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

    Up before dawn

    November 2, 2022

    The more I see of unmechanised places and people the more convinced I become that machines have done incalculable damage by unbalancing the relationship between Man and Nature. The mere fact that we think and talk as we do about Nature is symptomatic. For us to refer to Nature as a separate entity — something we admire or avoid or study or paint — shows how far we’ve removed ourselves from it.

    Dervla Murphy (1965)

    Had my quiet time then headed to Pineridge Natural Area to enjoy the colors of this new days beginning. I had no intentions of heading to the natural area when I got up but I could see clouds on the eastern sky and figured there could be a chance for an interesting display of colors. I was not disappointed. As I stood there taking in the colors I could hear a couple of owls calling to one another across the waters of Dixon Reservoir. Afterwards I met a friend for coffee and conversation at Starry Night. It was a great way to start the day.

    The sun now shines from a clear blue sky and our temperature reached a lovely 70 degrees today. I sat outside and journaled, soaking up the sun. Yet, they predict a cold night and a mix of rain and snow for tomorrow. I may need an extra blanket tonight. Going to meet friends later this evening. Hope you had a good day!

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  • clouds,  horizons,  journal,  journaling,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    A Sacred Place

    September 17, 2022
    The still waters of Dixon Reservoir

    A photo and excerpt from my journal this past July:

    Tuesday morning at Pineridge Natural Area. Sun just rose on an almost cloudless horizon. Our meadowlarks sing joyfully. Thank you! Bless this day. Love the birds. I awoke early this morning so had a short night of sleep and may need a power nap later today. The sun is a blinding bright orange orb. It will soon heat up this July day. It is a glorious time of the day for me. My young friend, Kate’s car is here, so she is already up on Viewpoint Spur practicing her morning yoga/meditation. It is also a glorious time of the day for her. This is a sacred place for many. Yet, even in this sacredness I find my mind wandering away to the busyness of the day, fretting, planning and no longer present to the sounds and beauty of creation. I take a deep breath and return. I believe these mornings transform the core of who I am and is an integral part of my own evolution, becoming who I was created to be. A process I will continue to take until my final breath.

    ms
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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  reflections,  Uncategorized

    Lines

    September 6, 2022
    Dixon Reservoir

    “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

    Terry Pratchett

    Lines are a draw for me in my photography. The line of the shoreline, the line of the horizon and the line of the log, all pull me to this scene. And, their parallel paths take me from one side of the image to the other.

    An important practice of a photographer is walking around a scene several times to get new perspectives. And this needs to be done on a regular basis, say several days or weeks in a row.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  mountains,  Plants,  quotes,  sunrises,  trees

    All a Truth

    July 21, 2022
    Sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area

    “What if everything you have been taught is all a lie and everything you feel is all a truth?”

    Nikki Rowe

    There was a time in my youth when the things I was taught did not seem to fit with my feelings. That feeling came from somewhere within, a place I was not that familiar with, yet. Later I came to know it as intuition, a gut feeling, voice of my authentic self, the ground of my very being or whatever we choose to call it. I am now aware that when I was younger I was not taught the whole truth in school and church while expected to believe what I was taught. A controlling society does that whether it be a parent, a church, a government or an educational system.

    I’m learning the importance of listening and trusting my intuition. There needs to be a connection between what I think, what I’m told to be truth and what my intuition tells me. With so much access to information it is vital for me to listen to the voice within. Connecting these together has given me much better results in knowing my truth, making decisions while not living to someone else’s truth.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Morning Kayaking

    June 30, 2022

    If you haven’t notice I spend many of my early mornings at Pineridge Natural Area which implies I post a lot of images from this area. I took this image in mid June. I am sure the kayaker is enjoying their morning on Dixon Reservoir. The color is interesting to me. I took several images and they all have this almost dirty gold look. We have no fires burning, thank goodness, so I’m assuming it is a smog/haze mix.

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  • clouds,  haiku,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  reflections,  sunrises,  sunsets,  writing/reading

    Each Moment

    June 12, 2022
    Pineridge Natural Area at 5:15 am

    These two images were taken about 12 hours apart and at nearly the same location on the same day. This is how my day started and ended and was full of wonderful moments in between. So much beauty in this world when we live each moment, one moment at a time. Happy Sunday!

    Pineridge Natural Area at 5:52 pm
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  • Avian,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area

    American White Pelican

    May 12, 2022

    I mentioned pelicans in a post a week ago and one commenter was surprised to know we have them out here. When people who live along the coast talk pelican they are referring to the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). What we have out here is the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). American White Pelicans are one of the largest North American birds. Watching them fly is amazing. They soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. On the water they dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish, or tip-up like an oversized dabbling duck. This is a group of them on Dixon Reservoir working together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. We find them in this area during spring while they feed and nest. If you’re interested here is a good read on them.

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