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

    Capacity for Gratitude

    July 15, 2024

    What is the duty of humans? If gifts and responsibilities are one, then asking “What is our responsibility?” is the same as asking “What is our gift?” It is said that only humans have the capacity for gratitude. This is among our gifts.

    Robin Wall Kimmerer

    Sometime during the night flashes of lightning and thunder filled my room and raindrops tapped against my window. Not sure I slept very well after that. As I lay there I realized how few sunrises I see this time of the year. Daylight savings now has the sun rising a bit too early for this older body. I was unable to return to the land of dreams and deciding not to fight it, I threw the covers off about 4:03 am and began the day. 

    When I arrived at Pineridge Natural Area it was a warm 68 degrees according to my car’s dashboard. A refreshing and gentle breeze caressed my face as I sat on the bench to journal. A few light clouds hovered just above the eastern horizon offering a mix of pink and silver that eventually gave way to an orange sunrise. Darker clouds rose above the mountains in the west, hinting of possible rain later today. A baby cottontail nibbles on leaves near me and Magpies chatter endlessly. After a while I took the camera for a walk, looking with the child’s eye. Before leaving, I rubbed sagebrush between my fingers, wanting to carry its scent with me into the day. I felt a rush of gratitude flow through me. I then headed for the coffee shop, hoping to share this gratitude with others. It’s been a good but early start to this day. Hope you have a great Monday!

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

    Miracles and Insights

    July 11, 2024

    The difference between confusion and ‘don’t know’ is that confusion can only see one way out and that way is blocked, while ‘don’t know’ is open to miracles and insights.

    Joyce Rupp

    The years of my life spent in confusion were often based on the presumption that I knew and if I didn’t know, I could quickly find out or fake it. Today I am willing to admit there are many more things I don’t know than I know, or think I think I know. So much more enjoyable to ask questions and be open to miracles and insights. Know what I mean?

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area

    Morning Clouds

    May 10, 2024
    An image from the parking lot at Pineridge Natural Area looking out over Dixon Reservoir just after sunrise.

    Clouds are one of Nature’s most beautiful mediums for creating art, and it never ceases. I also believe they are one of the ways Nature speaks to us. There was nothing spectacular about the clouds this morning. Yet, they touched my soul. And, so I found myself smiling after morning time with a few clouds in the eastern sky. Enjoy your Friday!

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

    What Can’t Be Defined

    April 30, 2024
    Sunrise at about 6:01:13 am

    Despite what dictionaries would have us believe, this world is still mostly undefined.

    John Koenig

    The wind blows from the west, it’s cold penetrating my windbreaker. A small flotilla of pelicans drifts along the reservoir’s shore. I watch the sun quietly rise above the horizon announcing the new day’s arrival. There’s a serenity over the meadow, wrapping itself around me. I hear the song of one lone meadowlark and a couple of chattering magpies who are not lost for words. Yet, I am lost for words in this experience. Expressing how nature affects us seems impossible. Truth be it’s more about the gift of experiencing it, rather than words. Yet, the poet puts words to paper in their attempt to define what they experience and see. The artist also puts brush to canvas in their attempt using visual words. Makes me wonder if the meadowlarks and magpies are just as lost for words but simply doing the best they can. Maybe it’s all about the attempts by poets, artists, magpies and dictionaries to define what can’t be defined. 

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    Our Gifts and Needs

    April 25, 2024

    When we arrive on earth, we are provided with no map for our life journey. Only gradually, as our identity forms and we get an inkling of who we are, do possibilities begin to emerge that call us. It is one of the weightiest decisions: to decide what to do with our life. The challenge is to find a way of life that will be in harmony with our gifts and needs.

    John O’Donohue

    Today’s life journey started with prayer and meditation then moved on to include time at Pineridge Natural Area. The stunning clouds had a softness to them where I wanted to reach out and touch them. There was also a hint of pink in them when I first arrived. The quiet over the meadow was only broken when the blackbirds would sing along the shallows of the reservoir. I was given a special gift as a break in the clouds allowed the sun to send a ray of sunlight upon the earth. I have a crockpot of cabbage and sausage cooking, enjoyed a mocha latte and a barista smile! Who knows, maybe a nap later. Enjoy your day’s journey!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Morning Prayer

    April 24, 2024

    “I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.”

    Terry Tempest Williams

    I listened to it raining during the night so I was surprised to see an almost clear sky this morning. Since I woke early I made my way to Pineridge Natural Area to enjoy the beginning of a new day, bringing my camera just in case. Listening to the choir of meadowlarks and robins this morning lifted my spirits, setting the tone for the day. Listening seems to be a theme for me this morning, so I better listen. I stopped at Starry Night later and enjoyed a mocha latte made by Hannah. I listened as she excitedly shared about the blossoms on the tree outside her bedroom window, even showing me photos. And, I listen as they play In My Life by the Beatles. Hope you have a wonderful day!

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  • natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  trees,  winter scenes

    Where’s Spring

    April 18, 2024

    Good morning from Colorful Colorado. Well, this morning it looks more like a black and white world. What a difference twelve hours can make. Yesterday we had rain showers moving through the area in the afternoon, giving us a feeling of spring. So waking up this morning to see snow was a surprise. I had about an inch on my car this morning. My weather app predicts a 70% chance of snow but I know damn good and well that’s snow, not rain. The above image is another photograph of the cottonwood on Stewart Street. I have a series of this tree taken during all different seasons and time of day. And the weather app says we have two more days of this.

    This is a view of Dixon Reservoir. One trait of the spring snows is the ability to cling to leaves and branches. You can see in both images how the snow clings to the trees. I must admit that these wet spring snows can be absolutely beautiful! I learned a long time ago to not put my winter coat away until at least July. The snow did not stop the joggers and runners out there on the trails. In the top image you can see someone walking their dog. Brave souls!

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