My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
I spent time at one of the natural areas this morning. Peaceful, serene and for me a great way to start my day. Driving home a young man in a large black CJ7 Jeep come up beside me rather fast, speakers blasting. When he pulled up beside me at the stoplight my car began to vibrate and my bones began to vibrate due to the volume. It was at that moment all serenity and peace evaporated. I quickly began to fantasize for a twitching nose like Samantha from the Bewitched television show and twitch my nose to blow those speakers. I’d show him! Yes, I go there once in a while. Have a great weekend! 😠
This habit of journaling has become an integral part of my life, a daily practice. I carry both a fountain pen (3) and a journal every day. At the end of the day there may only be a paragraph and some days a couple pages. There are days I just stare at empty pages because the words I’m seeking are hiding somewhere in those blank spaces or because of my busy mind I’m unable hear them. At other times a gem appears, a thought or insight. At some point in time I began journaling by first asking for words, desiring the gifts they are. There also was an awareness that these journals are now more of a letter, a prayer and a conversation with the inner essence of who I am. They are no longer called my journals but our journals. I also journal slowly and write in cursive to give the journals an artistic look, make them readable and at the same time it slows down my mind which creates another form of meditation for me. Anyway, these are some rambling thoughts on journaling.
Happy Friday! Clear skies this morning after three days of cloudy skies and rain that brought over 2 inches of much needed moisture. The mountains received snow with as much as 2 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park. That will put a smile on the farmers faces in eastern Colorado as well as golfers in Phoenix.
Jessup Farm was a turn of the century farm owned by Joseph and Mary Jessup. In 2011 it was developed into an innovative, adaptive reuse plan to preserve, restore, and rehabilitate the historic integrity of the farmstead. It’s been developed into the Buckingham housing and the Artisan shops. One of these shops is Bindle Coffee. 🙂 There is a barber shop, dress shop, couple of restaurants, portrait studio, brew house, fitness place. Needles to say there is no more farming. However, they do have a chicken coop with chickens that roam around outside.
I have always carried stress in my shoulders. It’s there now. There is a feeling of restlessness. I find my mind wandering to unknown places in the universe. Feel I’m not listening to the inner voice within me but the chatter of my ego and the noise of the world around me. Maybe if I share myself more on this blog, hear what you have experienced, take more action, the stress will lessen.
Now in my retirement there is a life to live full of excitement and adventures, images to receive, words to write in my journals, blog posts to write, places to visit, people to meet and a chance to discover more creativity within me. I find this exciting. However, this requires me to take action and not just dream of them. In the past I have only dreamed. There are no excuses. As I’ve heard, “Dreams without action are only fantasy.” I hope and pray I live the rest of my life with excitement, without fear of failure or success, looking for awe and wonder all around me.
A winter snow storm came through Wednesday morning and moved out by noon on Thursday. It has brought some cold temperatures and 6-8 inches of snow. It’s 7:30 am and my weather app and car both say -9 degrees. Have not been too interested in going out so I played with some images. This image was taken a few years ago and converted in Silver EFEX Pro using one of their presets. Here is the color version,
I’ve been traveling a bit and without internet. It’s been nice, actually. Visiting family in the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle area. I have several cousins who work hard at farming in that area. One morning I went with Daryl to check on his irrigation systems. Farming is one of those seven days a week jobs and is hard work. The corn in this field was wet with dew so both of us were pretty wet by the time we were back at the truck. I admire their work ethics.
I headed out east yesterday to follow some of the storm clouds as they moved across the eastern plains. They even stirred up a few tornados. Even had a funnel cloud spotted near DIA. All together I drove about a hundred miles, took a few images and picked up a speeding ticket that’s gonna cost me $145. It was almost a perfect day. 🙂
“At the root of creativity is an impulse to understand, to make sense of random and often unrelated details. For me, photography provides an intersection of time, space, light, and emotional stance. One needs to be still enough, observant enough, and aware enough to recognize the life of the materials, to be able to ‘hear through the eyes.”
Paul Caponigro
Hopefully I’m learning to be a listener. It is at the heart of any solid conversation. We cannot communicate well if we are only a talker, we have to be a listener as well. It seems that Paul Caponigro is saying we need to be listening to all that is around us to bring forth creativity in our photography.
I would also like to share a link to David LeLand Hyde’s post from Thursday. I suggest checking it out.
Mike Johnson has an interesting post about what he considers is the difference between a photographer and an art photographer. Bear with me as I ramble for a bit about the first part of his statement: being a photographer. As most of you know my posts are not very long or deep so this ramble will be the same.
He starts by saying a photographer is someone who takes photographs. That definition makes me a photographer as, well as you. Many of us who tote a camera with us are regularly asked the question, “Are you a photographer?” My answer to that question has evolved over the years. There was a time when I had no problem telling people I was an engineer. I would then be placed in the box they have defined as an engineer. At some point in my life there was an awareness I only worked as an engineer. Who we are is much larger than any box people have placed us in. So, now when someone asks if I’m a photographer I have no problem saying yes while inside I know I am much more than just a photographer.
I concur with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin; we are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. As spiritual beings photography is one of many ways for us to participate in this human experience. It is a wonderful way for us to be a more active and vital part of our world. Photography is a passion, a love, a creative outlet, a form of expression and a teacher.Through photography we are able to experience the world around us with new eyes and gain a respect for all of life.
