My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
It was a good day for flying. Beautiful blue skies along the Mid-Atlantic coast and over the Great Lakes. I took in a short walk after arriving in Montreal then back to my room for some rest and quiet. I laid across my bed and watched as the sun slowly set. Yes, it was a good day. I’m tired, it’s late, words are hard to come by, so off to bed. Good night!
I discovered some time ago that ironing was not something I enjoyed, it’s in the same category as going to the dentist. However, when I took on this job with all it’s traveling, I needed to rethink that task. So, I am now accustomed to ironing prior to trips and while on the road. So, hear is one of those scenes I see on a regular basis with nice white window light.
Time at a hotel in Montreal with beautiful window light makes for a wonderful studio. My only problem is I do not have a gorgeous model to work with so I end up with a self portrait and some messing around with Topaz Adjust. What a beautiful hotel they have here in Montreal at the airport. The lobby is brilliant with light coming in the massive windows. I had a latte at there coffee bar and then wandered around the hotel lobby this morning.
We work four flights today and end up in Ottawa, Canada tonight.
… lead to a happy life.
“The two most engaging powers of a photographer are
W. Thackeray
to make new things familiar and familiar things new.”
It’s effecting hundreds of people. Football season is over, we’ve had at least two full days of sunshine and temperatures are finally rising above freezing. With these kinds of conditions I found people aimlessly wandering in Inniswood Gardens yesterday afternoon, all of them infected with “Spring Fever.” Parents had the youngest toddler in the stroller while the older siblings were burning up energy running along the trails. Couples were walking hand-in-hand as they soaked up the warm sunshine. Any park bench which had been covered in snow and ice last week was now welcoming people to sit and listen to the birds sing. The melting snow was now revealing a carpet of green grass. Tulip sprouts were breaking through the dark soil as they stretched upwards for the suns rays. I even drove by the Dairy Queen and noticed a few people medicating themselves with ice cream. Yup, Spring Fever was everywhere. I think I may have it!!! And, just to be sure I medicated myself with one of those Blizzards, the Midnight Truffle.
Plain and simple, I wanted to write. I came to the coffee shop to enjoy a mocha and get into some writing but with the background noise it wasn’t going to happen. All I could hear was the annoying music in the background and a couple of guys talking decibels above everyone else. As I sat there sipping on my mocha my eyes wandered outside through the window. My mind quickly followed and I was now focused on the sunshine casting shadows of the black cast-iron chairs and tables across the flagstone patio. No longer a writer but now morphed into a photographer, I found myself pulling the camera out of the bag and moving towards the French doors leading to the patio. With shadows and shapes like those, images had to be taken. I’d write later. Just too much noise!
Loveland has a sculpture park called Benson Park that has 130 pieces on display. Since it is a few blocks from my sisters house, I stopped by and walked among the sculptures one morning on my way to the coffee shop. I wanted to try and show the large quantity of sculptures but nothing seemed to capture that. So I settled on this bronze lady with her hat on and not much of anything else.
A couple of days after the above image I awoke to overcast skies and a light fog. Immediately my mind went to the sculpture park so I spent some time wandering around looking for more images.
I stopped by Lake Loveland with this image in mind. I am standing at a boat launching dock and looking west towards the Rocky Mountains. The taller of the two peaks in the distance are Longs Peak in the park. I was raised just to the south of this image about six blocks. When I was a young kid we would ride our bikes up to the lake and fish for crappie. It’s difficult to see but there are ice fishermen out on the lake.
I found these young children enjoying their first ice cream of the season in Old Town in Fort Collins. Temperatures were in the low 50’s yesterday so lots of people were in shorts, shirt sleeves, riding bicycles, and eating ice cream.
This image is a reworking of a previous posting after playing with Topaz Adjust. This is one of those $49 expenses caused by Ray and Earl. I have enjoyed the small amount of playing around with it. This is day 2 of my time back in Colorado. We had clear blue skies and temperature of 54 degrees, so I’m enjoying this weather.