Snow Monkeys / Japan 2008

A cathedral of cedar spires, branches, lifted upward toward a robins' egg sky, adorned the gravel trail; on the way to the hot springs deep in the heart of the Japanese alps. Fallen cedar fronds impressed the surface of the path like kanji on an aged sheet of rice paper. Further, upward, on the serpentine climb, water danced, splashed , and roared. Snow monkeys scampered and chattered birds sang Heidi tunes. Gaggles of tourists from about the globe stared, enthralled, as the red faced denizens preened; tactfully ignoring the rude hairless wonders making fools of themselves gawking.