Google Earth

So, I was reading Jenne's blog yesterday and found my new vice: Google Earth. Holy crap this is cool. I love to be amazed, and the technology behind bringing me to the rooftops of my favorite places in THE WORLD is pretty dang amazing.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, as I've been exploring this, it hit me how small the world has become and how fast ideas can move. As communicators, we have such opportunity at our fingertips. Opportunity to tell stories to new people in seconds. Opportunities to find relevance in all corners of the world. It's exciting - and daunting.

Here are a few places I found today.

Niigata, Japan - spent a lot of time in this great city while studying in a nearby town during college. I used to walk from the train station to the school where I taught English classes...I knew it was a hike back then, but looking at it on this image is sort of freakish.

Sogo Park, Hiratsuka, Japan. Hiratsuka is Lawrence, KS' sister city. I've spent numerous summers staying in the Sogo Park dormitory. The park is a beautifully manicured, green-to-the-gills part of a bustling city. A professional baseball and soccer team call the park home, and they've just added an outdoor sumo pavillion (not seen on this image).

Green Mountain Falls, CO. My family spent about a month here last summer. Wonderful little town, just outside of Colorado Springs. You can see the small pond in the middle of the town. This was the finish line of my dad and my morning runs. The cluster of buildings includes The Pantry, where we at breakfast each morning.

Santa Fe, NM. I've marked the Inn on the Alameda. My family took an old-fashioned family trip a few years back and it remains one of the best vacations ever.