• 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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  • bicycling,  nature,  quotes,  reflections

    Feeling Reality

    October 6, 2024
    Cloudless sky and reflections

    It is no longer a matter of expressing reality,
    but of expressing what one feels about reality.

    Aaron Siskind

    In some places along the Spring Creek Trail there is little color change among the trees while there are trees in my neighborhood that are almost barren of leaves. This image shows a touch of color and its reflection in the glass like water at Cattail Chorus Natural Area. My feelings in this image is not the colors as much as the clear open blue sky and reflection. I admit to being attracted to our Colorado clouds, yet some of the most impressive images one can make are the amazing blue cloudless skies.

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  • bicycling,  Cityscapes/Urban,  quotes,  sunrises

    Start of the Day

    October 2, 2024

    Hello, sun in my face.
    Hello you who made the morning
    and spread it over the fields…

    Watch, now, how I start the day
    in happiness, in kindness.

    Mary Oliver

    I would add to her start of the day, a bicycle ride to a favorite coffee shop and an image of the sunrise along the way. Weather app suggests the possibility of 90 degrees today. Toasty!

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  • bicycle rides,  nature,  quotes

    A gift to others

    September 24, 2024

    … to be human is to become visible while carrying what is hidden as a gift to others…

    David Whyte

    It was a 2.2 mile ride to coffee this morning but I decided to take the long-cut home and added 9.3 miles. It was wonderful! We had another beautiful day here in Colorado. I spent time at Reservoir Ridge this afternoon for some much needed reading and journaling. It was one of those days. Nature is a gift!

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  • bicycle rides,  quotes

    Bring it on…

    September 23, 2024
    CSU Oval

    “I’ll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there’s evidence of any thinking going on inside it.”

    Terry Pratchett

    Snow fell in the high country over the weekend which probably elevated the heart rate on a few snow skiers. As predicated this morning was the coldest morning this season. So, I bundled up and enjoyed my bicycle ride to coffee and conversation. I am grateful that this last two hundred yards of my ride are through this CSU Oval which leads me directly to Mugs at CSU. We are expecting beautiful weather the rest of this week!

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  • bicycle rides,  bicycling,  Pedaling on

    About the bicycle

    September 14, 2024

    The bicycle I’ve purchased is a Trek Verve+ 1 LT which is a lightweight electric city bike. It has a lightweight Alpha Gold Aluminum frame with lowstep geometry, which is what this older guy needs. It has an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, a Hyena (250W, 40Nm) motor capable of sustaining speeds up to 20mph, an LED Bluetooth controller, and 250Wh battery with an estimated range of 35 miles, which is integrated into the down tube. It also has hydraulic disc brakes, extra wide 27.5 x 2″ tires for stability and traction, ergonomic grips, fenders, and lights. The bicycle weighs 44 pounds, which makes it easy to maneuver and is easy ride without the assist. Being a Class 1 ebike, it has no throttle and therefore I must be peddling to have any kind of assist. Oh, and it’s red! Pedaling on….

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  • bicycle rides,  clouds,  Pedaling on,  quotes,  sunrises

    Moments like this

    September 11, 2024
    Sunrise over CSU campus this morning

    We can express them (beauty and love) with words but cannot define them — we can only say that this and this are included but that is not, and wordlessly we all recognise the truth of it. Speech is limited, no matter what the language…. For in our hearts we understand more than we can possibly talk about.

    N.J. Berrill

    I stopped for this image on my ride to the coffee shop this morning. Makes me wonder if my coffee life is enriched because of moments of beauty like this. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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  • bicycle rides,  bicycling,  landscape,  sunsets

    Nice Gentle Ride

    September 7, 2024

    I took a nice gentle ride early yesterday evening along Spring Creek Trail to Spring Creek Park. There is lots of natural beauty along this trail, so I hope to be able to show more photos as I ride this trail. This photo was taken shortly before the sun set around 6:55 pm. I am gathering with a few high school classmates today for an ‘end of summer’ picnic at 11:00 am. It looks like we will have plenty of sunshine and I assume more than enough food. I am taking a crockpot of barbecue pulled chicken for making sliders and a roll of Tums. I hope you enjoy your weekend!

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