My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
… so here’s another self-portrait, this one taken in my hotel room in Kansas City. Our hotel is located in an industrial park area near the airport with a large holding pond surrounded by large buildings. With beautiful sunny skies I walked the paved trail that goes completely around the pond. However, I discovered the pond is also a place for geese to gather so I got in a bit of the goose-poop-boogey during the walk. That trail was a mess. 🙂
I received my base transfer notice yesterday and will be moving back home to Colorado, flying out of Denver. I’m excited to be heading back to family and friends but sure do dread the physical move. I need to be out there by February 1st, so not much time and plenty to get done.
On my last trip our schedule changed due to the heavy fog in and around the Charlotte area. With funky weather we can find crew, aircraft and passengers in all sorts of places we do not want them. So, instead of having a 16 hour overnight in Sarasota we had a 22 hour overnight in Burlington, VT. It actually worked out for me. I like Burlington and the weather as rather nice, 51 degrees and a light mist. With camera in hand I walked the area near Church Street, one of my favorites places. You can find a wide range of different people in the mall area and any choice of restaurant you desire. Did some people watching and then treated myself to the mustard-crusted salmon at Sweetwaters. After eating I enjoyed a couple of hours of conversation with a woman named Toni who was visiting the area from Portland, OR. When I returned to my hotel they had freshly baked cookies and milk in the lobby for me. Cookies and milk help make life pretty good!
We arrived in Albany, NY last night just before the clock struck midnight. As I walked down the hallway towards my hotel room, I could hear the bed inviting me to much needed sleep. And, I slept well, even sleeping later than normal. This morning after a shower and a bit of quiet, I journeyed over to Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary located near our hotel. I’ve enjoyed my previous visits to this establishment for several reasons: the ambiance is comforting to me in style and feel, the exceptional service of the young people working there and because the coffee is good. My taste buds this morning were focused on a cafe mocha. While standing at the counter over the freshly baked scones, I weakened and succumbed to the temptation of a freshly baked pecan scone. Life is good.
I located a small table near a window that offered wonderful light for me to write and read. I find it important to keep myself present to where I’m at, to visually see, hear and experience the world around me. Photography has helped me in that area of my life. I’ve always been able to be present in nature when waiting for a sunrise or sunset but not necessarily within the hustle and bustle of city life. Being a dreamer, I fly off to distant worlds rather than noticing all that is around me. As I stayed present this morning, I noticed the young man in the image above as he dreamed, or planned, or studied within his coffee sanctuary. I could hear the two women behind me sharing events of the Christmas holiday season within their coffee sanctuary. It’s easy to identify those regular patrons as they came in for their daily dose of caffeine and are warmly welcomed by their names. I could smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tempting smell of the blueberry, cinnamon and pecan muffins. Life is good. And, ya gotta love the craftsmanship of the girls when they brought over my cafe mocha. A work of art! I really do like this coffee sanctuary. Hope everyone has a great week and finds a sanctuary.
PS: My sister informed me that mom is going home today. Yeah! Recovery is moving right along. Thanks for your prayers!
