My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
“For me it was important to be alone; solitude was a prerequisite to being openly and joyfully susceptible and responsive to the world of leaves, light, birdsong, flowers, flowing water.”
Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays
A spring like day. We reached 71 degrees and nature painted clouds all over the blue canvas sky. It makes me smile! I spent some time at a couple natural areas this afternoon to watch the art show and journal. I hope you had a good day!
It’s been a while since I ventured up to Pineridge Natural Area for predawn skies and sunrises. A couple reasons for that. It requires me to get up early and I find it more difficult to get out of a warm bed. I changed that this morning. I awoke early so… The temperature was 25 degrees and a light breeze from the north. It looked like clear skies as I could see stars but I made the decision to go anyway. As I left my condo I could see a few clouds huddled along the eastern horizon which spurred me on. It was not the best day to be standing in the cold, as February is known for cold, frosty mornings. But as old Father McGuire would say, “It’s just the way God wanted it.” I’m glad I did go and not just to accept an image but to be in the presence of nature. I did not stay long as it does not take long to feel the refreshing gift of nature (and the cold). Not many people out except for one hardy jogger. The sun now shines but the weather app says rain is possible in the early afternoon. I hope you have a wonderful day!
POD (Pen of the day): Petrol Marbled Pelikan M205 with Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite ink.
Finding beauty in a broken world is creating beauty in the world we find.
Terry Tempest Williams
It was a very cold morning at 22 degrees. I felt gratitude for the life I am living as I stepped from my car and walked to my favorite rock at Pineridge Natural Area. The rock was just as hard as the last time I sat on it but this morning it was also quite cold. The sky was beginning to turn a light pink then shifted into a darker pink. I accepted the gift of a beautiful predawn sky. It was quiet, still and serene. In the early twilight I could see a group of four hardy runners bouncing along the trail with their headlamps as they circled Dixon Reservoir. I assume they were working up an appetite for turkey dinner later today or maybe a warm cinnamon roll with coffee when they returned home. I agree Terry Tempest Williams quote, there is much beauty to be found in this broken world. I then made my way to Mugs in Old Town for a mocha and blueberry scone. They were having the annual Turkey Trot going on so the streets were blocked off for the race and people were gathering for the race. I decided to head back home before it became a mess. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!
So I rose early on this first day of November to watch the darkness of night give way to today’s sunrise. I felt the cold air that blankets the meadow and took several deep breaths of that cold air into my lungs. I savour this moment not as an observer but as a participant. Nature’s beauty awakens something within me as I witness the new day bringing the hope of blessings to come. And I find myself falling in love with the sky, the quiet, the stillness, creation and the gift of it all. May you have a wonderful November!!
Just as darkness brings rest and release, so the dawn brings awakening and renewal. In our mediocrity and distraction, we forget that we are privileged to live in a wondrous universe. Each day, the dawn unveils the mystery of this universe. Dawn is the ultimate surprise; it awakens us to the immense “thereness” of nature. The wonderful subtle color of the universe arises to clothe everything.
John O’Donohue, from Anam Cara
After prayer and meditation, I drove up to Pineridge Natural Area for sunrise. I found a new and more comfortable rock to sit on and set up my tripod. I loved the scent of the wet grass and sagebrush that surrounded me. I then enjoyed my second period of prayer and meditation this morning. Have a wonderful day!!
Since I was awake early, I decided to get up and jump into my day. Well, not exactly jump but you know what I mean. I drove up to Pineridge Natural Area to experience the awe and wonder of the predawn light and silence found in nature. I was the only car in the parking lot and no traffic hum in the distance. I had the place to myself. Venus and Jupiter were the two bright stars in the eastern predawn sky. I took this image at about 5:20:12 am with a 30 second exposure. Sunrise was another 45 minutes later.
Back home, I had my quiet time, made a smoothie, and enjoyed my readings. I mounted the red steed and rode to coffee, taking a loop to Spring Creek park on the way home. A nice 11.5 mile round trip. My schedule today is rather quiet except for having a late lunch with Duane. So I will do some reading and writing today. The backordered brake cable for my e-bike has come in so I am scheduled to take it in next Wednesday. They will need to keep it overnight as they have to run the cable through the frame of the bike. I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your day’s adventure.
the quiet of early morning … the perfect end to the night,
mws
a splash of pink nestled in the clouds
along the eastern horizon,
while the same delicate clouds
are mirrored in the calm waters,
mallards feed along the water’s edge
making their little sounds of joy,
a great blue heron stands motionless
eyes fixed below the surface,
a red tail hawk flies overhead
with its morning prey locked in talons,
the quiet of early morning … the perfect start to the day.
Our air quality this morning is much better than the past two days. So I made a trip to catch the sunrise, the colors, and the clouds at Pineridge Natural Area. We are expecting it to be in the high 90s today. Have a wonderful Thursday!
I no longer feel that life is ordinary. Everyday life is filled with mystery. The things we know are only a small part of the things we cannot know but can only glimpse. Yet even the smallest of glimpses can sustain us. Mystery seems to have the power to comfort, to offer hope, and to lend meaning in times of loss and pain. In surprising ways it is the mysterious that strengthens us at such times…
Rachel Naomi Remen
I changed up my morning routine. I got up early, made my necessary trip to the bathroom, made the bed, made a chai latte then headed up to Pineridge Natural Area for sunrise. As I pulled into the parking lot, I was greeted by two coyotes. I told them I was here to witness and photograph the sunrise and share the quiet of this sacred place with them and they could go ahead and continue their hunting. They turned and scampered up the ridge. After a few minutes of quiet time in my car I moved out to a location where I have another uncomfortable rock to sit on and where I like to take photographs. It was almost the perfect temperature and I loved the refreshing breeze. I enjoyed the singing of the meadowlarks and robins and the clouds were stunning. All of this reminded me of the blessing it is to live where I do and the gift of life. When I returned home, I had my meditation time, then mounted the red steed and rode to Mugs. Adriana made me my Old Town mocha and I enjoyed conversations with Jeff, Curtis, Terri, and Joan. I do not consider my life ordinary in the least but feel it is filled with mystery.
Age is opportunity no less than youth itself.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Words. They are an important part of my life. I journal daily and read daily. I venture into my coffee life for those enriching conversations where words are shared with another. I’m learning to listen and allow words to soak in. I’m learning to think through before speaking words because words can cause harm. Whether reading or in conversation I search for them as seeds to transform me in some way. I’ve heard it suggested that we not read for information but or transformation. It is an opportunity I embrace as I age.
I spent some time late this afternoon at the natural area. Meadowlarks were singing their song of happiness, while a couple of robins chimed in. Add to their song the sound of falling rain and the rumble of thunder and I’m a happy camper. It was a light rain shower that moved through and as it moved out east it left this double rainbow for us to enjoy. I hope you had a wonderful Friday the 13th!