• bicycling,  clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    In the presence of beauty

    April 16, 2026

    The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere – in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion and in ourselves. No-one would desire not to be beautiful. When we experience the Beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming. Some of our most wonderful memories are of beautiful places where we felt immediately at home. We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul.

    John O’Donohue

    What a beautiful morning for a bicycle ride along Spring Creek to Mugs for coffee and wonderful conversation. This is a good time of the year for images like this due to the timing of my ride and the rising of the sun. I’m sharing this image of what I get to experience on these morning rides. Alissia was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink. A few clouds have now moved in as a cold front arrives late tonight which I hope brings us moisture in the form of rain and snow early Friday morning. And, both Friday and Saturday nights could be below freezing. I will be okay with that if we also get moisture. May you enjoy this day!

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  • bicycle rides,  bicycling,  landscape,  moon,  natural areas,  nature,  quotes

    To See Another View

    April 8, 2026

    “The humble person is open to being corrected, whereas the arrogant is clearly closed to it. Proud people are supremely confident in their own opinions and insights. No one can admonish them successfully… Filled as they are with their own views, the arrogant lack the capacity to see another view.”

    Fr. Thomas Dubay

    It was an amazingly warm morning at 57 degrees when I headed for the coffee shop. I decided to take the Fisher Nature Area then connect to the Spring Creek Trail and was greeted with the moon sitting in the southern sky. So glad I took a different route as it offered me another view. It will be a day for reading and writing, a short meeting with friends at noon then meet a friend at 4 pm. May you enjoy this day and the view it offers!

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  • bicycling,  campus,  clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Sunrise on Campus

    April 3, 2026

    Solitude is important to man…
    It is his refuge when the very foundation of his life are being shaken by disastrous events.

    Margaret E. Mulac

    I stopped and took this image of the predawn colors over the Lory Student Center on campus this past week on my ride to the coffee shop. Posting this late and hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend!

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  • bicycling,  campus,  clouds,  landscape,  sunrises

    Clouds at Predawn

    March 14, 2026

    The cloud is free only to go with the wind.
    The rain is free only in falling.

    Wendell Berry

    Here is this morning’s predawn sky over campus on my bicycle ride to Mugs. Emily was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink of choice this morning. We had some dramatic winds along the Colorado Front Range and into Wyoming on Thursday. They closed I-25 and US 287 north from Fort Collins to Cheyenne and Laramie for the better part of the day. There were wind gusts recorded over 80 mph. So there has been some major wind damage. The campus had some big old pine trees toppled. They released students early on Thursday due to the winds and it was the last day of class before spring break. What was interesting to me about this wind was having it blow for almost 12 hours nonstop. As my friend, Joan, described it, it was “unsettling.” They are predicting more high winds again today and into tomorrow. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

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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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  • bicycle rides,  bicycling

    Getting some exercise

    February 27, 2026

    Well, I have now riden the past five consecutive days and love being back on the bicycle. A couple of those days I had to deal with north/northwest wind gusts up to 20 mph so I got in some good exercise. I took this image of the red steed at Spring Canyon Park which is where I turn around and head back. It’s an easy 10 mile round trip. The sun has set so time to push publish. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

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  • bicycling,  clouds,  horizons,  lake,  landscape,  quotes

    Well Worth the Effort

    February 24, 2026

    “There are a hundred paths through the world that are easier than loving.
    But, who wants easier?”

    Mary Oliver

    I finally got in my much needed bicycle ride yesterday afternoon. I rode out to Spring Canyon Park and back, a 5.9 mile ride. The last time I rode was December 27th. It felt good physically and mentally to ride again. I followed that up with a round trip ride to Mugs and back this morning, about 5.4 miles. My Fitbit is telling me to take it easy and go slower and I am. It has been cloudy and overcast today with the wind gusting up to 16 mph but the temperature is 68 degrees. Winter is not showing up in Colorado. The above image was taken last week on a drive along Horsetooth Reservoir. Love the blue and the effort!

    For many years I had no clue what love was. I guess you can say I took a lot of those paths Mary Oliver mentions in search of it , while not really knowing what I was looking for. It also took a while to realize how I had love, lust and desires all tangled up in my head. I am happy to say that the past 25-30 years have given me an appreciation of all the varieties of love we can experience in life and the wisdom that there is no need to define love, but only experience the gift of loving and being loved. It requires knowing ourselves, letting go of preconditioned notions of love, taking risks, being open to the other, and an openness to the unlimited possibilities. That’s true whether loving or being loved. As Mary suggests it is not easy but in my experience, well worth the effort! I would even suggest it’s much easier than being full of hate. I hope you are having a good day.

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  • bicycle rides,  bicycling,  landscape,  Spring Creek Trail

    Taking a short trip…

    November 18, 2025

    This is an image taken along the Spring Creek Trail. I have wanted to stop on several occasions and take this image for quite some time but I seem to always tell myself tomorrow. The morning’s ride became that tomorrow. I plan to stop more often in an effort to catch the light at different times. I have seen the water glisten with sunlight around mid-morning and I would like to capture that. Anyway this is the scene with overcast skies.

    My sister and I fly out tomorrow for Phoenix to spend Thanksgiving a week early with my dad, sister and brother-in-law. It will be a short trip, coming back on Saturday. That should give me enough time to enjoy my family and overeat. I will not be posting much so I will catch up when I get back.

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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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