out there like to grab April?

The Good Planets archive is has been updated on the Good Planets Flickr site. The photos are grouped by publication date. It's a great experience to go back and look at past issues. Several of the photos have been picked as favourites by people browsing through Flickr.

Good Planets 2007 - View, Contribute!!

The Carnival: Good Planets Are Hard To Find was born in 2006 - Parents: Robin Andrea and Roger of the Dharma Bums. They have kindly allowed others to take on the fostering on a monthly basis. LauraHinNJ of Somewhere in New Jersey is the January host. Take a look at the beautiful photos she's posted for the January 6, 2007 issue - a grand way to welcome the New Year.

You are all invited and encouraged to contribute to this weekly carnival. Send Laura your photos celebrating the wonders - large and small - of our glorious planet. Email your photos to lc-hardy AT comcast DOT net.

The Good Planets Archive: Past submissions can be accessed on the Good Planets Archive site hosted on Flickr. This wonderful collection of photos has been organized by the week of submission. If you have questions or comments about the Good Planets Archive, please email us at gdplanets AT yahoo DOT com.

The last Good Planets of 2006 ...

The last Good Planets of 2006 can be viewed at journeys with jood. Take a look at the beautiful photos of our world as portrayed by our blogging friends. Diva Jood, your host for this month, says:

Hosting Good Planets has been a wonderful experience on so many levels. First, the contributions are amazing - there are incredible photographers out in the blogsphere, people with both an eye for the beauty of this earth and the heart and soul to protect that beauty. I applaud all of you. Second, because it lets us all go visit places that we'd not thought about, and I mean both the subject of the photographs AND the blogs of the photographers. And last, because it has helped me with some techincal skills.

I join her in thanking robin andrea and roger of The Dharma Bums for thinking up this wonderful project, which has turned into such a delightful weekly carnival.

Don't forget that anyone can participate! LauraHinNJ of Somewhere in New Jersey will host Good Planets in January 2007. Send one or two photos each week to her at lc-hardy AT comcast DOT net. (And if you're not familiar with her her blog, check it out. It's lots of fun and filled with fascinating photos and observations about the bunnies she lives with; her beautiful garden; the wonders of Sandy Hook, where she volunteers; the interesting places she visits; and much, much more.)

For all contributors and all readers who believe that indeed "Good Planets Are Hard to Find," may 2007 be joyous and peaceful and filled with fantastic photo ops!

ANNOUNCING THE GOOD PLANETS ARCHIVE GALLERY!!

Last August, Roger and Robin Andrea, proprietors of the Dharma Bums blog, started Good Planets after a dear friend living in Australia sent them a wonderful photo of a lorikeet. Robin wrote: "We wanted to post her photo, and then it occurred to us that it might be a good idea to invite other folks to submit their photos. We didn't plan on starting a 'carnival,' we just love looking at photos of our beautiful planet. We thought it would be enlightening to turn our blog over on Saturdays (since we weren't using it!) for photos that depicted the beauty of our earth. We were absolutely delighted with the results."

GOOD PLANETS ARCHIVE GALLERY. Good Planets now has its own gallery. All photos submitted through November 25, together with comments from the photographers, have been uploaded to the Good Planets flickr web site. They are organized in their weekly sets. Quoting Robin again: "I hope you will go over and take a look. It's quite a sight to see all the photos assembled by week. The artistry is magnificent and the views of earth absolutely stunning." I will continue to upload each week's photos to the Good Planets gallery a week after the Good Planets post has been published on the host's blog. If you have any thoughts about improving the Good Planets web site or would prefer not to have your photo archived there, please email us at gdplanets AT yahoo DOT com.

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS TO THE WEEKLY GOOD PLANETS POST. For the month of December, divajood has graciously agreed to host Good Planets on her blog Journeys with Jood. Anyone is welcome to send her photos of the beauty and wonders - large and small - of our planet. Send your photos to jkblue AT cox DOT net.

BECOME A GOOD PLANETS HOST. If you're interested in hosting Good Planets in January (or any other month), please contact Robin at newdharmabums AT yahoo DOT com. I had a wonderful time hosting in November; it was fun and rewarding. I enjoyed corresponding with the wonderful photographers who contributed, and in the process making new online friends.

Good Planets - 11/25/2006

Welcome to Good Planets Are Hard to Find - 11/25/2006. Once again our contributors have sent us images bringing us the exquisite beauty and magnificence of our planet. (Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them in a new window.)

Steve and Mick of Voinapics Photography sent two photos from England. The first: A Little Swallow feeding her chicks. Steve tells us "It had been an interesting morning driving through Elmley RSPB in Kent UK. We had reached the car park at the end of the little roadway and had got the thermos out of the car to pour a nice cup of coffee. As we were enjoying the hot beverage we noticed a swallow circling overhead. The Swallow circled a couple of times then dived briefly into the nearby toilet block. Intrigued we moved closer for a better look but as we approached the building, noticed that Mrs Swallow was now sitting on a nearby fence watching us with a beak full of grubs. We apologising profusely to her for disturbing the youngsters' dinner and moved back out of the way but craftily at an angle so that we could still peer into the building. Mrs Swallow seemed happy with this arrangement and waving her tail at us in thanks, continued to feed her chicks much to our delight."

Their second photo is the little old wooden bridge at Shorne Park, Kent UK. Steve writes: "It was a cold cloudy weekend last year during early autumn when the family decide to go for a morning walk through Shorne Park . It had been a most enjoyable walk and we were making our way back to the car to start our journey back home, talking about the warming hot soup we had decided to have for lunch. Chatting away, we had almost walked past this little bridge without even noticing it. Years ago this bridge proudly spanned a small stream but, as time passed, the stream became a trickle and now the bridge was lost and forgotten within the overgrowth. Suddenly, as we walked past, the clouds parted and a golden glow bathed the bridge. We stopped, rooted to the spot to gaze in awe and I am sure that the little bridge swelled in pride as we admired its beauty."

Also from England, Mary of Forest Walks, sent a photo of one of the famous ponies that roam the New Forest near her home.Mary visited Canada in 2003. This is her photo of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park in Alberta.Susannah of Wanderin' Weeta in Canada brings us "Some of the more humble, often forgotten beauties: weeds in a ditch ... and English daisies from an ant's eye view."Robin Andrea and Roger of The Dharma Bums see bobcats (Felis Rufus) in their own backyard! Robin writes: "We feel very lucky to be able to see these cats. They are fairly elusive, but we've been fortunate to have seen them here in our yard and in California on the campus where I worked. Beautiful, shy little predators." This photo was taken in February up the street from their house.
Tara Dharma sent us photos of coastal California. "This Big Sur photo is an older one ...... the other two are taken at the beach across the street from my home."Phil of Perils of Caffeine in the Evening also shares tidal photos taken near Yachats, Oregon: a tidepooland starfish and anemone at low tide.Bev of Burning Silo in Ontario visited the west coast recently. These are two photos from her trip. "The landscape was photographed in the Painted Hills Unit at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon -- Sept 2006.""The Brown Pelicans were photographed along the California coast not too far from Patrick's Point State Park. We had been seeing many long lines of Pelicans migrating south along the coast for a few days and happened to encounter dozens of them just before sunset along a beach. This was one small group among the many -- October 2006."Dawn also shared bird photos taken at Alder Lake, Washington. Common mergansers taken in Summer '06.Canada Goose on nest, taken in Spring '06Cindy of Woodsong in Michigan says of this photo entitled In the company of crows: "I'd been trying to photograph an ovenbird on the opposite side of the road, and saw the deer on a rise in a field .. then all of a sudden I heard a loud 'whoosh' and turned around.. the deer were as much in awe of the multitude of crows as I was .. a simple photo, but one of my favorites because it shows that animals feel/experience awe as well as we do. Some may dispute that - but I have seen it/felt it with my own eyes."Saren, who lives in Australia, sent photos of spectacular blooming trees. "I don't think these are jacarandas. The colour's right, but the tree shape is wrong. However, you notice spring in Brisbane because the days finally start getting longer and warmer, and the trees -- many of them South American or south African imports -- burst into brilliant blossom."Australia has some gorgeous flowering trees and shrubs of its own ... eucalyptus and bottlebrushes (callistemons) [shown here] ... [They feed] all the foraging nocturnal possums and flying foxes and daytime flocks of parrots and honeyeaters."Tim of Walking the Berkshires in Massachusetts says: "I took this picture during an ascent of Mt. Waddington, tallest peak in the Coastal range of British Columbia, in 1989 when I was 21 years old. We attempted to summit the mountain after a three-week traverse through Devil's Club and Slide Alder, over glaciers and up ice walls, but in the end we were checked by a storm that settled on the crest of the mountain and blew us back. No matter. It was exhilarating."You can read about Tim's climb and see more photos of his participation that summer with the National Outdoor Leadership School "... one of life's truly formative experiences."

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Good Planets Are Hard to Find is open to anyone who'd like to share the beauty of their own world with us. Heartfelt thanks to the photographers who contributed to this issue. It's been a great honour and absolute delight to host the November issues of Good Planets. December's host will be Divajood of Journeys with Jood. Send your photos to jkblue AT cox DOT net.

Early submissions this week for Good Planets!

This week I'd appreciate receiving your Good Planets submissions as early as possible. The deadline is Friday, 24 November, 9 pm MST for a planned publication on Saturday. However, in the United States, Thursday is a holiday - Thanksgiving Day - and I'll be busy cooking for and celebrating with family and friends. So please send in your photos as soon as you can to give me plenty of time to format them and plan the post. Thanks very much!

Note: This "carnival" celebrates the beauty and wonders of our planet. Anyone is welcome to submit one or two photos each week to Good Planets. For the next issue, send your photos to tortoisetrail AT gmail-dot-com. December's editor is Diva Jood, jkblue AT cox-dot-net.

For more information about Good Planets, see "Introducing Good Planets."

Good Planets - 11/18/2006

Welcome again to Good Planets. Friends have sent in wonderful photos this week to once again show us the riches of our planet. (Click on each photo to see an enlargement.)

Rowan of Circle of the Year sent us a courtyard in the town of Lucca in Tuscany on a wet afternoon. Rowan lives in the Peak District in England. She also sent a photo of trees on the skyline on a late afternoon in November as the sun is starting to go down. Canadian blogger Susannah of Wanderin' Weeta sent a slug making its way up a shaggy mane mushroomand also shows us their habitat: Watershed Park, Delta, BC
Yankee T. of Yankee, Transferred once again gave us warm autumn colours: "Morning light streaming through the Crape Myrtle in my front yard, taken from my porch"and "the leaves that were on the maple in last week's photo, now all on the ground."
Mary of Forest Walks, another blogging friend from England, sent photos from the New Forest taken this autumn. "The first was taken this week and shows the autumn colours that have finally arrived."
Mary's second photo shows "the fly agaric fungi. I just love finding all the many different types of fungi." KerrdeLune of Beyond the Fields We Know is from eastern Canada. She took this photo this week "during a rainy morning ramble, nothing remarkable or unusual, but the vibrant arrangement of colour and raindrops was a happy thing on a very grey day."From Brazil, Sonia of Leaves of Grass sent a view near the road she runs to reach her house in Paranapanema State, São Paulo. Daniel of cowjumping.net - "taken this year's early summer when water became rare in Sabino canyon."
Dawn's Great Blue Heron.Robin Andrea's Cooper's Hawk. "This juvenile was in our yard yesterday. He flew from perch to perch looking for something yummy to eat. Unfortunately, for him, he left with his talons empty."Robin Andrea of Dharma Bums, co-founder of Good Planets - "I was watching this Douglas Squirrel trying so hard to get up on to the bird feeder. She climbed up the post, and threw her body out past the baffle. It's a good attempt, but the baffle is there to prevent the squirrel from getting to the bird food feeder. I really felt bad for her, so, I went out and scattered just a bit of bird feed on the ground. The squirrel looked at the scattered seed and looked up at me. Then she did a very funny wide-eyed double take looking straight at me. I thought it was the precise moment that she realized that I was in fact putting food out for her. Her eyes were so wide in amazement and recognition. I loved it! I went into the house, and she ran over to the food, and I snapped this picture. "Kathryn says: " I grew up in Syracuse, New York, where my parents still live. They are avid and gifted gardeners. They turned their small back yard into a haven of peace in the middle of suburbia. When I visited them last year, I documented some of the beauty I found. This is one of my favorites."Gary - The bloom of a bromeliad, taken in his yard, Island of Kauai, Hawaii,and also from Gary, a water hyacinth in his pond.Mike of 10000 Birds sent a photo of "a place I feel a great affection for - Joshua Tree National Park in California. I've never seen a landscape quite like this one."Paul shows us the glory of Havasu Falls.Dawn presents mighty waves at Damen Point, Ocean Shores, Washington.
Phil of Perils of Caffeine in the Evening sent three photos from a kayak trip to Baja.
Sunrise on Isla San Carmen."Starfish on seabed photographed while snorkeling off Isla San Carmen"
"Shells on beach, Isla San Carmen. The picture was taken at sunset, and the light gave the beach a roseate glow."
I leave you with the grand finale - Cindy of Woodsong's glorious "Flaming Sky." Cindy says: "This is our lake and I caught the most brilliant sunset I've ever seen on this evening."

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Good Planets is open to anyone who'd like to share the beauty of their own world with us. Heartfelt thanks to the photographers who contributed to this issue. I'll be hosting Good Planets for one more week. Please send your photos to tortoisetrail AT gmail-dot-com by 9 pm MST, Friday, November 24 for the next issue. December's host will be Divajood of Journeys with Jood.