My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
There are two hawks perched in the trees in the lower right corner of this image. I assume looking for breakfast or already done and letting it settle. I used come to this area in Weld County on a regular basis but now find it limiting for images due to all the housing going up in the area. I drove out this morning for something different and scouted around for other locations that may work for me.
Cold morning. Another one of those nights, awake at 3:00 am. It said 5 degrees at 5:30 am. Saw the moon and drove to Reservoir Ridge for some full moonset photos. I was given this image on the way home and liked it better. It gives you more of a feeling of what kind of morning it was. Someone has been energetic enough to clear the snow off the ice and created a nice skating rink in the foreground of this image. The Canada Geese were along the open water and in the water enjoying the weather. Not me. When I got back in the car the dashboard said it was 1 degree. I didn’t question it.
inhale deep breaths
mws
journal and pen in hand
words rising within
It was 17 degrees at 7:33 am when I took this image. I was bundled up while the geese, well, they seemed to be singing a song of joy while drifting in frigid water or sleeping on thin ice. Pure insanity to us humans! After taking this image, I headed to Pineridge Natural area to bask in the sun’s bright warmth and journal. Picked up a mocha on the way so it took me about 25 minutes to arrive at the natural area parking lot. It had already warmed up to 18 degrees. Not toasty yet but an increase nonetheless. Some will think I’m insane for starting my day this way but both the geese and I say to heck with them. I enjoy these gifts of silence, the clear blue skies and the warm sun shining on me. To make it complete, when I got home I enjoyed a rather dry day old donut. 😁Do I know how to live or what?
Smoke sits over the city, a haze that settles on everything. Not sure I will ever get used to the smell or the feel it leaves in my throat. A jogger this morning mentioned it was hard on their throat to run in this smoke. I read this mornings fire report and they do not expect to have containment of the Cameron Peak fire until October 31st. That’s a long time for us to deal with the smoke. I must admit the smoke has presented some nicely colored sunrises and sunsets. However, we are done with it already. I think the squawking magpies are done with it, also.
Seeing a lot of fire trucks from out of town as there are over 800 firefighters battling the fire. This past week I saw a school bus full of tired firefighters taking them to a hotel for a refreshing shower and comfortable bed before heading back to the front lines. Most of their tactics are to create barriers to limit the expansion of the fire and working to protect any structures. Sadly, part of the burn area has been a great location for aspen fall colors for many years.
Almost no wind this morning so the water on Dixon Reservoir was glassy smooth. The sun was bright orange through the smoky haze. Very quiet and still when I first arrived. After about 20 minutes a gentle breeze began to sway tree branches, leaves began to rustle while the grasses and sagebrush begin to dance along. The day begins to awaken. It’s going to be 90 degrees today and for the next two days then drop 65 degrees by Tuesday and possibly give us our first snowfall of this season, for sure our first frost. That will help with the fire. Hope you have a great weekend!
Here’s a little bit about the trip to Seattle. First off, the weather was wonderful, highs reached about 70 degrees and lows at night down to 55 degrees. No rain the whole time we were there. I ate too much.
The Vacation Rental By Owner apartment Marcee and John were renting was sweet. It sat up on a hill with a great view of Lake Washington. We walked each day on a flat trail around the lake but the walk included climbing up “The Hill” on the way back. I walked about 12,000 steps each day. The Hill was steep and long enough that this older man had to stop and catch his breath three times to get home. You will see in the photo two orange cones marking holes in the road. I used them as rest stops on the way up.
The walks along the lake were breathtaking for me. The area has such different and diverse plants than we have here in Colorado. The plants and density of them always amaze me. I experienced that when living in Ohio. I was always way behind everyone else because I had to stop so many times.
They had a small propane fire pit on the patio which did provide some warmth if the wind was not blowing. I actually thought it would be nice on my patio but we cannot have grills due to insurance issues.
I decided to only take the Fujifilm X-T3 and the XF35mm f2.0 lens. I was going for family time and did not want the extra weight and bother. It would also have distracted me from family time. So, this image is a major crop. Still not bad. I began to get more comfortable with the camera, its responsiveness and handling. The 30% increase in size and weight are no longer an issue.
I really enjoyed the time with Marcee and John and Sheree. I was also able to see a nephew and niece I’d not seen in about 16 years. It was so. good to see them and their families. The trip was worth. Have a few more days of self-quarantine to where I will feel comfortable around others. But, it is good to be home, even though it’s hot.
When we are alone on a starlit night; when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children; when we know love in our hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet Bashõ we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash – at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the “newness,” the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident, provide a glimpse of cosmic dance.
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Last week somewhere around this spot a white tail doe bounced through the field heading towards the trees in the background. This scene looks very different than last week because the hay was up to her back, guessing it was 3-4 feet tall. The hay has been cut, baled and most of it taken and stacked in some hay barn awaiting the coming winter. Something else different in this scene is one of “my” meadowlarks sitting on the fence post, singing a good morning song. Also enjoyed the sun’s rays shining through the clouds.
This sign is located at the beginning of the trailhead, giving a fair warning. I have a friend who runs some of the trails along the foothills and says they have been seeing more snakes as we get closer to July and things warm up. These signs are important for those who are not familiar to the area and it’s dangers and a reminder to those who forget. I have only seen a couple of them over the past 20 years while exploring the trails. It’s a good idea to make a little noise just so they will scurry away.
The strange look to this water is really the clouds reflected on the calm waters of Dixon Reservoir this morning. When I arrived there were several fishermen out along the shores including this Great Blue Heron. This is almost a 75% crop because it was shot at 55mm, thus it’s not the best image but the feel is what I wanted anyway.
One of the reasons I come here is because of the silence. The nature area is right up along the foothills and does look down on Fort Collins and very little traffic to be heard. But, things seemed quieter this morning at the nature area, with several periods of complete silence, even with the meadowlarks. I did arrive earlier than usual which may be the reason. Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!
Good morning. Southwest airlines has been emailing me almost every day with offers. This mornings email was offering rewards for all days ending in “y”. Now I assume that includes Blurrsday. We had thunder, lightning and rain throughout the night and into this morning. Anyway, I want to rant about the geese….
I find the Canada Goose are interesting to watch. This morning I had a few thoughts I wanted to share with you. First they seem to have no real cares in life except for keeping an eye out for any natural predator, knowing where they are in the food chain. Political issues, the COVID virus, taxes, work stuff are just not a part of their life. They do not seem to be possessive of property but will defend a nesting female within about 10-20 feet of the nest until the young are hatched then it’s back to open land. The gander will fight to protect the female, defend the nest and the young. However, their fighting does not have the intention to kill. Or at least that’s what I’ve observed.
“…the first intention of Nature is the preservation of the universe” and that all beings are striving for that goal. Indeed, “God loves all creatures equally and fills them with his being. And we should lovingly meet all creatures in the same way.”
Meister Eckhart
Stepped out of my condo this morning into a very silent world. There is no wind, no sound of cars. The world seems to have quarantined itself. I hear a chickadee singing to me their happy and short song. I did not need to leave the city to experience the quiet. Eerie feeling inside of me. So many people in fear and so many are indifferent. Stopped at the grocery store yesterday afternoon and so many items gone from the shelves. I noticed a newly opend restaurant serving breakfast this morning that no cars in its parking lot. Churches, schools, sporting events have closed. Amazing how such a small creature can affect the world so quickly. Shows how little power and how insignificant we humans really have. Sharing a few of my feelings and thoughts this morning. Stay safe.