What's your inspiration?

I'm a Nature lover. It so greatly inspires me. I often find myself wondering, "Is there anyone not awed by the power and beauty of nature?" I'm serious about this question; I know nature inspires me, but does it inspire everyone? It takes a whole menagerie of folks to make the world go round, so what's are you inspired by? I want to know.

A few weeks ago I was camping in the deserts of Southern Utah. I woke-up at 5:30 in the morning, took a glossy-eyed look around me and saw one of the most beautiful sunrises in my life. The cliffs and buttes of the desert canyons were a rich black color with their tops aflame by oranges and yellows of the rising sun. The rest of the sky faded from a very pale green, to light blue to dark blue with nothing else in the sky except a brightly shining crescent moon and a few lone stars. I love sunrises, what a beautiful way to start the day...with a beautiful gift from Mother Nature! The sunrise inspired me to paint a picture from the morning and the results are below.

Last weekend, I had some time to retreat to the mountains and enjoy a hike of beauty and solitude. I hiked to a wonderful place called Donut Falls. I sat along the shores of the waterfall and enjoyed the scenery around me and dazed off into the bubbling water to let all of the other "noise" in my head be washed away with the sound of the waterfalls. On the hike back, I saw a moose grazing in some marshy lowlands and another near-by creek. I was so excited to see the moose, I think it's the first moose that I've seen in Utah!

Yeah, there's no question about it, I'm inspired by nature; but I'm also inspired by good music, volunteers, and 1000s of other tiny little moments that enrich this wonderful journey that we call life.

So, I ask again, what inspires you?