• coffee life,  quotes,  rain,  street photography

    … and live it!

    May 18, 2026

    “In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.”

    Barack Obama

    This is looking out my windshield when I pulled up to the coffee shop this morning. I was surprised to see a half dozen people riding bicycles on my way to the coffee shop. They are hardier souls than me! We awoke to overcast skies and this gentle but steady rain, which is nurturing both nature and our souls. I hope they are correct when they say it may rain like this all day. As a beautiful metaphor, I would like to suggest that each raindrop is a symbol of each of us, which in union with other raindrops gives much hope for positive change and nurturing which our world desperately needs. Yes, let’s believe it is possible for us to be the change our world needs and live it!

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  • Art,  coffee shops,  People/Portraits,  quotes,  street photography

    Time in Old Town

    May 8, 2026

    Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.

    Steven Pressfield

    I took my camera for a walk today in Old Town. After a bit of wandering the streets for a while I impulsively decided to stop at Starry Night and splurged on one of their sandwiches for lunch. I sat in one of the old chairs near the front window. That way I had a view of people in the coffee shop and people walking by in the street. I had forgotten how old those chairs were as I felt myself bottom out when I sat down. A moment of panic came over me as I wondered whether I could get up out of the thing. Plus I was about to indulge in a turkey and havarti sandwich.

    I was surprised it was not busy since it was close to lunch time. When I entered there was a table of about six people who were laughing and enjoying their time together and two other people at different tables. None of them were on their electronic devices. But it wasn’t long before people began to come in bringing their electronic devices and wearing headsets or earbuds. The one exception was a woman who brought a notebook, colored pencils, crayons, and sat at a table next to me. She was there to create her art and enjoy her drink of choice.

    I was glad I went in because I was able to have some good journaling time and in a different place than I normally write. I did make it out of the chair and as I was leaving I asked the artist if I could take a photo of her hands at work. After a short conversation I took a couple photos, thanked her, and then left. She did tell me she was enjoying her art now that she has more time in life. I hope you had a wonderful Friday and enjoy this upcoming weekend!

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  • quotes,  street photography

    Compassion

    March 22, 2026

    Compassion is the only way forward if we are to be well. Compassion for those who do not know that they are beloved. Compassion for the children and creatures who are suffering today. Compassion even for the people and nations who wrong us. Revenge has no future, apart from bitterness and the multiplication of wrong. As Mahatma Gandhi taught his people in the midst of his nation’s struggle for justice and liberation, the philosophy of revenge, of an eye for an eye, will only make the whole world blind. If what we are committed to is transformation, then the only way forward is compassion, not revenge. A passion that is with and for the other as well as oneself, a passion that is with us and for the other as oneself.

    John Philip Newell
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  • bicycling,  Camera Equipment,  fence,  Photography,  street photography

    … stuff like this

    March 12, 2026

    When I head out the door I usually carry my camera along with my journal, fountain pens and kindle. Seems I have spent a fortune on camera bags looking for the perfect fit. I have lately been using a nice Lowepro Photosport backpack. It has easy access to the camera via a zippered door on the side. I can easily slide it off one shoulder and pull the camera out. It also has a top loading compartment much like a rucksack to put the journal, pens and kindle in. My only complaint is the heaviness of the backpack but it is designed to protect the camera. However, when I have the camera hanging around my neck and my journal, pens and kindle in a small Topo backpack, I almost always take more images. We see photo opportunities all the time but when the camera is in my bag I am less likely to bring home that image. So, I’m carrying my camera around my neck again, even when riding the bicycle, and you may see more images of stuff like this. We have high wind warnings out today with gusts up to 30 mph. Bad hair day!

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  • Documentary/Street,  Holiday Seasons,  moon,  street photography

    Old Town lights and crescent moon

    December 25, 2025

    When I left this morning for coffee, it was 35 degrees with overcast skies. I was gifted with a beautiful sunrise on the eastern horizon for the entire ride. As I stepped out the door of my condo I immediately noticed the quiet all around me. There was no traffic hum in the distance that many accept as normal and never notice. It was again an awareness of how much noise pollution our vehicles make. It also reminded me of when we first went into covid shutdown and the quiet that descended upon us for several weeks. On my bicycle ride home from coffee it had warmed up to 41 degrees but still overcast and cold. I stopped to observe a majestic bald eagle and held eye contact with them for several minutes along Spring Creek Trail. We just watched one another, no spoken words were necessary. What a gift that we shared.

    Old Town lights and the Crescent Moon

    The above image was taken last night when I went to Old Town to get some photographs of their Christmas lights and to watch people. It is a 14 second exposure so most of the people are blurred out. But, I want to share a special gift I received while watching a family of five. It looked to be mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, and a young girl who was in the spirit of the season and singing Jingle Bells, over and over. Everyone within hearing distance was her captivated audience! I don’t believe any person around me did not have a smile on their face as she sang. And, I wonder how many joined in, even silently. I did! And what’s interesting to me is that she may be offering this gift of song freely with no expectations of receiving in return. If only our world was focused on giving rather than receiving. Today I will cook up a chicken thigh with petite potatoes and baby carrots in my new Ninja Crispi air fryer. May you have a wonderful day, enjoy family time if possible and hopefully consume some chocolate today or at least think about it.

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  • quotes,  street photography

    A Walk Down the Alley

    January 7, 2025

    Photography is the easiest art, which perhaps makes it the hardest.

    Lisette Model

    There is some amazing hidden artwork in the alleys of Old Town Fort Collins. Every so often I enjoy taking my camera down these alleys and see what images I might discover. My camera does not have to stop and pee or sniff like a dog would which makes it easy. My light on this day was soft diffused light from overcast skies. I am learning to stand before scenes like this with awe. At first I was drawn to the colors, but after a while, the intricacy of all the lines pulledme into it. I’m glad I took a walk down the alley. We awoke to a couple inches of snow and it still snowing. Again, it looks like everyone is dealing with winter conditions. Stay warm and enjoy your day!

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  • Art,  quotes,  street photography

    The Meaning of Life

    November 12, 2024
    BirdsEye mural by Ren Burke

    I think “the meaning of life” is something we have to formulate for ourselves, we have to determine what has meaning for us… It clearly has to do with love — what and whom and how one can love.

    Oliver Sacks

    We had another beautiful day yesterday, beginning with an orange sunrise then blue skies and sunshine. In the afternoon I headed to Old Town to walk the streets with my camera. I found a few images then did some journaling at Starry Night, enjoying an Earl Grey Tea. I believe so deeply in what Oliver Sacks suggests that the meaning of life is about love. So today I ask myself what and whom and how I can love.

    In 2004 as a collaboration between the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places Program and Utilities Light and Power created The Transformer Cabinet Mural Project. Serving as a graffiti abatement program, the murals help lower maintenance costs while adding bright colorful art in unexpected places. The program also helps keep the investment local by utilizing local artists and non-profit groups to paint the cabinets. Since the start of the program, 20 years now, over 400 transformer cabinets have been transformed into works of art.

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  • coffee life,  street photography,  sunrises

    Morning Starburst

    October 14, 2024

    It was 37 degrees when I left the condo this morning. Cold mornings like today make for chilly rides. In spite of the cold I do enjoy the short ride. And, the Earl Gray tea at Mugs hits the spot. This image is taken outside the front door of the coffee shop just after the sun has risen. The older buildings are a part of CSU campus. 

    Morning Starburst

    I’m getting accustomed to using the bicycle as my primary mode of transportation now. I used the bicycle to meet my oldest daughter for lunch today, about a ten mile round trip. Again, I took the bike trail so I’m not dealing with traffic. They have built tunnels under the major north south bound roads so I needed to only cross one busy road, which has a crosswalk light. These trails also keep me connected with nature, where I get to experience the beauty of our fall season.

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