• clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes

    … it’s how we live.

    April 24, 2026

    “…the greatest reward for a creative life is not in what you create, but in how you live. It is in how you train yourself to view and respond to the world and internalize the many experiences and meanings and mysteries that come your way. It is about finding peace and satisfaction in a world rife with cynicism, violence, competition and greed.”

    Guy Tal

    I posted the above quote back on June 11, 2012, about 14 years ago. It spoke to me then and it speaks to me now in my photography, blogging and how I try to live my life. Pursuing a creative path is helping me find peace and satisfaction in a world that is rife with cynicism, violence, competition and greed. One of the things I do to live my life and find peace is spend time in nature. So, I spent some time this afternoon at Pineridge Natural Area. They made some changes on me by removing the bench up near the parking lot and putting in another one right next to the rocks I enjoy sitting on. It’s probably only three feet away from those rocks. It is a big, solid bench and just as hard as the rocks. But it has a back on it. It actually is a much more scenic view than where the previous bench was. That’s one of the reasons I liked sitting on those rocks. I approve of the change. You don’t suppose they put in that bench just for me???

    Anway my sister, Sheree, and I are flying down to Phoenix in the morning to spend a couple days with my sister Marcee and brother-in-law, John. Then we will rent a car and drive back with some of mom and dad’s artwork. So I probably won’t be posting much the rest of the month. Hold down the Fort while I’m gone! I better finish packing.

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  • landscape,  snow,  winter scenes

    Snow and Cold

    April 17, 2026

    It began snowing just after 8:00 am this morning. At one time the snowflakes were big and beautiful. It’s what you’d expect with a springtime snow and made me smile. It has stopped and this dusting is all we are getting but we so need any moisture we can get. We are not expecting to be above 45 degrees today and it will be below freezing tonight and tomorrow night.

    “I don’t think everyone wants to create the great American novel, but we all have a dream of telling our stories-of realizing what we think, feel, and see before we die. Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate.”

    Natalie Goldberg

    One of the gifts of blogging has been the opportunity to try my hand at writing. It truly has helped me discover who I really am rather than the man wearing an assortment of masks, depending on the stage I think I’m on. As Goldberg suggests I also am not interested in writing a novel, however the daily practice of journaling and regularly posting on this blog has been a good fit for me. So bare with me as I continue on this path.

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  • blogging,  coffee life,  health

    Morning Coffee

    January 18, 2026

    My friend Jeff came by and picked me up for coffee at Mugs this morning, which became two hours of good conversation. He is moving to senior low-cost housing in Windsor and needed to talk about it. It’s something both of us have talked about for over a year. So this morning we talked about facing the reality that many of us do qualify for senior housing and for low-cost housing. Yet, our minds do not always follow our age. I qualify for both. In fact, I have my name on the waiting list for 2 of those facilities.

    I was trying to figure out what to say in a blog post for this evening because it’s been a couple days and I don’t want my millions of readers worrying. I also have comments I’d like to respond to. As far as my health I am still not driving and I’m not lifting over ten pounds. I will see the surgeon this coming Friday and hopefully have the staples removed and be given the okay to to drive again. I am still taking it cautiously when I move, making sure I take care of my incision. Thanks to all of you who checked on me. It means a lot. They say we could see snow overnight here and I see some of you have already had snow or rain today. I hope you had a good weekend and stay dry and warm!

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  • blogging,  coffee life,  fountain pens,  journal,  journaling,  lifestyles,  meditation,  prayer

    … and peanut butter

    October 20, 2025

    Winds have been gusting up to 25-30 mph since early this morning and we may see that continue into mid-afternoon. Because of the winds I wisely chose not to ride the bicycle to coffee and conversation. After returning home I made a piece of sourdough toast with a generous spreading of chunky peanut butter. I then sat in my bedroom chair with the warm sunshine spreading across my journal to write. But before I could get started writing the light and shadows on the pages urged me to put the pen down, set up the camera and tripod and use this image as a starting place for today’s post. As I post this I realize it reflects the life I live today full of prayer and meditation, coffee life, photography, journaling, blogging, and peanut butter. And if the wind wasn’t blowing, bicycling.

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  • blogging,  writing/reading

    This Theme’s New Look

    September 28, 2025
    One of the sculptures at Benson Sculpture Gardens

    If you visit here often you will notice visual changes to this blog. I have changed the name of this blog from Monte Stevens Photography Blog to Monte Stevens Blog. I am still using the same free theme, Savona Edge by Optima Themes, but made a few tweaks to it. I have gone back to the theme’s original fonts. That way, I get rid of the Fonts Plugin. I am liking it so far but I could still add the plugin later. I have also removed the right sidebar so that blogging is more the focus. I blog because I wish to share my images and words for the joy I receive from that experience and not my ego. I now have a dropdown menu located in the footer for Categories, Archives, and giving the reader the ability of subscribing to notifications of new posts, it that interests you. Be aware you will get an email each time I post which could be 20-25 days a month. The Blogroll that was located in the sidebar is now on the main menu at the top which loads up a page of blogs I follow and websites I have interests in. You can check them out if you’re bored or can’t go to sleep or want to see if you’re listed.

    If you do take a look at my Archives menu you will find my blog posts from 2009-2011 do not have images attached. And, this could be true of any post due to the import process. When I exported those posts I failed to also export the media. So I’ve imported the blog posts without them and will add the files later when the snow is falling and it’s too cold to be outside or I just say to heck with them. I’m not sure they are that important to anyone but me as I’m finding I actually am enjoying the process of looking back over those old posts.

    Please let me know what you think of the new look and if you find any issues.

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  • blogging,  leaves

    More about the changes…

    September 24, 2025
    It’s the season of changes

    One of the changes I’m making to this blog is having it hosted by WordPress.com. I was having issues with my previous hosting service. At one time this past year I could not even log on to my dashboard. After a chat session they got me back up and running. I have no idea what they did.  Shortly after that more issues began appearing and in another chat session they claimed that I was running out of storage space. I was told my storage space was consuming 57Gb, so I upgraded. Yet, I continued to have troubles. So, I exported my entire blog and began to play around with the free WordPress.com. For the heck of it I imported that .xml file onto a free WordPress.com site that has a storage capacity of 1Gb. It all fit! At the present time all my posts and media from 2009 to the present, except for a few media files and I will explain that later, are on WordPress.com hosting service and I’m only using 790Mb of the 1Gb. So, I have purchased their personal plan which gives me 6Gb of storage and I’m transfering my domain over to WordPress.com. Hopefully you will read this after that transfer.

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  • clouds,  leaves,  natural areas,  nature,  quotes

    The Strength of a Touch

    September 23, 2025
    Cottonwood leaves
    Cattails and reflections
    Clouds over Big Bass Pond

    The healing of our present woundedness may lie in recognizing and reclaiming the capacity we all have to heal each other, the enormous power in the simplest of human relationships: the strength of a touch, a blessing of forgiveness, the grace of someone else taking you just as you are and finding in you an unsuspected goodness.

    Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom

    I sit on a rock bench looking out across Big Bass Pond at Arapaho Bend Natural Area. It’s about 1:57 pm. I feel the warmth of the 77 degree temperature but accepting the grace of relief provided by the cloudy skies. I notice the small world of life all around me that I so often overlook. Bees, butterflies, and beetles feasting on the nectar of the rabbitbrush. Ants, spiders, grasshoppers and unnamable bugs scurry or jump around me. Cottonwood leaves become intricate works of art as the autumn equinox arrives. And the cattails showing the golden tips of their swords. I am grateful to slow down and experience the healing given by being present to this world. It is a gift that has much to teach me. Now a rumble of thunder gives notice for me to move on. By the time I reach the car, raindrops have begun to fall. (Entry from my journal.) So here are three images from the afternoon.

    This morning a steady, gentle rain falls. It began just after I got up, around 4:30 am. My weather app predicts it will continue until mid afternoon. I have my front door open so I can hear and take in the fragrance of this refreshing rain. It’s a good day to journal, read and work on this blogs transformation. Thanks for being here and have a great day!

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  • blogging,  leaves,  Plants

    Changes

    September 21, 2025

    Changes are being made to this blog. First will be the look of this theme. Secondly, I am changing hosting services so there may be a period of silence from me. You even may see the Error 404 code. If I’m not back up and running in 5-7 days, send out a search party. I’ll probably be drifting somewhere in the World Wide Web.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes

    Why I write…

    May 6, 2025

    …I write to better understand myself and my relationship with everything else. If my writing does indeed influence the world in a positive way, either now or in some future time, I’m all for it. And if for some reason it doesn’t, I’m okay with that too. But before any greater analysis is made, it’s important to keep in mind that my work helps me understand who I am. What happens after simply happens.

    Robert Lax

    I practice my photography and writing to understand myself and the world around me. It’s interesting to think that we do not know just how many people read our blogs. Could be less than ten or over a hundred. I’m not actually interested in knowing those numbers. So, I write on this blog and I journal to better understand myself and my relationship with the world around me. If my writing touches someone or helps them understand themselves or me, then it has been worth the work.

    We have had a nice gentle rain the past 24 hours providing much needed moisture.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  sunrises

    The Last Sunrise

    December 31, 2024
    Last sunrise for this year at Pineridge Natural Area

    A cool 20 degrees and clear skies this morning to end the year. I got up early so I could watch the predawn colors over Dixon Reservoir at Pineridge Natural Area. So beautifully quiet up there. An owl would hoot once in a while, giving notice, or warning, of their presence. I took a few photos of the subtle colors. When my hands got cold I headed to Mugs for an Old Town mocha made by Adrianna.

    I’m not much of a New Years celebration type of guy. And, I have never been one to make new year’s resolutions, probably because I’m not good at keeping them or remembering them. I’m practicing a way of life where each day is an opportunity to step over a new threshold into a world of experiences and lessons. No better gift than that! When I don’t plan tomorrow I will not be disappointed and more apt to enjoy life’s surprises! However, I may gather with friends early this evening and hopefully be sound asleep by nine. I assume that’s due to age and wisdom (those lessons learned)!! May your coming year be full of unimaginable gifts and may you and your families be healthy. Thank you for your presence and comments on my blog this past year.

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