My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
This is my Jon Norris flute in the key of G# that is made from Ambrosia Maple.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Rumi
I made another trip to Pineridge Natural Area today about mid morning. Things were rather quiet there. I walked out to the bench and sat down to let nature share a sacred moment with me. I then did some journaling, played the flute and took a few photos. With the light cloud cover it provided lovely diffused light. The sun was still warm but a cool breeze was just what I needed. So was the journaling and flute playing. They say showers are possible around 3 pm.
“Certain things in life simply have to be experienced -and never explained.”
Paulo Coelho, Maktub
I drove up to Pineridge Natural Area this morning to watch and photograph the predawn colors and the sunrise. It was a good experience and a good way to start my Saturday or any day for that matter. I then headed to Windsor and met Eric for coffee. I hope you have had a good Saturday!
Grandfather says this: in life there is sadness as well as joy, losing as well as winning, falling as well as standing. I do not say this to make you despair, but to teach you that life is a journey sometimes walked in light and sometimes walked in shadow.
Back in August of 2015 I house sat for some friends for a week. It was a strawbale house on 20 acres in the eastern plains and a lovely place of solitude. This was one of the sunsets I enjoyed while there. I’ve heard the sunset is the sun’s fiery kiss to the night. Seems appropriate for this late posting. May you sleep well tonight!
“There is beauty in silence and there is silence in beauty and you can find both in a bicycle!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
The gift of riding. That’s a simple statement but I think it needs to be expanded on. I had been looking at bicycles because I began having issues with my back when I walked more than 5k steps. This August it will be two years since I purchased my e-bike. From that purchase a new world opened for me and the gifts began appearing. So here are some reasons I consider riding my red steed as a gift. It includes good cardio exercise since it does not bother my back. I do not have to deal with the insanity and congestion of traffic. I spend less money on gas, put fewer miles on my car and I pollute less. I am spending more time in the elements of nature. This was a surprise because the riding puts me in nature rather than being enclosed in a car. To enhance the experience of nature I enjoy taking the Spring Creek Trail, even though it’s a longer ride than across campus. In taking that trail I’m experiencing more of the sounds, sights and smells of nature. While riding I am in the midst of the beauty and the silence of nature. For me it is the gift of a spiritual experience and a wonderful way to start my day.
I bought the Trek Verve+ 1 bicycle. I did a lot of research into what I wanted before settling on this bike because I felt it met my needs as a Class 1. It has a small rear hub 250W motor with 40NM of torque. That easily gets me up any hills around here. The battery is rated at 250Wh, is integrated in the downtube, and lets me get about 32 miles on a charge. It has a Shimano 8 speed shifter, which has more gears than I need or use. I handed them my credit card after the return of my first test ride!
The original image for this scene was taken this morning on my bicycle ride home from the coffee shop. I am standing at a concrete detention wall that creates a small pond used for water control. I must say the bicycle ride home from the coffee shop, almost two hours later, was much hotter than the ride to the coffee shop. Today is expected to be in the upper 90s and I can feel it now. Same forecast for the next 5 days. And for anyone interested I found out Dairy Queen was closing about 45 franchises due to some franchise issues, primarily Alaska, Texas and Montana. Luckily the closures do not affect my area. Whew!! I hope you stay cool and calm today!
