My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Yesterday morning it was 22° at 6 am. This morning we started at 14° and have now warmed up to 17°. They are saying today will only have a high of 25°. Looks like much of the country is in a cold spell and some are having snow or rain. Started my day in quiet time then headed to Mugs for an Americano and conversation. Another day with no bicycling and probably not for the next few days. It is a hot coffee or cup of tea type of weather to accompany my journaling. Stay warm!
Wisdom is not something that we acquire;
Rachel Naomi Remen
it is something that over time we may become.
Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.
Christina Baldwin
It was a surprisingly warm morning so a very pleasant bicycle ride to coffee and back. I then met a few of my high school classmates for our monthly luncheon. I overate, again and have been waddling around most of the afternoon. It seems some lessons must be repeated! My youngest sister and I have purchased tickets and are flying to Phoenix next week to spend a couple days with my dad, sister and brother-in-law. It will be an early Thanksgiving. The sun has set, darkness and cold move in. I hope you had a good day and stay safe!
With the time change my morning ride to the coffee shops will be safer since there is more light. It was a much warmer morning than yesterday, even though there was frost, so I rode the Spring Creek trail to coffee and back. That is also a safer ride, primarily free of all traffic. My traffic this morning was this buck. I stopped and tried to start a conversation but he would have none of it. However, he didn’t seem to mind sharing the trail. I hope you have a great Sunday!
Jeff and I switched things up and met for coffee at the Lory Student Center this morning. The 30 degrees made it a cool ride for both of us but the sunrise colors were stunning. I shot this image by resting my camera on my bicycle seat and holding it as still as I could in the cold. It was shot at ISO 3200 and .4 sec exposure at f8.0. I used Lightroom’s Denoise to clean it up and think it did a fair enough job. Happy Halloween! And, I’ve decided to wear the same costume today that I wore yesterday.
We are having wonderful fall weather here in Colorado. However, next week we will see colder weather. Late yesterday morning I stood on my porch enjoying a glazed donut and glass of milk, soaking up the sun’s warming rays and watching the constant falling of leaves, twisting and spinning on their short journey. It’s a mesmerizing experience to be aware of my breath while being a witness to nature changing, creating. I felt filled with gratitude. And this morning is just as lovely of a fall morning. As soon as I stepped out the door into the darkness I was met with a captivating quiet and stillness. I then accepted the gift of the sunrise colors over the CSU campus as I rode to Mugs for a wonderful Old Town mocha made by my barista Ethan, then conversation and laughter with Jeff.
On the way home I rode through the CSU Oval listening to the sound of my tires rolling through the fallen leaves. Again, I felt filled with gratitude. Yet, I am aware that not all of the world has this state of silence, peace, and serenity. Nor are are all my days this way. Chaos, death, fear and suffering fills their days instead. My heart cries for them and I grapple with my feelings of helplessness. So even though I do not understand prayer or the prayer as I was taught in my youth, I do as Joyce Wilson-Sanford says, “I pray anyway.” Somehow, someway the prayer is given. May you enjoy this Sunday!
The sun shines not on us, but in us.
John Muir
The rivers flow not past but through us.
Nature was made not just for us,
but for itself and its own happiness,
and is the very smile of the Divine.
It was a rather cool morning at 38 degrees which made my bicycle ride invigorating. But that also makes my Old Town mocha taste that much better. Emily was my barista and did a wonderful job. I’m now sitting at my desk watching a beautiful fall day unfold. We have a blue sky while the sun spreads its light and warmth in my condo. Its rays of light extend across my desk, wall and floor. With that invitation I press the shutter button. Later I will enjoy a bowl of chili soup then meet a friend this afternoon for a walk and talk. I choose to believe, as Muir does, that the Divine does smile in and through us. What a gift it is to smile and share it! I hope you have a wonderful Friday!
It is a beautiful October day here in Colorado. It was a much warmer morning on my bicycle ride to coffee than yesterday. I was grateful to see the waning gibbous moon watching over me on my ride to coffee. When I saw its reflection in Spring Creek on my ride home I had to stop, take some breaths and receive the gift. Yes, it’s a beautiful fall day in Colorado! And, it has been a nice slow day that has included getting my hair cut and then stopping at the Bread Chic bakery on the way home and buying a loaf of their sourdough bread for toast in the mornings. It is still early in the day so I just may get in another bicycle ride before this day ends.
“The word blessing evokes a sense of warmth and protection; it suggests that no life is alone or unreachable. Each life is clothed in raiment of spirit that secretly links it to everything else.”
John O’Donohue
Since this is a scene on my bicycle ride to coffee you will probably see a few more images of it.
If we want to turn over a new leaf and really set a new humanity afoot, we must begin to turn humankind away from the long and desolate night of violence. May it not be that the new humanity the world needs is the nonviolent human?… This not only will make us new people but will give us a new kind of power…. It will be power infused with love and justice, that will change dark yesterday’s into bright tomorrows, and lift us from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope.
Martin Luther King