• flutes,  fountain pens,  journal,  quotes

    Practice

    June 25, 2026
    This is a Jon Norris flute in the key of G# made from Ambrosia Maple. I love the wood grain in it.

    Practice is an important word in my life, but that was not always the case when I was younger. I didn’t want to mess with almost anything that would require practice. Guitar lessons and math homework quickly come to mind. However, over time my view of practice has changed and I find it a necessary and important way of living life. I practice a way of life that includes periods of silence, solitude and time in nature. My practice also includes photography, journaling, being present to life rather than living in my head, learning to listen and yes, it includes learning patience. And recently it has included learning to play the Native American Flute.

    We had thunder during the night and received a small amount of rain during the night. A drizzle hung around until 9 am then intermittent blue skies and clouds with more rain possible later this evening. I hope you enjoyed your day and enjoy your evening!

    “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice reduces the imperfection.”

    Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity
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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  mountains,  nature,  poems

    We never belonged to you…

    June 24, 2026

    The moment when, after many years
    of hard work and a long voyage
    you stand in the centre of your room,
    house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,
    knowing at last how you got there,
    and say, I own this,

    is the same moment when the trees unloose
    their soft arms from around you,
    the birds take back their language,
    the cliffs fissure and collapse,
    the air moves back from you like a wave
    and you can’t breathe.

    No, they whisper. You own nothing.
    You were a visitor, time after time
    climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.
    We never belonged to you.
    You never found us.
    It was always the other way round.

    Margaret Atwood, The Moment

    Like so many of my images, something called me to stop and press the shutter button. I pulled into the Running Deer Natural Area parking lot and took the image from there. I did not create any of the beauty in this scene, nature did and lovingly shares it with us. Our task is to accept the gift of its presence and beauty with grateful hearts! May we come to realize we belong in this world not as conquerors but as integral parts of it. 

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  • bicycling,  campus,  coffee life,  shadows

    The Last Leg

    June 21, 2026
    Shadows across CSU Oval

    This is the last leg of my bicycle ride to one of my favorite coffee shops. And for many of us at the end of this path awaits one of our baristas, always greeting us with a smile, a drink of our choice, and one or two of the irregular/regulars to commiserate with. And it almost never fails that we find one of the squirrels-of-the-oval, at almost every other tree, encouraging us along on this last leg of the mornings journey. And Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers!!!

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  • coffee life,  fountain pens,  journal,  quotes

    Keeping a journal…

    June 19, 2026

    Keeping a journal has taught me that there is not so much new in your life as you sometimes think. When you re-read your journal you find out that your latest discovery is something you already found out five years ago. Still, it is true that one penetrates deeper and deeper into the same ideas and the same experiences.

    Thomas Merton

    When I journal I write about my thoughts, questions, dreams, fears, and journal about what I see around me in this world. But I also journal because I believe there are words to discover within these fountain pens when I penetrate deep enough. So I am learning to not spend time trying to analyze or criticize what I write. I just write them down in my journal because they may be seeds for other ideas to write about and I desire those seeds. Journaling is a gift to and for me. And, yes, I do reread them to see what I have relearned. May you enjoy your weekend!

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  • leaves,  quotes

    What we see…

    June 17, 2026

    “…drink in the beauty and wonder at the meaning of what you see.”

    Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

    Since I began practicing a simple and slower life, which means being awake and present to the moment and spending less time in my head, it seems I experience much more awe and wonder in life. And it’s the simplest things that catch my attention. This morning it was hearing the robins singing outside my bedroom window gently urging me to get up. And a couple weeks ago it was noticing the life giving drops of moisture on a leaf outside the coffee shop. With life getting shorter there is a desire within me to see and experience more of the beauty and wonder of nature. 

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  • barista,  Candid Portraits,  coffee life,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    But I’m learning

    June 16, 2026
    My adopted baristas: scheduling, ordering supplies, creating a newsletter, marketing, and smiling.

    And I learned something from Mr. Theo.
    God gave us faces so we can see each other better.
    I used to not look at people’s faces so much.
    But I’m learning.

    Allen Levi, Theo of Golden

    It’s a hot day here in Colorado, showing 92 degrees right now. Blue skies and sunshine dominate. A nice breeze blows through and cools it down while singing a song and dancing with the trees. Robins are singing, blue jays making their raucous calls, and the bumbling of the fountain in the pond. I hope you had the chance to look into someone’s face today and offer them a smile.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    Filled my gratitude bucket…

    June 14, 2026

    “Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path.”

    John O’Donohue

    We awoke to a light mist that hung around until about 8:30 am. From then on the clouds slowly gave way to blue sky and sunshine, making it a beautiful day. I drove to Pineridge Natural Area about 4:32 pm to journal and listen to the Magpies chatter. The opening blue sky and scattered clouds filled my gratitude bucket. I always seem to feel respect for nature and move into a place of silent prayer. Before I left, a meadowlark sang a simple song for me. I believe it knew I needed one. My day was made complete. I hope you had a good weekend and enjoy your coming week!

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  • butterfly,  insects,  quotes

    Clear Blue Skies

    June 12, 2026

    There is One Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture which can enlighten the reader… All scriptures before nature’s manuscript are as little pools of water before the ocean.

    Hazrat Inayat Khan

    It is about 3:26 pm and I have not seen a cloud all day, just clear blue skies. They also turned on the fountain in the holding pond so I am listening to the bubbling of water and birds singing. The weather app says we are at 87 degrees and may reach 90 degrees. I rode the red steed to coffee this morning and found it most enjoyable. I saw a Great Blue Heron fishing for breakfast and two does grazing along the creek. I also see that it’s hot in Concord, Sterling Heights and North Berwick. Please stay cool and enjoy your weekend.

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  • flowers,  insects,  Plants,  quotes

    What is needed for life.

    June 10, 2026

    An organism that is too greedy and takes too much without giving anything in return destroys what it needs for life.

    Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees

    When I read this quote from Wohlleben I instantly thought of the organism as mankind. I doubt if this bee will take more nectar than is necessary. Which then lead to the question, “What would we learn if we were to read and study this book of nature?” It has been a warm sunny day. Spent some time in the park today and listened to the music made by wind and trees. I hope you had a good day!!

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