• Art/Design,  Black and White,  Cityscapes/Urban,  musings,  Plants,  quotes,  shadows,  trees,  writing/reading

    One Must Not Take Photos

    October 4, 2016
    Shadows #1
    Shadows #1
    Shadows #2
    Shadows #2

    “A photograph is neither taken or seized by force.
    It offers itself up. It is the photo that takes you.
    One must not take photos.”

    Henri Cartier-Bresson

    When someone sees me with a camera I am quite often asked if I have “taken” any good “pitchers” today. I find that difficult to answer. First, I carry a camera as if it is a part of me, a creative tool. I only compose and press the shutter button when an image appears. My belief in that grows more and more each day. One of my tasks in life is to have a camera with me and to be present and observe. I must see with my eyes and the eyes of my heart and soul. And, there are days when I never press my shutter button, most likly because I was not present.

    Secondly, what I consider a good image may not be good to someone else. If Cartier-Bresson is correct then a photograph given to me has a purpose of nurturing my soul and change something within me. And for me the beauty of this is the desire to share some of these images with you, whether they are liked or not.

    Thanks for listening. Monte

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  • musings,  writing/reading

    A Cherokee Legend

    April 24, 2016
    Early Spring Sunset along Colorado Front Range
    Early Spring Sunset along Colorado Front Range

    An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him angry at a friend who he felt had done him an injustice, “Let me tell you a story…

    I too, at times, have felt a great resentment for those who have taken so much,with no seeming sorrow or remorse for what they do. I have struggled with these feelings many times.” The grandfather continued, “It is as if there are two wolves inside me engaged in a challenging conflict.”

    “One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.”

    He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. He does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.

    Sometimes, it is a challenge to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit. The same challenge is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

    The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

    The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

    Do you ever stop to ponder….which wolf inside of you do you feed more?

    Hopefully I’m nourishing the “good” wolf while being compassionate and accepting of the “bad” wolf because they both exist within me…and denying either one of them only makes it more passionate to make its existence known. Everything that happens in life provides me with an opportunity for growth. I think the challenge at times is whether or not I am willing to listen to both wolves and see what lessons they are teaching me together.

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  • architecture,  Cityscapes/Urban,  Documentary/Street,  musings,  quotes,  writing/reading

    Give’em a Smile

    October 24, 2015

    The path on campus
    The path on campus

    “In order to move forward, you will have to stumble along the way, but every falter in your stride just makes your next step even stronger.” ― Lindsay Chamberlin

    I stumbled on one of my walks this past week. Of ocurse the first thing I did was check to see who saw me. Luckily, there were no witnesses. I then looked down to see what I’d tripped over but there was nothing. I literally stumbled over nothing. I just failed to properly place one foot in front of the other as I walked. And, no, I was not looking at my phone but my mind had fluttered off somewhere. I had moved away from being mindful and present to my walk. Nor, can I tell you where it fluttered. Happens more often than I want to admit.

    Stumbling can unexpectedly bring us new discoveries, excitement, joys and lessons. And, sometimes stumbling can unexpectedly bring pain, sadness, regret and lessons. But, when we stumble and fall, it’s vital to get back up and dust off the pants, check for witnesses, take note of the reason we stumbled and hopefully learn from any lessons. Stumbling and falling are lessons.

    Anyway, if the next time you stumble and there is a witness, give’em a smile and tell them you intended to do that. 🙂

     

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  • musings

    Judith’s Quilt

    June 20, 2015

    Judith's Quilt
    Judith’s Quilt

    This quilt was made and given to me over 8 years ago by a good friend, Judith. She was in the final stages of melanoma cancer and died a few weeks after giving me this. It now sits on my rocker and is part of my sanctuary. It was part of her process of letting go and passing along a piece of her. That makes it more than just a handmade quilt.

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  • Black and White,  lifestyles,  musings,  quotes,  writing/reading

    Love of Books

    November 7, 2014
    Love of Books
    Love of Books

    It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.

    C.S. Lewis

    I bought a kindle e-reader about five years ago and fell in love with it. It ignited a fire to read more. Prior to this purchase I read few books, 2-3 a year. Most of my reading consisted of reading books required for school assignments, books on spirituality/religions and a few photography books in my attempt to improve at the craft. I was never interested in novels and still that way. I may read a novel every couple years.

    I now have an appreciation for books. I love spending time at the library (that’s where I’m at now) or a book store getting my hands of a few. One of the draws to the Bean Cycle Coffeehouse in Old Town is the nonprofit book store they have. Sometimes I’ll take my latte upstairs, grab a book and skim through part of one. I’ve bought one book from them and donated a few I’ve finished and do not want to keep in my library.

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  • Black and White,  journal,  musings,  writing/reading

    Another Journal

    November 3, 2014
    Another Journal

    Started another journal on October 5th. This is my 22nd book since my first journal entry back on October 7, 1990. The first entry consisted of five sentences at a time of struggle. There was a lot going on inside mading it difficult to express myself in any coherent way.  I wrote about a struggling marriage, family issues, job changes, entering into another unnecessary war and the downward spiral of our society. That was 24 years ago. The marriage ended 9 months later. There are still family issues, I’m now retired, we’re still senselessly killing and our society still has a broken thinker.

    I’ve noticed my writing style has changed. I’m not writing to necessarily find answers but to pursue other questions. My journals are a mix of diaries, writings to a Higher Power (God) and co-authored with him. My audience is for family and friends as well as myself. The journals have been therapy for me. Some things I write and then read back over can enlighten me to a deeper knowledge of myself and allow for an acceptance of the world around me. I find it brings clarity, focus, slows down my troubled thinker and helps organize it. It has become an important part of my life. Now, if I could put words in some sort of coherency instead of feeling like I’m babbling.

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  • musings,  rants

    A Ramble on Technology

    April 13, 2014
    My Glasses
    My Glasses

    Technology has added much to our lives but along with it has come side effects. First, we’re so accustomed to these technologies that life would seem unbearable without them: electricity, gas, clean water, supermarkets, medicines, etc. And, arguably, some side effects may cause more harm than benefit. We have come to feel our luxuries are really necessities such as television, microwaves, phones, automobiles, etc. Can’t live without them. But can we?

    I was taking in all the beauty while walking the path along Spring Creek when I realized I could not enjoy this beauty without the my glasses. For me my glasses are both a luxury and necessity. I had to laugh and knew I wanted to write about it. But first, I wanted to know who invented or discovered eyeglasses? Using one of my other technological tools I did a google search.

    Wikipedia states: The earliest written record of magnification dates back to the 1st century AD, when Seneca the Younger, a tutor of Emperor Nero of Rome, wrote: “Letters, however small and indistinct, are seen enlarged and more clearly through a globe or glass filled with water”. Thus began the invention of using optics so “I” could see on my walk. Without optical technology I would not be looking at the world through my glasses or camera or writing this post. And, that would not be a good thing. 🙂

    And, it’s snowing this morning.

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  • musings,  writing/reading

    Living Life

    March 24, 2014
    Journal and Pen

    “You just have to live and life will give you pictures.” 

    Henri Cartier-Bresson

     I do not always know what will be found between the lines of the pages on my journal. But for over 20 years I’ve taken my pen in hand and opened myself to those blank pages. Words then come, as a gift. And, I think life will also give us words as well as pictures.

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  • musings,  writing/reading

    Reading Books

    February 11, 2014
    An Open Book
    An Open Book

    “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”  ― Ray Bradbury

    When I was younger I seldom read books. Homework? I glanced through them for the book reports. College text books, yuck! Novels? Very few interested me. After high school I spent 4 years in the military, began a family and pursued some form of a career and reading was not part of that.

    Fast forward into my 40’s and a shift of interests lead me in search for nonfiction books on philosophy, spirituality and religion studies. I ‘m still searching. No longer were the answers that important as I became enticed with asking  more questions, a full time student without taking finals. I feel the searching for more questions lead me to discover more about myself and the world around me. I began to collect a nice little  library. Many of these books, and their authors, became my friends. I no longer allowed Hollywood to create a scene but I let the book and it’s author lead me to create my own scenes, inviting me to explore with my own imagination. When I reread some books I found them even better the second time. Since purchasing an e-reader I read even much more.

    In looking at the above image what does it say to you?

    Do you read more or less as you’ve aged? Has your subject matter changed over the years and if so why?

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