• Bench,  clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area,  seasons,  snow,  storm clouds,  winter scenes

    Happy Earth Day

    April 22, 2023
    These storm clouds were taken last night out on the eastern plains. A rather large storm was raging so I thought I may be able to capture some drama in the clouds and drove out that way.

    The point of living a creative life – rather than just engaging in creative pursuits on occasion – is not merely to produce aesthetically pleasing artifacts, but to bind one’s creative work and living experience as two dimensions of the same life in all its details, always unfolding and evolving in parallel. 

    Guy Tal

    Each of us is a creative soul. Some have tapped into that creativity while some are unaware they have it or deny they have it. As a photographer I see it as a gift to create/capture images that are pleasing, draw out emotions (yours and mine), and show the beauty of nature through photography. And, we all can do that. I really like the word “bind” that Guy Tal uses in his quote. So, as a prayer this morning I would ask for the binding of my creative works with my living experiences.

    A favorite bench at Pineridge Natural Area this morning

    Well Nature decided to share with us a few more snowflakes before officially moving into spring. As you can see the bench I sit on to journal is not quite as inviting this morning. Have a wonderful day and Happy Earth Day! Stay warm.

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

    … and the meadowlarks sang

    April 13, 2023

    Ten times a day something happens to me like this – some strengthening throb of amazement – some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.

    Mary Oliver

    The sky looked promising this morning so I grabbed my camera, made a chai and headed out the door. I also knew that we are expecting rain later today and possibly turning to snow after midnight which is an indication of a colorful sunrise. I was not disappointed. The temperature was a wonderful 50 degrees. After taking a few images the wind began to pick up and clouds began moving in. In the distance a woodpecker hammered on a tree. I watched a solo pelican drift across the waters of Dixon Reservoir. And, the meadowlarks sang to me.

    This image of the predawn colors is from the same spot but was taken 8 minutes earlier than the image above. Demonstrates how nature is continuously creating. May you stay attentive and have a blessed day!

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

    This Sacred Moment

    March 29, 2023

    A man who works with his hands is a labourer. A man who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. A man who works with his hands, his head, and his heart is an artist.

    Francis Of Assisi

    While scraping the car’s windshield in the dark this morning I could hear the geese on the pond announcing to the world the approaching new day. I was well aware of their secret, which is why I crawled out from warm covers and made my way to Pineridge Natural Area. I regularly make my way to this sanctuary in nature, needing to experience these sacred moments. I am filled with gratitude for the dawn of this new day, its promises, and the mysteries of what it holds. Now time for a cortado. May you also enjoy the unfolding of this day!

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  • John O'Donohue,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Before Sunrise

    March 19, 2023

    “One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own.”

    John O’Donohue

    I was up early this morning, way before sunrise. Made a chai latte after quiet time then drove to Pineridge Natural Area for pre dawn light. It found it unusual to see frost on the grass but almost none on the cars. When I arrived at this spot, I was met with the silence of nature, very little wind, clear skies and cold. Its gift to me is peace, serenity, hearing an unspoken prayer and offering healing of my body and soul. It also holds the promise that today is going to be a good day. Weather app says we could see 50 degrees today. Let’s hope so as there is a feel of spring here.

    I am limited to lifting no more than 10 pounds for the next 2 weeks. My backpack with camera and lens weighs about 5 pounds and pretty sure my journal, fountain pens and kindle paperwhite, keep me under the limit. It will be another day to relax, rest and heal. Strange to think this is my 5th day since surgery. Praying you have a wonderful day!

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

    It’s Cold

    January 30, 2023
    Predawn at Dixon Reservoir – November 2022

    My responsibility is to speak the truth as I feel it, and to attempt to speak it with as much precision and beauty as possible.

    Audre Lorde

    The truth this morning is: it’s cold and I feel it! A brisk -4 degrees at 7:00 am. And, overcast skies and a light snow are part of the truth. We will not see the sun today but hoping to see it tomorrow. This image was taken this past November at Dixon Reservoir. My son is coming over for a late lunch today and bringing butternut squash soup. Bring it on, I say. Thanks for stopping by.

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

    A little rougher made…

    November 15, 2022
    This morning’s predawn sky over Dixon Reservoir

    “Sometimes I think, were I just a little rougher made, I would go altogether to the woods—to my work entirely, and solitude, a few friends, books, my dogs, all things peaceful, ready for meditation and industry—if for no other reason than to escape the heart-jamming damages and discouragements of the worlds mean spirits. But, no use. Even the most solitudinous of us is communal by habit, and indeed by commitment to the bravest of our dreams, which is to make a moral world. The whirlwind of human behavior is not to be set aside.”

    Mary Oliver

    When I feel the heart-jamming damages and discouragements of the worlds mean spirits, I too wish to run to the woods, or in my case the natural areas. I would also include my journals, fountain pens, camera and chocolate to her list. Yet, I’m aware of my need to not set aside but live within the whirlwind of human behavior. Who knows, I could be someone else’s whirlwind. However, there are those times when I need to go the woods and connect with nature just so I can return and face the whirlwind of human behavior. Maybe I also need to be a little rougher made. Hope you had a good day.

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