• coffee life,  coffee shops,  quotes

    Way of life …

    January 11, 2022

    For me photography is to place head and heart and eye along the same line of sight. It’s a way of life.

    Henri Cartier-Bresson

    Cold mornings have kept me snuggled under covers rather than braving the cold at one of the natural areas to greet the sunrise. I’m gonna need to change that attitude and spend time with nature, otherwise you will probably see more images of coffee cups, which could get boring quickly. I must admit sitting in one of the soft cozy chairs with a mocha latte and a good book is good for the soul, and warmer. However, I also need to be touched with the spirit of nature, in the cold. Looks to be cold for the next few days so we’ll see how often I am able to lift off those heavy covers. After all, photography is a way of life for me.

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  Avian,  Canada Goose,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  sunrises

    Happy New Year!

    January 1, 2022
    Sunrise at Arapaho Bend Natural Area

    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!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Hazy Morning

    July 12, 2021

    No clouds this morning but plenty of haze from the smog and smoke drifting from the west coast. Unable to smell them but sure can see their effects. Interesting how the camera sensor does not record the red/orange sun in the sky the same as the reflection in Dixon Reservoir. Hope you had a good weekend and a great week ahead.

    Started reading the book Nomadland by Jessica Bruder and finding it interesting. At times it’s sad, at times disturbing, at other times informative and other times funny.

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  • fountain pens,  haiku,  journal,  writing/reading

    A Simple Post

    April 21, 2021
    Started this day at Mugs for some journaling and a mocha latte
    Started the day at Mugs with some journaling and a mocha latte

    listen to the muse
    trade a blank page for words
    always time well spent

    ms

    Cold and light snow falling. Laundry is almost done. Will meet Joe in a few minutes for coffee. Plan to read and journal later. It’s a simple day, a simple post. And, you’ve not seen a post of my journal and fountain pens since March 28th. Way overdue! 😁

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  • natural areas,  Plants,  quotes,  trees

    if only we have eyes to see….

    February 25, 2021

    There is a secret hidden in the heart
    a treasure as close to us as our breath
    a mystery living in the midst of our soul.

    Finding it is simple, but may be hard,
    since to do so we must abandon the self
    we thought we were and seek the gift

    that is always ours: this inner spark
    that no darkness can finally extinguish,
    though it keeps us from knowing it.

    This gift is always present to us, if only
    we have eyes to see. And when we do,
    we will find its radiance in everything,

    and at all times, this light that blazes
    on in a darkness that cannot put it out,
    this secret that finds us when we risk

    abandoning ourselves to this presence.

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets

    We received about 4-5 inches of snow yesterday evening and through the night. I heard that the Denver Metro area received as much as 10 inches. I cleaned off the car then drove out into the winter wonderland.

    The above poem is the prologue from a new book called Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets by Mark Burrows and Jon Sweeney. It is a followup book to one called the Book of the Heart. It is their work of converting Eckhart’s writing into poetic meditations. Eckhart did not write poetically but in many ways, as they suggest, “his thought was profoundly poetic.” The romantic in me and my spiritual path have allowed me to enjoy the first book so giving this one a chance.

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  • Black and White,  Camera Equipment,  fountain pens,  Fujifilm X-T3,  John O'Donohue,  Photography,  quotes,  writing/reading

    Giving Thanks

    February 10, 2021

    A gracious mind has compassion and sensitive understanding. It is without greed; rather than concentrating on what is absent or missing, it is able to celebrate and give thanks for what is present.

    John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace

    It’s 10 degrees outside. Drove to the natural area for the quiet and to journal. Did not stay long, though. Grateful to be warm and inside. Overcast sky and a few snowflakes have been sited. It has that cold wintery feel. And, it’s going to be cold for the next 4 days or so, very cold. I have coffee, chocolate, peanut butter, a new book of poetry (Devotions by Mary Oliver) and plenty of fountain pen ink. I’m good and giving thanks. Stay warm.

    The above image was shot with the Fujifilm Acros film simulation. The Fujifilm website describes Acros as: a recently introduced black & white mode that’s richer in clarity and sharpness, and was inspired by our NEOPAN 100 ACROS film, which was known for its fine grain, rich gradation, and outstanding sharpness. Like the MONOCHROME mode, it’s also available in yellow, red, and green versions, but ACROS also has an embedded graininess that matches the film emulsion original. I like it.

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