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

    Morning Chapel

    September 20, 2026

    A good way to start a Sunday morning, or any morning, is time at Pineridge Natural Area. Joining me this morning at chapel were three Mule Deer, a couple of cottontails, a small choir of ducks and geese on Dixon Reservoir, a lone fisherman standing on the shore, and the nonstop chatter of magpies. We were finally gifted with a lovely afternoon rainstorm yesterday. It brought such a refreshing scent of rain, bright clear skies and if you were present to the moment, the loving touch of Creation. Morning chapel!

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

    A nice start to this day…

    August 13, 2026

    Within each of us there is a silence, a silence as vast as the universe.
    And when we experience that silence, we remember who we are.

    Gunilla Norris

    I have not been to Pineridge Natural Area in quite some time so I changed that this morning. It is supposed to rain later today, which means there would be a chance for colors with clouds at sunrise. I parked, turned off the car and was met with silence. I was given a bit of pink color along the horizon and the air was clear of smoke. Dixon Reservoir was calm and offered a nice reflection. I took a few photos then left to meet Jeff at the coffee shop. Sunrise and silence, coffee and conversation with a friend, always a nice start to the day.

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  • bicycle rides,  bicycling,  landscape,  mountains,  nature,  Plants,  reflections,  Spring Creek Trail,  trees

    Another Hot Day…

    July 12, 2026
    Edited with Lightroom and Jetpack Fantasy Art

    The original image for this scene was taken this morning on my bicycle ride home from the coffee shop. I am standing at a concrete detention wall that creates a small pond used for water control. I must say the bicycle ride home from the coffee shop, almost two hours later, was much hotter than the ride to the coffee shop. Today is expected to be in the upper 90s and I can feel it now. Same forecast for the next 5 days. And for anyone interested I found out Dairy Queen was closing about 45 franchises due to some franchise issues, primarily Alaska, Texas and Montana. Luckily the closures do not affect my area. Whew!! I hope you stay cool and calm today!

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  • bicycle rides,  bicycling,  landscape,  reflections,  sunrises

    Smoky Sunrise

    June 28, 2026

    This was the scene along Spring Creek Trail this morning. The fires west of here in Utah and Colorado are now affecting us. We are seeing ash settling on cars and you can smell it. Sadly I heard this morning at the coffee shop that 3 firefighters have died and 2 have been injured in the 28,000 acre Snyder-Mesa Fire. I am not sure but assume this is the fire where most of the smoke filled air is coming from. In spite of the sad news, may you enjoy your Sunday!

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  • pond,  reflections,  water

    Reflections

    June 27, 2026

    It’s HOT here in Colorado today. Weather app says 93 degrees. I took this yesterday afternoon because I love the reflection in the almost glass like pond. When it gets this warm and the water in the pond moves every so slowly we get plenty of filamentous algae growing on the pond. It looks rather yucky to me but the carp and suckers love it. Some research says the best way to control this algae is to eliminate fertilizers. I’m all for that! Stay cool and I hope you are enjoying the weekend.

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  reflections,  sunrises

    Overcast and Cold

    November 26, 2025

    Selfishness seldom has to do with reaching for the biggest piece of cake on the plate;
    rather, it is preoccupation with our selves.

    Marcus Borg

    It is overcast and cold here this morning. A brisk 22 degrees when I left for coffee. Needless to say I did not ride the bicycle to coffee. However, it’s up to 30 degrees now. I put on a crockpot of chili soup earlier and will indulge in that later. I sure do like how my house smells when I’m cooking with a crockpot. Today will be a quiet day at home with reading, journaling and some flute practice. I took this sunrise and reflection image at Arapaho Bend Natural Area back in October. Have a wonderful day!

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  quotes,  reflections

    You’ll learn things you never knew…

    November 13, 2025
    Beaver Pond at Arapaho Bend Natural Area

    “But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
    You’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew.”

    Lyrics from Colors of the Wind

    Yesterday I came across a song from Pocahontas called Colors of the Wind. I discovered a flutist playing the song and liked it. So I searched for copies of the music, thinking I’d like to learn to play it. I downloaded a copy of the music which also had the lyrics. I have heard the song before but never seen the movie. I was surprised how the lyrics impacted me. I began to cry because it hits home to the arrogance and contempt of much of the world, and especially in this country. I have continued to be emotional today, partly because the lyrics explain so much of our troubled world but also because there has been a lot of loss in my circle of friends and family lately. I am now inspired to really learn the song on my flute. Even if you’ve heard the song before I suggest you listen to the song. And I hope you had a wonderful day.

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  • bicycling,  landscape,  moon,  quotes,  reflections,  Spring Creek Trail

    Living in the moment…

    November 9, 2025
    The moons footprint in the sky

    To live in the moment… is the onlyfootprint one must follow..

    Oglala Lakota- Hinhan Wakangl

    After coffee and conversation with my friends Terri and Jeff I rode home via Spring Creek Trail. The moon set its footprint in a clear blue sky over the mountains in the west. It seemed to be happy! Because it was happy I couldn’t let the opportunity pass for a photo. Now, I was happy! I hope you have a great day and I see snow is falling up north now.

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