• horizons,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    The refreshing gift of nature…

    February 18, 2026

    It’s been a while since I ventured up to Pineridge Natural Area for predawn skies and sunrises. A couple reasons for that. It requires me to get up early and I find it more difficult to get out of a warm bed. I changed that this morning. I awoke early so… The temperature was 25 degrees and a light breeze from the north. It looked like clear skies as I could see stars but I made the decision to go anyway. As I left my condo I could see a few clouds huddled along the eastern horizon which spurred me on. It was not the best day to be standing in the cold, as February is known for cold, frosty mornings. But as old Father McGuire would say, “It’s just the way God wanted it.” I’m glad I did go and not just to accept an image but to be in the presence of nature. I did not stay long as it does not take long to feel the refreshing gift of nature (and the cold). Not many people out except for one hardy jogger. The sun now shines but the weather app says rain is possible in the early afternoon. I hope you have a wonderful day!

    POD (Pen of the day): Petrol Marbled Pelikan M205 with Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite ink.

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  sunrises

    Sunrise at the Farm

    February 12, 2026

    I took a friend to get a heart catheterization done early Monday morning. On my drive over there I notice the lovely clouds and the their colors. I stopped and accepted a sunrise photo with the silhouette of the farm adding a special touch. It was worth the time to stop.

    Tuesday was cloudy and cold. About mid morning we had light snow and rain but nothing measurable. Wednesday was warmer with sunshine. Today is sunshine with possible rain showers beginning at 3pm. There I got you caught up with the weather. I will post this quickly as I have a friend coming over for lunch. I hope you have a wonderful day!

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Gifts to the World

    February 8, 2026
    Sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area – April 2021

    Joan Chittister suggests that “we must be a gift to the world some way, somehow, for someone.” I’m not sure how many people see themselves as a gift to the world. I’m not sure how many see themselves negatively and therefore not worthy to be a gift. I’m not sure how many see themselves narcistically as the gift to the world and therefore unable to see themselves as a gift they could be. As I pondered those questions this morning I wondered what our world would look like if we did accept ourselves as a gift to this world in some way, somehow, for someone. Would we know peace, serenity, love, compassion, tolerance, generosity, and see ourselves as equals, no one better than or less than. I would love to see the world know the gifts we are to the world and one another! Happy Sunday!!

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  • horizons,  landscape,  rants,  trees

    An Old Soul

    February 6, 2026

    This afternoon I needed time away from the city, again, so I drove out to the eastern plains for a bit of physical silence and solitude. I spent several hours out there, actually. My last stop was this old cottonwood. I look up to this Old Soul who has stood guard over this field and the horizon for many years now. If you’ve followed me for any length of time you have seen several images of this Elder, as I check on them often. What made me stop and take this image was some journaling I did an hour earlier. I am aware of the challenge it is to capture images without the sign of man involved. The Old Soul or Romantic in me has often wondered how I would experience this land with its silence, its solitude and the vastness of it 200-300 years ago. So today I listed a few things in my journal that would not have been here then. There would be no roads, no vehicles, no air pollution, no oil well pumps, no fences, no bar ditches where someone has dumped an old couch, no jets overhead and their contrails, no plowed fields, no irrigation systems, no power lines, no cell towers, no wind turbines, no fields of solar panels, no housing developments, no warehouses full of stuff, no dairy farms, no buried gas lines, no water towers, no farms, and the list could go on. And, one more thing that would be missing would be the sound pollution coming from man’s machinery. I guess what I really was aware of today was how invasive man has been in nature, wondering how many people seem unaware, and may even believe it has always been this way. The sun has set and darkness moves in. It is time for me to publish this, fill my bowl with popcorn and read for awhile. May you stay safe and warm and enjoy your weekend.

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  natural areas,  sunsets

    Happy New Year

    January 1, 2026
    My last sunset photo of 2025

    Since I’m no longer a party guy, I celebrated New Year’s Eve by spending time at Arapaho Bend Natural Area to soak into my memory the gift of the sunset. I was back home and in bed by 8pm, reading. My post today is an image of that sunset along with a wish and pray that the coming year be a wonderful adventure, full of awe and wonder, filled with lessons learned, moments of creativity, more time in nature, quality time with family, good health, and the discovery of your true and authentic self. I am grateful for the gift you are. Happy New Year and hope you enjoyed your day!

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  silence,  sunrises

    A Cold Monday

    December 29, 2025

    Silence is the lost art in a society made of noise.

    Joan Chittister

    We were at 14 degrees this morning at about 5: 45 am. We did warm up to 42 degrees. I am not complaining as I’m aware most of our nation is in a cold spell. It’s been a good day. I made it to Mugs for coffee this morning then had lunch with my friend Duane. I’ve spent the rest of this day at home practicing the art of silence. This sunrise image was taken a year ago at Pineridge Natural Area where I go to experience more silence. I hope you had a wonderful Monday.

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Colorado predawn colors…

    November 15, 2025

    Took this at Pineridge Natural Area this morning. It’s blurry as I forgot to turn off the IBIS while using the tripod. As I headed home I became aware that I was rushing while taking this mornings images. I had nothing urgent on my calendar until later in the day but I was acting like I did. Therefore I was not as present to the moment or what I was doing. I was physically in a natural sanctuary but mentally I was in another place. After a few deep breaths I settled down and the day has gone smoothly. It has been overcast today but the temperature is in the low 60s. For the fun of it here is something from 10 years ago today. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  quotes,  silence

    Living in Solitude

    November 7, 2025

    I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.

    Albert Einstein

    I embraced solitude in my youth while at the same time I was blessed to have close friends and savor memories of times with them. But I remember spending time alone where I used my imagination to create worlds I could control but also kept me from living in reality. In my youth the reality of the world had people in it that did not think or see as I thought and therefore my youth has painful memories. I can recall the wounds inflicted from bullies and the adults who would find fault when I didn’t think as they did and even a God, who I was taught, was finding fault in me. I remember believing there was something wrong with me if I didn’t want to be a part of the crowd and so I would fearfully make the effort to try and fit in. So it is in gratitude that my years of maturity have allowed me to enjoy the delicious gift of healthy solitude in my life while also living in healthy relationships and the gift to have both. 

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  • flutes,  horizons,  landscape,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    …and stayed present

    October 30, 2025
    The flute and the boulder
    Image taken from the boulder

    I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit… The thought of some work will run in my head, and I am not where my body is — I am out of my senses. In my walks I would fain return to my senses…

    Henry David Thoreau in WALKING

    There is a voice deep within me that I need to listen to more often and I am not talking about the never ending chatter of my mind. That voice nudged me to get out of the house and out of my head to enjoy this beautiful day with some quality time in nature. So, after lunch I made a visit to Pineridge Natural Area taking my journal, camera and one of my flutes. As I pulled into the parking lot I was greeted by a group of Magpies lined up on the parking lot fence letting me know they were glad to see me. Turning off the car I looked out across the almost empty reservoir and watched gulls floating over the water in search of food. There was not a cloud to be seen, just a blank blue canvas waiting for a cloud. I began to settle into the present moment slowly letting go of distracting thoughts. I noticed the green of the meadow fading and the brown, yellow and gold of fall replacing it. I walked to a familiar, and comfortable enough, boulder that works as a chair and sat down. I allowed my body to relax and soak in the sun’s warmth. I opened my journal and began writing down a few thoughts on those blank pages rather than keeping them in my head. I then picked up my flute and began to practice. The blowing wind wanted to also play the flute so I didn’t practice that long but laid the flute across my lap, took in deep breaths and stayed present. While Thoreau went to the woods, I went to the meadow. I’m glad I listened to that voice and stayed present. 

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