• landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Website Issues

    September 30, 2023
    Predawn colors at Pineridge Natural Area

    I have been struggling with my website off and on for three weeks. It finally came to a halt on Wednesday when all I could do was go to the homepage and my dashboard. All other links seemed to be broken. I have already had two people contact me through email asking if there was anything wrong. I’ve had four chat sessions with Bluehost and no resolution. This morning in my fifth chat session they finally seem to have solved the error. Seems the permalinks were messed up. I just never go to that place on my dashboard so I have no idea how it was changed or if it became confused. All I know is I’m confused with this stuff but it is back up and seems to be working.

    In the meantime I’ve have been playing with Squarespace for three days with their 14 day unlimited free trials. The cost is about the same. I will continue to look into it and play with it. I know Joe uses Squarespace and seems satisfied. Like him I only want to post blogs, show my images, and stay connected with fellow bloggers. I am not selling anything so none of that interests me. Who knows I may be on a new platform next week.

    I also had my cars hood insulation repaired on the 21st when the raccoons tore it up last April. Well they did it again four days after I had it replaced, for the third time now in four years. However I did make it up to Pineridge NA yesterday morning for the predawn colors and quiet. The water was smooth as glass. A couple of ducks floated along and one blue heron stood fishing along the waters edge. It was a good way to end the week on a Friday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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  • Poudre River,  quotes

    It made me happy

    September 24, 2023

    I have never taken a picture for any other reason than that at that moment it made me happy to do so.

    Jacques-Henri Lartigue

    There is about a one mile stretch along South County Road 5 that has maybe three or four places where you can see the Poudre River. The rest of this stretch of road is blocked by brush and trees. I like this specific location because it has a peaceful feel to it. The cows graze in their field of paradise, rich in green grass and the river quietly and gently meanders east onto the parched prairie. Friday was the first day of Fall and I could see and feel it… so stopping and taking a photo made me happy to do so. Have a wonderful Sunday!

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  • landscape,  moon,  natural areas,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    Coffee and Conversation

    September 23, 2023

    It had been a few weeks since I visited Reservoir Ridge Natural Area and thought last night was a good time to remedy that. I went to journal in the sun before it set. Silence surrounded me except for a lone meadowlark singing every once in awhile. I loved the waxing crescent moon set in the cloudless blue sky. I’m off to meet Eric for coffee and conversation. Enjoy your Saturday!!

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  • Art,  Art/Design,  Mary Oliver,  poems,  poetry,  quotes

    The Miracle of a Kiss

    September 22, 2023

    If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
    don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
    of lives and whole towns destroyed or about
    to be. We are not wise, and not very often
    kind. And much can never be redeemed.
    Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this
    is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
    something happens better than all the riches
    or power in the world. It could be anything,
    but very likely you notice it in the instant
    when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the
    case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid
    of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

    Mary Oliver

    This past weekend I shot some senior portraits in Red Feather Lakes. While I was there I made another trip on Elf Lane. As I got out and walked among all the elfs and assorted other characters I suddenly, but not unexpectedly, experienced joy. Thought this little frog and princess needed to have their photo taken.

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  • fountain pens,  journal,  writing/reading

    This is not unusual…

    September 20, 2023

    It’s approximately a 40 foot walk from my front door to my car. This morning I had a half dozen thoughts racing through my head and at least two conversations by the time I reached the car. This is not unusual. Nor do I want these thoughts to go away, they are part of my humanity. However, what I desire is to let them pass on, allowing me to stay present to this world I am a part of. On those mornings when I do stay present, letting those thoughts pass on, I receive the gifts offered in being awake. When that happens I notice the squirrel hanging upside down on the tree, their eyes silently fixed on me. Or maybe I notice the small dew-drop globes of the spider’s web reflecting the morning sunlight. Or I notice the multicolored leaves-of-fall blanketing the grass. And, if I listen I can hear the jeers and clicks of a nearby blue jay. Those mornings when I stay present are so much more enjoyable to me. Today was not one of them. However, I think I was much more present to the mocha latte.

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  Mary Oliver,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    …honor the world

    September 18, 2023

    Photography by nature is spiritual considering, it comes from the darkness to show the light.

    Kevin Russo

    I was told the other day by someone that they no longer look my sunrise images. However, I’ve come to know that the beginning of a new day offers a unique sunrise, there is no other like it, and if I’m present to it then it’s another opportunity to live one more day. So for me a sunrise is a sacred moment, where we move from darkness to light. In a Mary Oliver poem called The Swan she writes, Of course the path to heaven doesn’t lie in flat miles. It’s in the imagination with which you perceive this world, and the gestures with which you honor it. My presence and the photographs I capture is my act of receiving this morning’s predawn sky and is my gesture to honor the world. I will probably keep doing that to my last breath.

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