I went West, but I was not a young man.

This past weekend was the first time in my life I ever saw the Pacific Ocean. I gazed upon an incredible city. An amazing bridge. I was in San Francisco.

I left the frozen tundra that was New Jersey, and stepped into a world of sun and warm temperatures, gorgeous mountains, trees and green grass and plants.

And what did I see as I walked there.

The young and the beautiful.

I went to the coast in hopes of a job.

When I got to their offices, I was dressed better and sharper than any of them. And I was also 10-20 or more years older than all of them.

Ahh, California.

Gorgeous weather. Beautiful people.

And no place for an old man like me.

I have grown up in the gritty and cold Northeast. A veteran of snow and ice, and long, cold, dark Winter days.

The warm sun and gorgeous scenery was like a reprieve from yet another hellish Winter in New Jersey. It felt good to feel the rays, and to watch the wildlife there, as if Summer never ends.

I went to see if my long years of experience, ability and knowledge would be something that this small young company wanted. They seemed to.

But when they saw my crisp suit and tie, my gray beard and head empty of hair, my face filled with the lines of a hard life....

I knew that I wouldn't end up with the job.

They walked around in socks and t-shirts, and fiddled with their iPhones and Blackberrys. Indulging in the technology. Children of machines, they noticed nothing around them. Just the job. The technology.

Then I stepped outside to wait for my cab.

The sun was beginning to set.

And then, I saw, for the first time in my life, a Rufous Hummingbird looking for nectar in a flowering tree.

Nobody else was there to see it.

But I did. And I watched it in awe as I do all the birds..wishing I had my camera with me.

And at that moment, I knew what I was, and what I am meant to be.

Hand me my camera, friend.

I have wonders to capture, and miracles to behold.