What is the single most beautiful sight you've ever seen?

[cali]

(other than your newborn)

The single most beautiful sight I've ever seen has to be the Pageant at Bread & Puppet's Domestic Resurrection Circus and Pageant.

You sat on the slope of an enormous natural amphitheater, in an even more enormous field, everything amazingly green and watched as giant puppets, including huge birds swept down the far slope into the middle of the space and enacted a struggle between good and evil.

B&P ended the Circus almost 10 years ago, after it grew way to big and someone got murdered in a drunken fight in the camping area, but I still have images of that beauty, emblazoned on my retinas.

[MrScorpio]

1. Nice, France

Nice is nice

[datasuspect]

2. i once grasped the unity of all knowledge and sensation

that was pretty neat.

[The Straight Story]

3. Near Gallup, NM one cold morning (As far as scenery)

I don't have the pic scanned - but there had been a light snow and a train was coming around the bend. The red and white contrast on the mesas and the train passing by left an impression on me those many years ago.

As far as personal goes - seeing my wife and daughter snuggled together as the wife was breastfeeding, it was fall outside and the leaves had just turned, and the love I saw in both their eyes burned into my soul what real love was.

[cobalt1999]

4. Stewart Island, New Zealand

I spent a week hiking and camping there and around every bend was a breath taking scene. Amazing place.

[graywarrior]

24. OMG, that is so stunning!

[Dystopian]

5. I know you said other than your newborn...

but I witnessed the births of both of my grandsons. Watching my daughter giving birth....there was and never will be any sight more beautiful....

The ocean comes in second place...somewhere in Maine...I'll never forget that day either....

Nice question..thank you....makes us think of the beautiful things when there is so much misery and despair in this world...

Latest grandson, Easton, named after a hockey bag by his nine year old jock brother....It is a nice name...After all, it could have been something like Nike...




peace~

[RandomKoolzip]

6. Watching raindrops make ripples on a car window while on acid

[billyskank]

12. Dude!

It's the zip!

I haven't seen you in time!

:hi:

[RandomKoolzip]

52. Hey hepcat.

:hi:

Yeah...not around much. I'm in school right now and working full-time.

[Guava Jelly]

7. this comes pretty close

:D

[cobalt1999]

8. I vote for this one!

[Guava Jelly]

13. I did once ride a dirtbike along side a herd of wild mustangs

That was kind of pretty as well :D

[Dystopian]

9. !

:wtf: :rofl:


peace~

[Guava Jelly]

14. We all have our meccas

:silly:

[Dystopian]

18. yes,

I apologize .....I should not have found so much humor in your mecca.....I looked at it again and had the same reaction...I won't look at it anymore....

peace~



:rofl:

[Guava Jelly]

20. All are welcome at my church of the failing liver

:D

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. Sweet!

[Guava Jelly]

15. Kind of getting thirsty now

:D

[Pacifist Patriot]

16. Induced me to put a bottle in the fridge.

[DarkTirade]

59. I think I might need a few moments alone with that room...

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. A double rainbow after a really crappy day at work.

[Haole Girl]

17. It's so difficult to pick just one!

The first thing that came to mind was a sunrise I witnessed, from a 747, over the arctic. I could see what looked like the curvature of the earth; and as the sun rose, the whole sky glowed with brilliant colors of red, orange and yellow. There was a magnificent reflection of it all on the ice. I wish I had a photo of it. But, I didn't even think about it until later. It's just a memory.. a snap shot in my mind. And, I'm certain I didn't describe it adequately, at all.

[Aristus]

19. I have several:

The Northern Lights, as seen from Alberta, Canada.
The full moon over the Saudi desert.
The vineyards of Germany in May.
Lightning storms on the Carribean west of Jamaica.
The Scottish Highlands.

We live in a beautiful world...

[Hosnon]

21. Not sure about ever, but certainly recently:

I was pumping gas and one of those freak showers came through where the sun is still completely out. In front of me was a wall of kudzu. The raindrops were large, heavy and falling less frequently than during a regular shower. Each one of them caught the sun.

I just stared. It was almost unreal to watch. The green backdrop with what looked like pieces of liquid silver falling from the sky. Plus the temp was right around 72 with a nice breeze.

Probably the sight (and moment) I will think of right before I die.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. The aurora borealis

seen on a clear night from a small airplane at 8,000' over Wisconsin. Spectacular.

[pokerfan]

26. August 11-12, 1994

The northern lights on a week long canoe trip in the middle of British Columbia. Just two of us and no one or thing within thirty miles.

I remember the date because I had picked that week so that we could watch the Perseid meteor shower. The moon was only a couple of days old so it set soon after sunset. So it was dark.

Lets just say the northern lights completely dwarfed the meteor shower. We would be gaping at the aurora and every now and then a meteor would come flying through.

Now I've seen lots of aurora but never like this. It completely filled the sky, even to the south of us! Huge curtains above us, slowly waving and pulsating. For some reason it even made the hair stand up on my neck. Something primal that we are still hardwired for I guess.

I have no pictures of it as I had no tripod. But scanning through a google search, this one is probably closest:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Yeah, it was like that!

The show I saw was in (I think) late February of 1992 or 1993. The other cool thing was that the airplane I was flying had an instrument called a Stormscope, which is supposed to find thunderstorms by detecting the electrical discharge from lightning. And the aurora totally lit up the Stormscope, as if I was about to fly into an enormous thunderstorm.

[ThoughtCriminal]

33. I've only seen it a few times

I've always found one description moving - and chilling.

During the American Civil War, at the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Union Army lost 12,500 soldiers in a series of futile and disasterous assaults against the Confederate line. That night, the Aurora Borealis appeared in the sky above. Very few southerners had every seen the phenomena, and I can only imagine, how it must have felt to see this sight above the carnage of the battlefield.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

23. Too many to mention, but the first one that comes to mind.......

Is the sight of the English Channel and the distant Isle of Wight that I saw from a windmilled hilltop just outside Halnaker Crossroads in W. Sussex, UK. Its was like something out of a fantasy. I wish I had pictures, but photos rarely do justice to the memory.

[graywarrior]

25. I look at this when I get upset over anything

[sarge43]

28. Out my kitchen window a few years ago

Mt Tecumseh is to the east of us about 5 miles up the road. It was this time of year. There had been an early snow. Mt T had a cap of white and the foliage was at peak. So, this sparkling white and a sweep of red, gold and green down its flanks. A rain storm had just past and crowning the mountain was a rainbow. How often do you see all four seasons in one moment?

[RetroLounge]

29. ...

:hi:

RL

[Guava Jelly]

31. Thats way better than mine

yep..way better :D

[ThoughtCriminal]

30. Dark sky night at Kitt Peak

My God, it's full of stars!

[KitchenWitch]

32. The sun dogs on the absolutely mind numbing cold days in MN

/variant/medium

Such beauty, even during a desolate time

Background for those from warmer climate - the sun dogs appear when the temperature is lower that -20* F, at the sunrise and sunset. The spectrum is caused by the ice crystals in the sky which act as prisms. The sun dogs are usually far more brilliant than what is shown in the photo.

[Lindsey]

34. I was in my early 20's and had never left the state of Texas where I

was born. A good friend had moved to San Francisco with her boyfriend. They decided to get married so another good friend (also who had never left the state) and I flew out to be in the wedding. We were so blown away by that city that I still remember being literally in awe the whole time, The beauty and vibe were so completely different than what we had ever seen. Now that I'm in Southern Cal.,I normally make it to S.F. @ least once or twice per year and I still just love it.

[Turbineguy]

35. The first time

my Grandson smiled at me.

[Mike03]

36. A dog I adopted, outside of an animal shelter

and running in a nearby park on my leash.

I'll never forget that morning as long as I live. I was a volunteer at an animal shelter and had tried for two months to get this dog adopted, and it looked like no one would take her and she would be euthanized. This poor dog had arrived at the shelter pregnant and had seen all her pups euthanized, and had been so depressed afterwards. I visited her every day for two months.

Even though I lived in a one room apartment where I could not have a dog, I adopted her, and then had one week to figure out how to keep her. I tossed out about half of everything I owned and found an apartment in a city twenty miles away that would allow me to keep this large dog. So when the adoption was official, I put a leash on her and ran her across the street to this park. We ran and ran. It was probably the happiest day of my life.

[renie408]

38. That IS beautiful Thanks for sharing it. n/t

[lizziegrace]

45. ...

:hug:


:)

[livetohike]

37. The first time I snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef

The colors took my breath away. I gasped and drew in a ton of salt water. :-)

[renie408]

39. I can't think of one thing.

But two nights ago I was walking down to my house and this HUGE orange full moon was coming up over the trees. The sky was deep blue, and the trees were deep green and I just stood there thinking, "The world is a beautiful place." I have had that feeling snorkeling in the Bahamas, watching my daughter ride her horse, watching my chickens hunting bugs in the pasture...if you look, 'beautiful' is everywhere.

[renie408]

40. cali, thank you for this thread.

We have been going through some tough times in my family and it is easy to forget how much wonder and beauty there is in the world.

Thanks.

[treestar]

41. The Black Hills

Also drove through Wyoming once - the sky was blue and the grass was gold and that was it!

The sky at sunset in LA, strangely, the pollution made it a beautiful pink.

[originalpckelly]

42. Hawaii. When I was little, before my life turned to shit...

I was lucky enough to go there twice, and either time rivals the other for the most beautiful sight. (Specifically getting ready to land, absolutely amazing.)

[Haole Girl]

49. Here's to pleasant memories...

..and, hopefully, more sunny days for you! :hug:

This was taken from the plane as we were leaving Kalaupapa, Molokai
earlier this month (it already feels like last year):

[cali]

58. Hawaii is my second- and a very close one at that

Just outside Hana, at a friend's house, early one morning.

[Thirtieschild]

43. A man standing on a hill at a construction site, his head thrown back, laughing.

Saw him something like 45 years ago and I've never forgotten him. His job was contagious.

[Orsino]

44. Any of about a jillion glances at my wife.

Sometimes, she just beautifuls at me without warning, and it's stunning.

[Whoa_Nelly]

46. Being there as my first grandchild came into the world

My son and DIL asked that I be the one to specifically be there through the labor and birth. I got to help my DIL with the pushing (supporting her, letting her grip my hand and arm as she went through her pain.)

And then, the wee little girl came into the world. After resting on her mother, then being cleaned up and weighed, she was handed to me, and I gave her to her mother.

It was the one of the most amazing and wonderful moments in my life.

[BlooInBloo]

47. The love of my life. God I was stupid.

[Mojambo]

48. One time at work

This guy was walking his dog through the mall and it stopped and took a big dump right in the middle of the floor. So I was trying my best to warn everyone walking by to beware of the dog shit on the floor.

So anyway, this ultra-decked out business woman comes zipping by, yakking up a storm on her cell phone. She totally disregarded my attempted warnings and stepped right on top of it, slipping and falling right on her ass in the shit.

That was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

[TommyO]

50. My nephew laughing!

[Jade Fox]

51. The Oregon Coast in a snowstorm.....

[QueenOfCalifornia]

53. It is so difficult to say..

I can't name one place. But I can say that the island of Santorini is up on the top of the list. The coast of California. The vineyards of Napa. Silly places are in my head... a little pub in London... A house in New Orleans. A porch in Spain. I have so many.

I love you for this thread.

[bridgit]

54. in spite of the sorrows, there are many in this world...

[Inchworm]

55. Some stranger's faces

When we returned their dog to them after a hurricane in FL. It was T-minus 1 hour so naturally we took our drunk asses for a ride to witness the wind and nature in its wrath. I spotted this Dalmatian, perfectly kept up (collar and all - no name though) ..but lost.

The dog was in a mandatory evacuation zone where all the houses in the area were boarded up. Of course I snatched it up and took it home. First dog in a long time that was allowed on the bed because that was the only place she was comfy at night.

After the storm we ran ads and posted fliers in the area where we found her (Hollywood Bch, FL). We got a call, said come to the house.. and.. o . m . g... it was insane

This dog was so happy to see the elderly couple she would have pulled a locomotive. The old man was damn near in tears.. the lady was all cool, but you could see she missed the girl. An amazing day.

:hi:

Crap, I was all ready to post about the second I saw my daughter breathe for the first time...and now this...

[grasswire]

56. scenes from the Montana and Canadian Rockies

Going to the Sun highway, Glacier National Park



Waterton Provincial Park, Prince of Wales Hotel

http://www.geraldbrimacombe.com/The%20Rockies/Prince%20of%20Wales%20Hotel,%20Waterton%20Lake.jpg

[SeattleGirl]

57. The Oregon coast.

A beautiful, beautiful place.

[YankeyMCC]

60. Sunset in Franconia Notch

The red-orange glow reflecting off Lafayette and shining rock. Or maybe just the view from Lafayette into the Pemi wilderness.

Although GoPsUx pic of the wine isn't far behind either :)

[LibDemAlways]

61. There are a few:

1. Yosemite Valley - any season, any weather. It's breathtaking and awe inspiring. If you've never been, and you get within a few hundred miles, go.

2. The inland passage - Alaska. Thick forests, bald eagles, (rapidly receding) glaciers. Another must see.

3. Hawaii - any island - particularly right after it rains and one of those gorgeous Hawaiian rainbows shimmers in the sky. Went for a walk one time on Kaanipali Beach in Maui after dark. Laid down on the sand and just stared up at the stars while the warm ocean water sparkled and lapped at my feet. Sublime.

4. The French countryside on the approach into Paris with castles here and there dotting the landscape and the Eiffel tower looming in the distance.

The money spent on travel makes you richer.

[Danger Mouse]

looking into her eyes for the first time...

and holding her close to me, never to let go...

other than that, i'm always a fan of natural beauty. what sticks out the most in my mind was one time, coming back to Baltimore from home...it was getting late, and the sun was setting. We were passing (on the train) through an old, practically abandoned neighborhood of ruined houses...the sunset through the forgotten houses created an eerily beautiful effect that will stay with me always.

[Jamastiene]

62. Time to be bad.

:evilgrin:






















Courtney Love running naked down the streets of London.


:hide:

[NMDemDist2]

63. Standing on a bluff in Kantisha Alaska looking out over the valley

no roads, no power lines, no houses

just a lazy river, a herd of caribou and dusky mountains rising in the background as far as you could see......

[applegrove]

64. Definitely a baby. I can think of many.

[Faygo Kid]

65. Starlit night over Big Sur

I have been north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and in the middle of nowhere in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and neither compared with a night at Big Sur looking over the Pacific.

[qnr]

66. Gerlache Strait, Antarctica

http://www.pgoimages.com/gallery.php?gall=g_antarctica_gerlache

Edit: All of my photos and negatives were stolen, so I'm linking to someone elses photos.