• quotes,  snow,  trees,  winter scenes

    It’s a quiet day

    March 6, 2026

    Love is the seed of life in my own heart
    when it seeks the good of the other.

    Thomas Merton

    Finally a taste of winter. It began snowing early this morning, just now beginning to let up and turning to rain. I am guessing 1-3 inches of snow. US 287 north from Ted’s Place to Laramie, Wy was closed earlier due to blizzard conditions but is now open. This is a much needed gift of moisture for us. Had a mocha early at Mugs and have laundry in the dryer now. It’s a quiet day. I hope you enjoy your Friday!

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  • clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunsets,  trees,  winter scenes

    Silhouettes

    January 21, 2026

    We have had clear skies most of the day with sunshine but on the cold side. Sure looks like most of the nation is on the cold side and it’s going to get worse in many places. Single digits for lows at night calls for two blankets. My day has been quiet. I was able to drive my car for the first time in three weeks so I went to the coffee shop then the grocery store. All went well and nobody got hurt. Actually it was a good experience to see what life would be like if I did not have a car, which I’ve wondered about. I am still being cautious in what I do and discovered today that I may have overdone the walking as I am a bit sore. This sunset image of two hawks silhouetted in the trees was taken in December of 2020 along Weld County Road 15, one of my favorite locations for sunsets. The image is simple, nothing fancy, but the location is a place of quiet and solitude. And, I believe Mr. James is spot on. Stay warm!!!!

    If you can change your mind, you can change your life.

    William James
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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises,  winter scenes

    Our work…

    January 14, 2026

    “Our work, rather, is to help reawaken the sense of the sacred that is already deep in the human soul,
    our primordial relationship with nature, our ancient mother love of the earth.
    We can be part of its rising again.”

    John Philip Newell

    My recovery is moving along, slowly but surely. I am sleeping in later but I am sleeping restless. They have me sleeping with an oxygen concentrator at night which could be the culprit. I also do take naps throughout the day but I will rest when my body lets me know. I am going to venture out to the coffee shop in the morning. Since I can’t drive yet Jeff will pick me up and we will make a frontal attack on Mugs on Laurel. We are not giving them any warnings, either. We have had intermittent clouds and sunshine today and reached 60 degrees. The sun has set and I am enjoying an Earl Gray Tea. I hope you had a good day!

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  • Metro Parks,  trees,  winter scenes

    Winter Solstice

    December 21, 2025
    Blendon Woods Metro Park, Westerville, Ohio – 2011

    The Winter Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere in 2025 occured today at approximately 10:03 a.m. EST, marking the shortest day and longest night as the Earth’s tilt is furthest from the Sun. So today we officially begin the winter season and signal the gradual return of longer days. And, we celebrate this day because it is also my youngest granddaughters birthday. Happy birthday Madie! And, we have had overcast skies with a mix of rain and snow making it look and feel like winter here in Colorado.

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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    And, I smiled again…

    November 8, 2025

    Autumn leaves don’t fall, they fly.
    They take their time and wander on
    this their only chance to soar.

    Delia Owens

    As I sat in my chair journaling this morning I glanced out my bedroom window to check out the action of autumn. The wind was gusting up to 17 mph so it was inviting the last of the leaves their chance to soar. I smiled as I watched them let go and lift off. There was no rhyme or reason to their flight patterns as they allowed the wind to let them wander on. I wonder, do they smile or squeal with glee as they are caught up in their chance to soar? And that caused me to smiled again. I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  clouds,  fall season,  landscape,  quotes,  reflections,  trees

    Respect

    November 6, 2025

    Respect for the environment, and respect for what was naturally occurring in nature:
    that was the bedrock of all original peoples. Harmony, coexistence, not conquest and conquer.

    L.A. Banks

    The wind has been blowing since early this morning bringing a snowfall of yellow and gold leaves. It is a bad hair day and not suited for bicycling or photography. I met my friend Nancy for coffee and an enjoyable conversation. I’ve been inside the rest of the day doing things such as laundry, a shower and cleaning. Therefore this image was taken in November of 2017 at Arapaho Bend Natural Area. I have had several people compliment me on the gift of the natural areas near me. I must say I am lucky to have these areas and support them with my money and vote which I hope keeps the conquest and conquering fans at bay. May we respect natures ways and enjoy time with her!

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  • fall season,  insects,  leaves,  quotes

    A quiet light…

    November 4, 2025
    The gift of a ladybug and yes, they do have a heart.

    There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. It draws no attention to itself though it is always secretly there. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility and our hearts to love life. Without this subtle quickening our days would be empty and wearsome, and no horizon would ever awaken our longing. Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of life. This shy inner light is what enables us to recognize and receive our very presence here as blessing. We enter the world as strangers who all at once become heirs of a harvesting of memory, spirit and dream that has long proceeded us and will now unfold nourish and sustain us. The gift of the world is our first blessing.

    John O’Donohue, Benedictus
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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    I don’t know, maybe tomorrow…

    October 29, 2025
    Image edited with Color Efex Pro

    The contemplative life is not a way of knowing.
    It is not the path of certitude.
    In fact, that’s what makes it so alive, so necessarily active.

    Cassidy Hall

    I did not ride to the coffee shop this morning as the 23 degrees convinced me driving the car was a warmer option. Maybe tomorrow. We have blue skies, sunshine and not expecting it to get above 55 degrees. I guess you can say I fit into a contemplative life since I am not into the path of certitude, and shun away from those who are walking that path, and I do say “I don’t know” more often.

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  • bicycling,  campus,  fall season,  sunrises

    makes them stop and look…

    October 28, 2025
    CSU Oval

    The poet Mary Oliver suggests in one of her poems (A Lesson From James Wright) that when you sit very quietly in some lovely wild place and listen to silence, that is a poem. I really like that idea. So carrying that further and thinking of our life as a poem, a prayer, a blessing for ourselves and others, maybe adds some aromatic fragrance to who we are and can touch another life. For me this includes creatives such as poets, artists, mystics, photographers, authors, family, friends and others who have done that in my life. I like that idea, also.

    I took this image at the CSU Oval on my ride home this morning. In these later years of my life I am seeing and experiencing this beautiful world in a new way. Something inside me does not want to miss the chance of being a part of it, whether that is being an observer, a poem, a prayer, a blessing, a better loving human, or a silly photographer on a bicycle who stops for photos at the oddest times and makes people stop and look.

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