This happy harbor seal is doing its morning yoga routine in Resurrection Bay near Seward, Alaska.

Rich waters surrounded by glaciers and mist-shrouded mountains attract whales, salmon, eagles, puffins, otters, sea lions and so many seagulls and kittiwakes. Alaska should be on everyone's list of must-see places. Its scale, haunting beauty and the fragility of the arctic wildlife ecosystem touched me deeply and call me back.

I love how the pattern of the lichen on the rocks behind the seal mirror the seal's own dappled fur coloring, and how the crescent-shaped wave in the foreground also mirrors the seal's shape and color. Nature's adaptation is in full view.

I look at the smile on this seal's face and it immediately cheers me up, while also reminding me it's good practice to stretch!