How the Name Came to Be

Rama of the Woods is a name that grew naturally, rather than one chosen outright.

My first name is Rama—pronounced Ray-ma—and my maiden name is Wood. I have always loved that name. I loved the way it connected me to trees, because I have always loved trees. Long before I understood why, that connection mattered to me.

I married fairly young, and over the years became mother to five incredible children. With marriage came a different last name—one my children carried, and still carry. Though life grew full and rich in many ways, I missed my maiden name. I missed what it meant, and how it felt to belong to it.

After twenty years of marriage, when that chapter of my life ended, I wanted to return to my maiden name. But I didn’t want the legal distance that would place me, even symbolically, apart from my children. So I kept my married name legally. Still, at some point along the way, I changed my social presence back to Wood—the name that had always felt like mine.

Only later—after years spent walking along rivers, through forests, and across open land—did that name begin to feel less like an identifier and more like a description.

The woods became a place of refuge and relationship. A place where listening mattered more than arriving. Being outside was no longer something I did; it became something that shaped how I moved through the world. Attention mattered more than explanation. Presence mattered more than outcome.

The land asked nothing of me, yet offered everything - steadiness, perspective, and belonging without condition.

When it came time to share this work—these images and field notes—the name was already there, waiting. Not as a brand or a title, but as a quiet truth. One that I belonged to, and that belonged to me. Now, I get to continue honoring that connection while sharing something else I love deeply—the beauty I encounter and carry back from the natural world.

Some names are chosen.

Others are remembered.

Delicate purple and white wildflowers bloom against a misty mountain landscape at sunset.
Scenic lake landscape with blooming daisies in the foreground and dramatic blue sky reflected in calm waters at sunset.
Rolling green hills dotted with trees stretch beneath a pastel sunset sky with wispy clouds.
Panoramic sunset view over mountain ridges with vibrant orange and pink sky illuminating the landscape.
A snowy winter landscape with frost-covered trees lining a rural road on a bright sunny day.
Panoramic view of a golden field with a vibrant rainbow arching across a dramatic stormy sky at sunset.
Rocky mountain summit at sunset with dramatic red and orange clouds painting the horizon.
Field of white daisies blooming under a vibrant sunset sky with mountains in the background.
Rolling green hills dotted with grazing sheep under a golden sunset sky with scattered clouds.
Wildflowers bloom in a meadow against a blue sky during golden hour with tall grass swaying in the breeze.
Dramatic orange sunset illuminates mountain valley with autumn foliage and distant peaks.
Dramatic storm clouds at dusk with golden sunlight breaking through creating a spectacular skyscape.
Snow-covered mountains and fenced pastures create a serene winter panorama in a rural valley.
Snow-covered landscape with bare trees silhouetted against a pink and purple winter sunset sky.
Golden sagebrush and tall pine trees dot a high desert landscape under clear blue skies at sunset.
Pink and purple sunset sky over a tranquil wetland with silhouetted trees and native grasses in the foreground.
Dramatic orange and gold sunset clouds stretch across the horizon over a silhouetted rural landscape.
Rolling countryside landscape with puffy white clouds and mountains in the distance under blue skies.
Colorful wildflowers bloom along a misty mountain trail with dramatic rocky cliffs in the background.
Golden autumn trees line a grassy hillside landscape under warm sunlight.
Dramatic cloudy skies over mountain peaks with sunlit autumn foliage in the foreground.
Wild sunflowers and desert plants silhouetted against a dramatic orange and purple sunset sky.
Cattle graze beneath a vibrant orange autumn tree in a golden field under moody skies.
Desert landscape with golden brush and sage against bright blue sky and scattered clouds.
Rustic wooden barn silhouetted against a vibrant sunset with sun rays peeking through trees in a rural landscape.
Desert landscape with dramatic storm clouds and a vibrant rainbow stretching across the sky at sunset.
Scenic wetland landscape with lush green vegetation and calm waters under an overcast sky at a coastal marsh.