My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
Neil Gaiman
Hoping you surprise yourself in 2022!
We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
There are moments throughout my day where I do not feel like it is a precious moment. It feels like a struggle to face the next moment, let alone the one I’m presently in. Yet I find taking a deep breath, saying some form of prayer, even a simple word such as thanks or help, and I can walk through the moment. Even then it may not feel like a precious moment but I believe I lived within the parentheses. How about you?
Where light and shadow fall on your subject – that is the essence of expression and art through photography.
Scott Bourne
Shadows always pull my attention to a specific point in an image. Shadows primarily hide features that may be better left unseen or slightly hidden. They for sure add a hint of drama, emotion, or mystery to an image. A bright sunny morning was perfect for providing these shadows on my front porch.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein
Yesterday was a cooler day with refreshing rain and more rain is forecasted for today. It is overcast, damp, and foggy in Colorado this morning. The fog mixed with the smoke filters the sun to glow bright orange through it all. Wish I knew a good way to photograph that color but I haven’t come up with one yet. But, that’s okay because I was able to just sit and experience nature doing its thing, and just for me.
My prayer this morning is for more of us to take a deeper look into nature which means spending time there and on a regular basis. Seems to me Albert knew what he was talking about. Leaving in a few minutes to meet a special friend for coffee and conversation. Have a great Sunday!
simple recipe
ms
frothed milk and espresso
gift of latte art
With overcast and smokey skies this morning I headed to the Bean Cycle for a latte and journaling. My barista, Devan, made a very attractive mocha with her artistic touch. I like how she sprinkles chocolate powder about halfway through pouring the milk then finishes with her latte art. Again, I took this image with that old camera and I think the image turned out decent. But, the mocha tasted perfect. Happy Sunday!
I sat in my car and watched a bashful sun hide behind a bank of clouds sitting along the eastern horizon precisely where the sun was to rise. In the predawn light it teasingly hinted of pink along the northern edge of the clouds, letting me know it was there. As any good friend and lover of nature would do, I sipped on my morning coffee, took an image every once in awhile and waited to see what beauty would be offered.
I experienced a sense of how nature has been teaching me patience in these latter years of my life or at least continuously offering me more lessons. I took 54 images during that hour and found it difficult to decide on just one image to post. I honestly like them all. I finally chose these two because of the cloud patterns, the subtle pink in the first image and the sunbeams in the second. Both also hint of the bashfulness of the sun this mornings. Happy Sunday!
I’m afraid that wearing masks is going to be a part of the future, so I might as well jump in and be fashionable. So, I’ve found these three masks designed by a local woman that I really like. They have the replaceable 5-layered PM2.5 activated carbon filters that slide in and out. The masks are made and distributed by shopvida. They have brought artists together to create these masks along other items then distribute them for the artists. They also are working with the artists and in partnership with SF-Marin Food Bank and Food Bank For New York, to provide meals to communities in need. The cloth is designed by a local woman named Karen Sothoron then made overseas.