• landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    A beginning…

    December 27, 2023

    A beginning is ultimately an invitation to open towards the gifts and growth that are stored for us. To refuse to begin can be an act of great self-neglect.

    John O’Donohue

    After quiet time at home I started a crock pot of vegetable soup. Then enjoyed an early morning mocha made by Hannah. Was able to get in some reading and journaling before meeting Mark for breakfast. Hannah and I both agreed she did a good job with her latte art and improving each day. Believe they call it practice. Christmas was good this year. Spent time with family and friends and those who are both. Not sure how you faired but I over indulged in food consumption, enjoyed myself while consuming though but paid the price. So, I was miserable later in the evening, both Christmas eve and day.

    John O’Donohue’s quote says a lot in those two short sentences. We are quickly closing in on the end of the year which means a beginning of a new year. What will it hold? Reflecting on this past year I am grateful to have had both gifts and growth. I’m now wondering what gifts and growth will we encounter this year? Maybe lots of both.

    This is a five image handheld panorama of Dixon Reservoir this morning about 10:30 am. The high winds over the past 48 hours have moved all the smog and crud sitting along the Front Range out to Kansas and beyond. And it still blows. Sure makes things look bright and clear. Going for a walk!!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    … this meeting place

    December 11, 2023

    I know plenty of people who find God most reliably in books, in buildings, and even in other people. I have found God in all of these places too, but the most reliable meeting place for me has always been creation.

    Barbara Brown Taylor

    The only sound was from my boots crunching the gravel under my feet as I walked to a favorite location along the ridge above Pineridge Natural Area. I like this spot because I can look out to the eastern horizon and find the skies reflection in Dixon Reservoir. When I arrived I setup my tripod then stood, listening to the silence. I like this meeting place in creation. I also didn’t want to take a photo but as you can see I did. Hope you have had a good day.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Morning Sunrise

    December 7, 2023

    “Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”

    Rumi

    This is a five image panorama from this mornings sunrise over Dixon Reservoir. It’s not the best but it does offer a sense of the majesty of the predawn gift. We had another beautiful day of sunshine and warmth before we see colder temperatures and snow arriving tomorrow evening. Hoping you had a wonderful day.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  spirituality,  sunrises

    The Language of Nature

    November 23, 2023

    We need to move: from a spirituality of alienation from the natural world to a spirituality of intimacy with the natural world, from a spirituality of the divine as revealed in words to a spirituality of the divine as revealed in the visible world about us.

    Thomas Berry

    I awoke early and made the short trip to Pineridge Natural Area for the predawn colors. We’re expecting snow later today, as much as 4-10 inches by Saturday morning, so I was expecting to see some red sky. I was not disappointed. Almost no wind. Silence, which is such an integral part of the language of nature.

    Later, when I got to the coffee shop I felt a bit of regret as I may not have stayed as long as I could have. Seems my focus had moved on to enjoying a mocha rather than staying present and accepting all the gifts nature was wanting to share with me. Maybe I was intuitively aware of my spirit of alienation from the natural world over the past few days due of traveling. Maybe the divine in nature was asking me not to leave just yet. As I write this post I’m aware of my gratitude for the natural world that we are a part of, that is available to me, my ability to spend time within it and the amount of time I do spend in it. 

    I’ll end this post with a prayer on this Thanksgiving Day: I am thankful for family, friends, and those who are both. I pray for the healing of this wounded world and that we embrace the divinity of this natural world we share. Hoping you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

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  • clouds,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    An Intense Sky

    November 6, 2023
    Intense sky over Dixon Reservoir

    I awoke early this morning because it usually takes me a day or two to adjust to the time change. It was a cool 36 degrees as I drove to Pineridge Natural Area. The skies have been intense the past 3-4 days for both sunrises and sunsets. As I stepped out of the car, I could feel the light but cold breeze coming out of the west. You can see the unsettled water as the wind moves across the surface of Dixon Reservoir. And I love the red reflection on the waters surface. When I left my condo I grabbed my gloves but they do not help much when they are left in the car. So, by the time I got back my hands were cold. Note to self. Now filled with gratitude I headed for the Bean Cycle and a mocha. My hands feel normal again. I have a Zoom meeting at 9:30 am today and a second one at 5:30 pm. No, I’m not that important. Sounds like we could be turning cold by the end of the week. May you have a super Awesome day!

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  • landscape,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    O’Dark Thirty

    November 1, 2023
    Predawn colors and reflection at Dixon Reservoir

    What a wonderful way to start this day, any day for that matter. This image as taken at O’Dark thirty (6:49 am) and the show was absolutely gorgeous. Almost no wind and a pleasant 28 degrees. After experiencing a sunrise like this and I head back into the chaos of the city, I can feel as if I needed to stay longer. I’m not sure whether the feeling arises from within me or if nature itself is whispering, please don’t leave yet. Maybe both. I believe these moments have a way of transforming me at some deep level. I am just never the same man. This morning was one of those mornings. Curious if any of you experience such feelings after time with nature, not wanting to leave? Anyway, I am so thankful for all the gifts so graciously given and my desire to receive each one of them. I met Mark for breakfast and conversation where we talked and wept over the tragedies happening in our world, a list that seems would have no end.

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  • natural areas,  sunrises

    Finding the Light

    October 8, 2023

    There Is a Light Within You

    I’ve said many things, but at the heart
    of them all is this: There is a light
    within you, in your soul, uncreated
    and uncreatable; it simply is.

    If you wish to know yourself,
    look for this light in the dark;
    it is ever present, even when
    you’ve lost sight of it. Look
    away from what you think
    you are, and look deeper into
    the darkness that is within.

    There you’ll find that light
    which is ever present,
    even if no one – not
    even you – notices.

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light

    We have a lovely fall day with blue skies and sunshine. Will meet my friend Larry for lunch and conversation. Thanks for all who have let me know what they are finding with this new theme. Much appreciated.

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