• natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  trees,  winter scenes

    Where’s Spring

    April 18, 2024

    Good morning from Colorful Colorado. Well, this morning it looks more like a black and white world. What a difference twelve hours can make. Yesterday we had rain showers moving through the area in the afternoon, giving us a feeling of spring. So waking up this morning to see snow was a surprise. I had about an inch on my car this morning. My weather app predicts a 70% chance of snow but I know damn good and well that’s snow, not rain. The above image is another photograph of the cottonwood on Stewart Street. I have a series of this tree taken during all different seasons and time of day. And the weather app says we have two more days of this.

    This is a view of Dixon Reservoir. One trait of the spring snows is the ability to cling to leaves and branches. You can see in both images how the snow clings to the trees. I must admit that these wet spring snows can be absolutely beautiful! I learned a long time ago to not put my winter coat away until at least July. The snow did not stop the joggers and runners out there on the trails. In the top image you can see someone walking their dog. Brave souls!

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  • leaves,  nature,  Plants,  quotes

    The Sacredness of Nature

    July 1, 2023

    The world is not a problem to be solved; it is a living being to which we belong. The world is part of our own self and we are a part of its suffering wholeness. Until we go to the root of our image of separateness, there can be no healing. And the deepest part of our separateness from creation lies in our forgetfulness of its sacred nature, which is also our own sacred nature.

    Joanna Macy

    Nature has many ways of calling to us as we move through life. It is not always audible such as a robin’s song. It can be a visual call as well. This branch of cottonwood leaves that were blown down during Thursday’s winds stopped me in my tracks. It was a visual calling. As we spend more time in nature, as we can gain the awareness that nature is sacred, as we realize we are not separate from nature, we come to know we are an essential part of nature. So, I pray we do not forget the sacredness of nature or of our own sacred nature!

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  • Annie Dillard,  fall season,  leaves,  Plants,  quotes,  seasons

    Concerning trees and leaves..

    October 27, 2022

    Concerning trees and leaves… there’s a real power here. It is amazing that trees can turn gravel and bitter salts into these soft-lipped lobes, as if I were to bite down on a granite slab and start to swell, bud and flower. Every year a given tree creates absolutely from scratch ninety-nine percent of its living parts. Water lifting up tree trunks can climb one hundred and fifty feet an hour; in full summer a tree can, and does, heave a ton of water every day. A big elm in a single season might make as many as six million leaves, wholly intricate, without budging an inch; I couldn’t make one. 

    Annie Dillard

    Annie Dillard’s quote caused me to rethink my perspective on the world of these trees around me. It’s that thing where I look at them, see their beauty, see them as a passive object, while failing to see the innate and active power within them. And, I couldn’t make a leaf either. However, I love to see them swirling in the wind, whether the leaf is clinging to a branch or free-falling to the ground, or lying peacefully on the ground. Always intrigued by their shapes, patterns, colors and how nature seemingly and randomly scatters them to and fro, making beautiful art, just for me. And, I love to photograph them. ❤️

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  • clouds,  landscape,  mountains

    October 3, 2017

    Storm Clouds Along the Colorado Front Range
    Storm Clouds Along the Colorado Front Range

    We have had cloudy and cooler weather for the past few days, seeing less of our Colorado sunshine. This past Saturday was a day for lovely clouds and not just a gray sky. I have taken several images from this location and always include the trees. 

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  • clouds,  fall season,  landscape,  natural areas,  Plants,  trees

    Back to Nature

    October 31, 2016
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    Clouds and blue sky at the Arapaho Bend Nature Area.

    Needed a reprieve from the city noise and tension it seems to generate. So, I dropped my grandson off at work on Saturday afternoon then drove to the Arapaho Bend Nature Area. Loved the blue sky against the brown trees and the soft delicate scattered clouds in this image. Lots of people out with the same idea. My intentions were to get out and walk, find a place to sit and read a book. Of course I just happen to have my camera, so when nature provides scenes I accept them. Just off to the left of this image was a photographer working on some family portraits. Hope they turn out okay.

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    Milkweed pods and seeds, another generation, found along the trail.

    I find milkweeds almost everywhere. They are abundant along our rivers and I found them abundant while living in Ohio. They are a source of food for many insects and an attractor for monarch butterflies. However, they are not recommended for human consumption. Better off eating that banana or trail mix. Just enjoy their beauty!

    Afternoon starburst against a cottonwood tree
    Afternoon starburst against a cottonwood tree in the Fall

    I have several images of this tree with the sun directly behind it. It seems to always be in that same location and offering me another photo opportunity but each time with different light, foliage and cloud patterns. So, they are never the same image. I enjoyed getting back to nature and letting it touch me inside.

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  • snow,  trees,  winter scenes

    Snowfall

    January 9, 2016

    Cottonwood on Stuart St.
    Cottonwood on Stuart St.

    Over the past 18 hours snow has been falling here in Colorado. We have between 6-8 inches of snow from the predicted 70% chance. Glad it was not 100% chance. Stayed home most of the morning then ventured out for a while later this afternoon for some exploring with my camera. Stay warm, it’s suppose to be in the single digits tonight!

    Park bench in Rowland Moore Park
    Park bench in Rowland Moore Park

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