America the Beautiful

Since last July 4, 2011, I’ve traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico; Spokane and Seattle, Washington; Olympic National Park, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Breckenridge, Colorado; Austin, Texas; central Florida, including Winter Park and Mount Dora; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Portland, Oregon. 

What I found is, when I get out into the land, leaving politics, shopping centers, television viewing and myself behind, I arrive at places of beauty. Even on my front porch, where the angle of sunlight changes with the hour, beauty resides. My prayer for this nation is that the privilege of living here is driven home by the natural beauty of the land and the warmth of the majority of her people and cities. I, for one, can’t think of anywhere else I would rather live. 

The following pictures are from my travels to some of the places mentioned above. We live in a beautiful land!

Barb Harwood, photos

Spokane, WA

Spokane, WA

Portland, OR

Austin, TX

Austin, TX

Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge, CO

Olympic National Park, WA

Olympic National Park, WA

Olympic National Park, WA

Olympic National Park, WA

Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA

Drive from Spokane to Seattle, WA

                                                                          Santa Fe, New Mexico

O beautiful for spacious skies, 

For amber waves of grain, 

For purple mountain majesties 

Above the fruited plain! 

America! America! 

God shed his grace on thee 

And crown thy good with brotherhood 

From sea to shining sea! 



O beautiful for pilgrim feet 

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare of freedom beat 

Across the wilderness! 

America! America! 

God mend thine every flaw, 

Confirm thy soul in self-control, 

Thy liberty in law! 



Katharine Lee Bates