The Galapagos are otherworldly -- the islands are the tips of huge volcanoes, which plunge directly into the heart of the earth. I found this Galapagos Sea Lion slumbering on a slab of ancient lava next to our landing pier on South Plaza Island. Its rounded form echoes the massive curves in the inky stone that provides its bed. This image seems embryonic to me, an echo of birth of the earth itself. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which he began to form upon his visit to the Galapagos in 1835, could add still another level of context to this photograph -- the relationship of living things to their environment helps determines the survival of the fittest.