• fall season,  grass,  landscape,  mountains,  natural areas,  Plants,  quotes,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area,  sunsets

    Our Deepest Calling

    December 6, 2021

    “Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks–we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.”

    Parker Palmer

    I believe this authentic self Parker talks about is something more than being the sports hero, rock star, truck driver, doctor or whatever fantasy we’ve had. He also suggests it’s a calling and not something we attain. Nor is our authentic self found in our attempts to be accepted in some way, to fit in. Seems we need to do some self-examination to be who we were meant to be. This was taken at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area on a sunny beautiful Saturday.

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  • fall season,  leaves,  Plants,  seasons

    Ya had to shoot fast

    October 29, 2021

    I find leaves are amazing but especially in the fall. Seems nature makes wonderful art with them. For this image I found the wind blowing so I had to compose and shoot fast before my composition changed. Every fall when I see the leaves fall I feel a bit of frustration and sadness that they are not able to continue their life cycle, as man has other ideas for their lives. I may have whined about this before. 😁 Anyway, I’m drawn to the details, shape, lines, texture and color of leaves in the fall. I know some people who see “leaf creatures” in images like this. I’ve searched but don’t see any here or lack the openness of a child’s mind to see them. However, our good friend and fellow photographer, Mark, does here, here, here and here.

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  • fall season,  leaves,  Plants,  seasons,  trees

    Song of Autumn

    October 23, 2021
    Couple images taking on my walk yesterday afternoon
    …and a poem by Mary Oliver called Song of Autumn

    In the deep fall
    don’t you imagine the leaves think how
    comfortable it will be to touch
    the earth instead of the
    nothingness of air and the endless
    freshets of wind? And don’t you think
    the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
    warm caves, begin to think

    of the birds that will come — six, a dozen — to sleep
    inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
    the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
    the everlasting being crowned with the first
    tuffets of snow? The pond
    vanishes, and the white field over which
    the fox runs so quickly brings out
    its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
    bellows. And at evening especially,
    the piled firewood shifts a little,
    longing to be on its way.

    Mary Oliver
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  • fall season,  leaves,  Plants,  seasons,  trees

    Prefer Solitude

    October 12, 2021
    Fall colors from my walk

    “Some people prefer solitude. They say their peace of mind depends on this. Others say they would be better off in church. If you do well, you do well wherever you are. If you fail, you fail wherever you are. Your surroundings don’t matter. God is with you everywhere — in the marketplace as well as in seclusion or in the church. If you look for nothing but God, nothing or no one can disturb you. God is not distracted by a multitude of things.
    Nor can we be.”

    Meister Eckhart

    I have lived alone for many years. During that time I have owned my own place and at times invited others in when necessary for short periods of time. That changes this week as I will be staying with friends in their spare bedroom while mold mitigation is done to my condo. So my surroundings are different. My lifestyle will be different. My solitude will be different. To top it off my car is in the shop for a couple days so I’m not as mobile. We will see if I do well in my new situation and temporary surroundings. 😁

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  • clouds,  fall season,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  seasons,  sunrises

    Alive Within Mystery

    October 11, 2021

    “I see that the life of this place is always emerging beyond expectation or prediction or typicality, that it is unique, given to the world minute by minute, only once, never to be repeated. And this is when I see that this life is a miracle, absolutely worth having, absolutely worth saving. We are alive within mystery, by miracle.”

    Wendell Berry
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  • fall season,  leaves,  Plants,  seasons

    The Look of Fall

    September 27, 2021
    Fall colors this morning

    What a wonderful wedding for my granddaughter yesterday. The weather cooperated, lots of tears were shed, joy and love was experienced by family and friends, and food was a plenty. The wedding had to be postponed for a year due to the pandemic and our restrictions. I believe it was worth the wait. I pray for a blessed marriage of many years. Congratulations Madie and Brandon. I love you! ❤️

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  seasons,  snow,  winter scenes

    I Have a Headache

    April 22, 2021
    Snow squall at Pineridge Natural Area at sunrise.

    This morning we awoke to overcast skies, light snow again and cold. Yet, I could just see a bit of glow in the east so drove to Pineridge Natural Area. I could see the snow squall moving to the northeast, the city shrouded in the aquall. It was quiet and peaceful up there. Saw three mule deer passing along the trail just below me and saw a fox.

    Mule deer keeping an eye on me because I could be danger

    I listened to a podcast between two professional landscape photographers talking about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I’ve never really thought much about SEO because I never thought of myself as a professional photographer so why bother. But after some reflection I admitted the real reason was sloth. So I did some reading on it to try and understand it better. Now I have a headache!

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