• clouds,  landscape,  quotes

    With Love, Admiration and Respect

    It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for us to hate each other, but to be able to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration and respect.

    Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

    I have several favorite places where I go to spend an afternoon with nature. In these sacred places I watch silent clouds move across the sky, casting shadows on the farmer’s open field. I watch the clouds reshape themselves with the wind and I hear the blackbirds share their whistles and “chack” calls with me. I wonder, are they glad I’ve come to visit? I give thanks, take a few photos and accept the blessings nature offers with love, admiration and respect.

    I took this image a couple weeks ago in Weld County. Today it looks different as we had snowfall during the night, overcast skies all day and it is cold. Hope you had a good end to your week.

  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes

    A Bowl of Soup

    Perhaps the first step in making the Middle Passage meaningful is to acknowledge the partiality of the lens we were given by family and culture, and through which we have made our choices and suffered their consequences. If we had been born of another time and place, to different parents who held different values, we would have had an entirely different lens. The lens we received generated a conditional life, which represents not who we are but how we were conditioned to see life and make choices… We succumb to the belief that the way we have grown to see the world is the only way to see it, the right way to see it, and we seldom suspect the conditioned nature of our perception.

    James Hollis

    Overcast skies this morning, a light mist falling, and almost no wind. I did not expect to watch the sun crest the horizon with all the cloud cover but needed to include time in the Arapaho Bend Natural Area to start my day. The clouds were showing their better side so I accepted a few images. On the top branch of a barren tree two hawks surveyed their land. I listened to the babbling of hundreds of blackbirds. Not far from where I stood a goose or two were in a heated debate over nesting rights. I watched the graceful slow flying blue herons glide over the water in search of a fishing spot. And in the distance one eagle sat perched on a pole. After giving thanks and a few deep breaths I moved on to enjoy a mocha by Issac and an almond croissant at Starry Night. Rain and snow are predicted later today and into the night. Hope so as we need the moisture. I am grateful for the lens my family and culture gave me, with all of its limits, but I am just as grateful for the lens of maturity I am now seeing the world with. It will be a good day to enjoy a bowl of vegetable soup with andouille sausage added for a kick. Enjoy your day!

  • Black and White,  quotes,  shadows

    The Holiness of the Moment

    “We forget that the path to God is bound up with our life in the world. Evidence of our spiritual mastery lies in our ever-deepening, continuously expanding humanity. The trick is to be as fully present as possible to the holiness of each moment.”

    Mirabai Starr

    I walk by this wall each morning on the way to and from one of my favorite coffee shops. I admittedly often pass, giving it only a mindless quick glance. At other times I can be more present, walking in my shoes rather than wandering aimlessly in my head. This morning I noticed! As it’s an east facing wall these shadows dance on the brick wall as the sun rises above the houses until mid day. Not only do these shadows create art on the wall, and a photo opportunity, they share with me the time of season. Soon to be filled with leaves these shadows will look differently. I’m hoping my noticing is a sign of being more present to life, expanding my humanity. So I accepted the holiness of the moment and sharing it with you. 

  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Listen To Their Songs

    The wind was cold at Pineridge Natural Area this morning. It has been blowing 15-25 mph with gusts up to 40mph almost all day. Therefore, it seemed reasonable to remain in my car rather than sitting on the bench. But when this scene began to appear I needed to step into the wind for a few photos. Glad I did. I actually drove up there because I wanted to journal but due to the wind and cold I moved on to the coffee shop. Just as I approached the door of the coffee shop, I had to stop and listen to the songbirds sing their songs of wonder. I realized how much I need those birds in my life and their songs. I also believe they need me to hear their songs. With their songs, my barista Emma’s warm smile, and a mocha, I began to warm up. 

    Sunrise at f22

    The challenge of wonder is to tolerate uncertainty. If you do not relax into uncertainty, wonder may start to seem like insecurity.

    Lorin Roche
  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    No asphalt here…

    Predawn panorama at Pineridge Natural Area

    “The soil under the grass is dreaming of a young forest, and under the pavement the soil is dreaming of grass.”

    Wendell Berry

    I am grateful for the natural areas and the city of Fort Collins for setting aside these areas. They protect nature from those who want to profit from them and destroy the dreams of the soil. Because it was a beautiful day of blue sky and sunshine, I spent some time at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area this afternoon and journaled. I thought about people who know nothing but the asphalt, concrete and noise of big cities. For them to be present to the silence of the sunrise above or to look out over a vast horizon, could be startling if not frightening to them. So, this evening I’m aware of how lucky, blessed, and grateful I am to have these sanctuaries to experience. I will end with words written in my journal today: No asphalt here…