This is Cliff.

I met Cliff in Tucson a few years ago. He was having a blast skipping around on the rocks with his buddy at a nature preserve. With a telephoto lens, I could see Cliff like I had never seen an iguana before. I noticed the colors of his feet and arms and the brown circle spots like a leopard on his throat. I saw the bumpy texture of skin on his arms and legs and for the first time, I really knew the appearance of the beautiful iguana. I also noticed that studying him was meditative. I was totally present and mindful when I first encountered Cliff.

That experience reminds me of the way I look at stones in our beloved Lake Michigan. I choose the ones that look most alive to

me. Being a Tinker who makes jewelry, my buying trips are absolute hell. I have to spend hours and hours and HOURS at the beach seeking these prized stones. Sometimes I have to be there all day. It's the price I pay.

Like studying Cliff, I am mesmerized by the stones. I prefer to see them in the water -they are most beautiful when wet. Just like Cliff.