• clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  silence,  sunsets

    Silence

    January 11, 2026

    Nothing in all of creation is so like God as silence.

    Meister Eckhart

    Scenes like this do not require a drumroll or symphony to speak to the soul, we hear it in the silence of our hearts.

    Update: Progress is being made, but at its pace not mine. I’m seeing where patience is one of the many lessons of our older years. I am being as active as possible but not cause any harm to the incision. When I removed the NPWT patch the incision was much larger than I expected. It must be 5-6 inches long and have well over 20 staples. I’d post a photo but…. you can take my word for it. I hope you have had a good weekend and enjoy the coming week!

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  mountains,  quotes

    Transformed

    June 30, 2025
    Light rain falling in the mountains

    The spirit of the wilderness is solitude. We go alone to meet the divinity within us. The wisdom of the wilderness comes from God interacting through creation to touch our very soul. We emerge from our journey with a new identity grounded in God. Transformed, we discover we have been given back to ourselves.

    Debra Donnelly-Barton

    I have mentioned before on this blog how I go to places where I can touch and be touched by nature; physically, emotionally and spiritually. There is always a shift in my thinking, words and actions when I am able to spend time in the local natural areas, the early mornings of a local park, riding my bicycle on a nature trail, or the solitude of wilderness. When I do, I find a renewed connection to the Creator of this beautiful world we all are a part of and a greater awareness that I’m a part of nature. Her use of the word transformed in the quote is spot on for me. I just ain’t the same when I return home.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  reflections,  sunrises

    Loving Energy

    February 11, 2025
    January sunrise in 2006 – Arapaho Bend Natural Area

    The elders say that Creator is perfect loving energy. Within the realm of perfect love there is no judgment. If there is no judgment then there can be no failure. In turn, if failure does not exist, there is no unworthiness. We are all one energy. We are worthy and we always were. We never have to qualify. And ceremony was born to allow us to remember that.

    Richard Wagamese

    It is bitter cold here in Colorado, down in the single digits. I won’t complain because other parts of the country are colder. My hands and feet are cold, which seems to be the normal these days. I was supposed to meet my classmates for our monthly luncheon but cancelled that idea. I think I’d rather make a peanut butter and jelly (apricot) sandwich, place it in a paper bag then reminisce of the old days in the cafeteria where we would trade sandwiches. Remember? That will be my ceremony for today. Stay warm and safe!!

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  • Plants,  quotes

    Living its purpose

    August 8, 2023

    “Our challenge is not only to recognize the face of the Creator in the beauty of creation, but also to serve the Divine by taking care of the land, the air, and all beings that dwell with us here…”

    Mirabai Starr

    This has been a wet summer for us in Colorado. So, we’ve been blessed with mushrooms sprouting in the shady area of the grass. These mushrooms are harmless but play a natural part in our lawn’s ecosystem. They have an essential role in breaking down organic material, such as dead leaves, grass clippings, and tree roots, into nutrients that plants can use. So, that means they are taking care of the land, the air, and all beings that dwell with us in their own way. Seems man is bent on doing the opposite! With reverence for their lives I bow down on my knees to shoot at their level rather than looking down on them. Such beauty, living its purpose in the short time it has on earth.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    This Morning’s Sunrise

    April 9, 2023

    Wanted to share this morning’s sunrise in a cloudless sky above Dixon Reservoir with you. Meadowlarks joined with chickadees, robins and magpies in singing of this morning’s beauty. Geese and ducks made small waves across the waters surface and joining in the chorus with a quack and a honk every once in a while. There were a few more people joining me with their coffee mug in one hand and their smartphone in the other to witness the sunrise. It’s in these moments I believe in a God, a Great Spirit, a Creator, whatever name you choose to give it, who is love, compassion, creativity, inspiration, and in my books, the true artist in every sense. Hope you have a great day! Happy Easter to those who celebrate this season!

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  • Meister Eckhart,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    The Sunbeam

    August 23, 2022
    From a late afternoon walk at Pineridge Natural Area

    “We usually miss You, cluttering our minds with expectations about where and how and who You are, but if we trust giving up our seeking and let ourselves know You in everything that is, even what’s concealed from us, we come to find You everywhere, at all times and in an equal way, no matter how strange this might seem to us.”

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets

    I believe the above is written from the perspective that You is referring to God. Even though the author is Christian his concept of You is not confined to a box but goes way beyond that. His You is not an object or deity. I also feel that way. I find it interesting to reread this and each time replace the word You with God, Love, Reality, Great Spirit, Compassion, Beauty, Nature, Creator, Truth, Justice, Peace, Serenity… and none of these are objects or material things. Thanks for listening…

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  • clouds,  landscape,  sunrises

    Moments like this…

    January 5, 2021

    Wanted to share this mornings pre-dawn colors. I took this near the south dam on Horsetooth Reservoir, a scene that looks out over the sleeping city of Fort Collins. We are expecting high winds today and I could already notice them picking up. I love how nature creates anew each day with the clouds, the patterns and color palette that all stir up deep feelings within me. When I got home I asked myself the question, “Would I come here if I was not a photographer?” I’m aware I do have the incentive to take images, hoping to come home with a keeper or two. However, at this stage in my life, it’s more about being there, letting it all touch me in some way. It’s moments like this which draw me closer to creation and a conscious contact with its creator. I call them spiritual experiences.

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