• animals,  landscape,  sunrises

    I’ll Take the Experience

    September 9, 2021

    “This new day has greeted us with no rules; unconditional opportunity. Do not dilute the power of this new day with the hardship of yesterday. Greet this day the way it has greeted you; with open arms and endless possibility.”

    Steve Maraboli

    In darkness I drove east of town to watch the sunrise and distance myself from the city noise: trash trucks, sirens, traffic, landscapers and others. I felt tired but felt the need to stay open to any possibilities the new day may bring. Joyfully I encountered a group of five antelope (pronghorn) along Weld County Road 90. They are always on alert and in my experience they normally quickly run, keeping plenty of distance. So, for them to not run away while keeping a watch on me, was different and provided this photo opportunity. Not the best image because I used a handheld telephoto lens, out the car window, with the car running. No matter, I’ll take the experience I was offered. The sky is still filled with the smoke and will be for the next few days. May you have a wonderful Thursday.

    Okay, I installed a new comment and subscription plugin called Subscribe to Comments Reloaded. Let me know if you have issues with it.

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  • natural areas,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    Topsy-turvy

    August 31, 2021

    My time in Phoenix with my mother and then the 8 hour drive to Texas and back, was far more sedentary than I realized. I did not get in the steps like I needed so need to get back into a routine again. I’m sure more walking will increase also with the coming of cooler fall temperatures.

    After a burst of lightning in Colorado over the past 48 hours aircraft from Colorado Fire Prevention and Control have spotted 37 small fires. We only have a couple that are of concern but the smoke is having a negative impact on our air quality. We will be dry and warm today with moisture arriving on Wednesday.

    I received word yesterday afternoon that my dad and brother-in-law have tested positive for COVID-19. Both are tired and have little energy. My sister Marcee tested negative and my sister Sheree will test today. I’m scheduled for testing Thursday morning. Life is topsy-turvy right now. 😍

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    Opportunity

    August 23, 2021

    Joe had a post last week where he talks about accepting the gift of images rather than taking them or capturing them. I believe that’s true and evident in my photography. And then this morning I was reflecting on how I call myself a photographer as if it’s something I became through self will, practice, training, study, vision. While all of those are needed, maybe I need to see it as another gift where “I’m being given the opportunity to be a photographer.” 😍

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  • Avian,  natural areas,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    Afternoon Walk

    July 18, 2021

    I had a quiet walk at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area yesterday evening. It was a hot and muggy day so I was sweaty by the time I returned to the car. May have to take my monthly shower a week earlier than scheduled.

    It was also very quiet. In the hour I was there I only heard one meadowlark, far off in the pasture, a half dozen red-winged blackbirds chattering in a tree and this mourning dove, who was mourning.

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  • fog,  landscape,  Plants,  trees

    Silent Waves of Fog

    July 15, 2021

    low lying clouds
    sea of suspended water
    silent waves of fog

    ms

    Had a short night of sleep but slept sound for most of it and feel rested. Headed out early and discovered a bit of fog on the eastern plains. A world of clouds and haze until the sun burns it off. Very humid and cool morning with 96% humidity and 57 degrees. It is fascinating to watch fog as it changes and moves like a wave ever so silently and quickly. Fog does not hang around for too long. It is a cloud at the earth’s surface. A wave moving over bales of hay.

    A touch of pink in this image as the sun is about to rise behind the low clouds in the east. We are seeing fields of both the ripening wheat and three foot tall stalks of corn. Farmers are irrigating the fields of corn so lots of surface moisture to generate the fog. Where I’m standing is a ditch full of gurgling water, almost like having my own little stream. Have a great day!

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  • Avian,  Mary Oliver,  meadowlark,  poems

    Alleluia

    July 5, 2021
    Western Meadowlark

    Sixty-seven years, oh Lord, to look at the clouds,
    the trees in deep, moist summer,
    daisies and morning glories
    opening every morning
    their small, ecstatic faces—
    Or maybe I should just say
    how I wish I had a voice
    like the meadowlark’s,
    sweet, clear, and reliably
    slurring all day long
    from the fencepost, or the long grass
    where it lives
    in a tiny but adequate grass hut
    beside the mullein and the everlasting,
    the faint-pink roses
    that have never been improved, but come to bud
    then open like little soft sighs
    under the meadowlark’s whistle, its breath-praise,
    its thrill-song, its anthem, its thanks, its
    alleluia. Alleluia, oh Lord.

    Mary Oliver
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