• bicycling,  coffee life,  landscape,  sunrises

    Damn, it was good!

    November 13, 2024
    Sunrise at the CSU Oval with a dirty lens

    I received an interesting email this past week from attorneys in California “demanding” me to remove images from my website because I was infringing on copyrighted images belonging to their company. They had a link to a file listing the images but the link was incomplete. I did some research on the attorneys and discovered they deal with estate and trust litigation. I was sure it was a scam of some sort because as far as I know I have no images on this blog that are not mine. I was concerned that I may have posted a quote or poem that someone was wanting me to take down, which I would do, so I called them. I found out they were aware someone was using their company name and that I could ignore the email. So confusing that people can think of doing something like that, then acting on it and never see the results. Anyway…

    The other morning at Mugs I discovered one chocolate eclair sitting in their pastry case. I was flabbergasted because they normally do carry them except in the downtown store. I knew immediately some poor unsuspecting customer, maybe even a friend, was going to see that eclair and be tempted buy it. So, I quickly made the sacrifice and bought it, thinking only of them of course. Damn, it was good!

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  • bicycling,  fall season,  leaves

    Sunday Turkey Trot

    November 3, 2024
    Fallen leaves at the CSU Oval

    My ride to coffee this morning was an enjoyable 10.1 mile round trip. It was 38 degrees by the time I headed out the door, at 6:40 am. I’m enjoying riding enough that the cold has not deterred me from getting out there. Bundling up along with the exercise are a couple of good things for my health. Colors are still vivid in many places which brings on a smile. As leaves were falling like gold and yellow snowflakes it reminded me that it won’t be long and white snowflakes will replace them.

    Mallards on Spring Creek

    I stopped to spend some time at the small concrete dam and gate area along Spring Creek. The water was smooth, blues skies reflected in the water and I had the time to stop. Three mallards felt the need to get in the image so I let them.

    Sunday Turkey Trot on Spring Creek Trail

    Most Sunday mornings I will encounter walkers, their dogs and bicyclists, all using these wonderful hard surface trails. This morning I needed to stop because a bunch of turkeys were taking their time as they trotted cross the bike trail. They seemed to think it was all theirs. So I let all 13 in the group have the right of way. About 1:00 pm they wandered across my front yard, which is about 2 miles from where I took this image. I’ve never seen them this far in town. Do you suppose they are looking for a place to hide? Hope you had a good Sunday!

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  • bicycling,  quotes,  trees

    Cluelessness

    October 26, 2024

    When it comes to learning something new, cluelessness turns out to be the perfect and only place to start.

    Margaret D. McGee

    One of the gifts with bicycling along the hard surface trails in Fort Collins has been the connection to nature. The trails separate me from the city noise but within the city. Unless I told you there were homes a short distance from this scene you wouldn’t know it, you’d be clueless! A brisk 31 degrees this morning but clear blue skies and sunshine now. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

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  • bicycling,  fall season,  leaves,  quotes,  seasons

    Nature’s Tapestry

    October 16, 2024

    In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.

    John Muir

    I can just as easily replace the word walk in this quote with bicycle ride. As I rode through this one area I noticed a scene that I noticed a scene I wanted to photograph. I took several images but was not satisfied with any of them. I turned to get back on the bike and noticed this scene. It is a busy image but the colors, eclectic shapes and patterns caused me to squat down beside the water and accept the image. Because I took the time to stop and squat a woman walking by also stopped to see what I was seeing. She thanked me and we both smiled as we received nature’s tapestry. Taken on my bicycle ride yesterday along Spring Creek Trail.

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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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  • clouds,  landscape,  musings,  sunrises

    Just a touch of pink…

    October 9, 2024

    I enjoyed my ride this morning to the coffee shop. It was cool and crisp at about 47 degrees but not cold. I find these rides to be invigorating, actually beginning to look forward to them. No traffic to deal with and parking is a breeze. I enjoyed my coffee conversations this morning with Jeff, Curtis, Shawn, Terry and Adrianna, which always seems to make the coffee taste better.

    A touch of pink over CSU campus this morning

    I journaled this morning about how short life is, aware mine gets shorter each day, each breath. I do not know when my heart will beat its last beat, but I am at a place of acceptance when that moment comes. And that acceptance includes finding myself waking each morning with gratitude, looking forward to the possibilities of the day. What photo will be given? Who will I share a conversation with? What lesson(s) can I learn today? What words will I find on the pages of my journal? Will I be present to experience feelings of gratitude, love, fear, serenity, anger, sadness, and other emotions that make me human? These remind me of Mary Oliver’s question asking us how we will live this one wild and precious life given to us? I will not have an answer until I reflect back on my day when I lay my head on my pillow tonight. But, I must say my day has been rich and fulfilling already and it’s not finished.

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