My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
“… we think that accomplishing things will complete us, when it is experiencing life that will.”
Mark Nepo
Nature put on another show this morning by painting the eastern sky with its palate of colors: orange, gold, pink and purple. She also placed a full moon over the mountains in the west. It seemed that no matter which direction I faced, I was experiencing life to its fullest. I then met friends for coffee and conversation to complete the morning. I hope you are enjoying your Sunday!
The day’s farewell is expressed in twilight, in the magic of color and beauty. The twilight makes the night welcome. It is as if the beautiful colors of twilight slip into the night and make the night habitable and bearable, a place where there is hidden light. Similarly, in old age, the twilight time of life, many of the unnoticed treasures of your life can now become available and visible to you. Often it is only with the twilight perception that you can really glimpse the mysteries of your soul. When the neon light of analysis grasps at the soul, the soul rushes to conceal and hide itself. Twilight perception can be a threshold to invite the shy soul to come closer to you in order to glimpse its beautiful lineaments of longing and possibility.
John O’Donohue, Anam Cara
“Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph;
Edward Weston
not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.”
My schedule this morning was discombobulated because they sent me a message saying they were not opening the coffee shop until later due to maintenance. I forwarded that message to Jeff so he would not drive from Windsor and find it closed. I grabbed my camera and headed to Arapaho Bend Natural Area. As I drove over there I watched the sky turn from red to pink then settle into its gold warm glow of the new day. My eyes were excited by the clouds so I wanted to share the beauty I saw in them. I set up my camera and tripod and hung around for a while. This was the one I chose to post today out of the 15 I took. After a half hour or so I went to a small coffee shop called Lima Coffee Roasters and paid way too much for a mocha.
The quote by Edward Weston reminds me of how often we do not see the usual subject matter of life that the mystic, the contemplative, the poet, the creative, the photographer, seems to see. And each of them must be awake, aware and open to the moment we are experiencing. I believe he nailed it! I hope you have a wonderful day!!
A good way to start a Sunday morning, or any morning, is time at Pineridge Natural Area. Joining me this morning at chapel were three Mule Deer, a couple of cottontails, a small choir of ducks and geese on Dixon Reservoir, a lone fisherman standing on the shore, and the nonstop chatter of magpies. We were finally gifted with a lovely afternoon rainstorm yesterday. It brought such a refreshing scent of rain, bright clear skies and if you were present to the moment, the loving touch of Creation. Morning chapel!
We did not regard the mountains and forests as wilderness; we called it home.
Luther Standing Bear
I found this quote and realized how truly distant we are from nature. It would be interesting to know how many people in the world never step foot into nature or even consider calling it home. Anyway, I roamed around in my archives to find images of mountains and forests to go along with the quote. I found the pickings rather slim because I am attached more to the open landscapes of the prairie rather than mountains even though I live in Colorado. Go figure! I found this image taken on the Foothills Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains back in October of 2003 with my trusty Nikon D100. It has been cool and cloudy here today but no rain. I put on a crockpot of chicken tortilla soup this morning since it was going to be a cooler day. I got my Covid and RSV shots about 4 hours ago and no side effects so far. I hope you are enjoying your day!
… like me, then consider yourself really kool and above average!!!
I loved the morning clouds of predawn at Pineridge Natural Area. I took several images of different compositions. However, none of the images turned out good because I forgot to turn off my IBIS (in body image stabilization). Anyway here are some purdy clouds at Pineridge Natural Area this morning. I hope you have a great day!
“One of the most sacred duties of one’s destiny is the duty to be yourself. When you come to accept yourself and like yourself, you learn not to be afraid of your own nature.”
John O’Donohue, Anam Cara
The eastern sky was a lovely shade of pink this morning during my quiet time. A beautiful gift from Mother Nature. It was about 51 degrees when I mounted the red steed for my ride to the coffee shop. The brisk ride always makes the mocha latte seem better. I stopped to take this image as the sun broke through the trees along Spring Creek Trail. If you notice the trail splits. I usually take the left turn which goes to the underpass on Prospect Rd. and onto campus. And of course I love clouds. You may see more images from this area. It has been cool and cloudy most of the day and I am quite happy with that. The ride to the coffee shop is 3.2 miles. When I take this route I have only two blocks of traffic to deal with. The rest of it is trail and campus paths with only pedestrians and cyclists. Have a wonderful weekend!
“There is a Sufi story about a man who is so good that the angels ask God to give him the gift of miracles. God wisely tells them to ask him if that is what he would wish.
Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal
So the angels visit this good man and offer him first the gift of healing by hands, then the gift of conversion of souls, and lastly the gift of virtue. He refuses them all. They insist that he choose a gift or they will choose one for him. “Very well,” he replies. “I ask that I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it.” The story ends this way:
The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the following plan: Every time the saint’s shadow fell behind him it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow. As he walked, behind him the shadow made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried up brooks, fresh color to pale children, and joy to unhappy men and women. The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without ever being aware of it. The people respecting his humility followed him silently, never speaking to him about his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name and called him “the Holy Shadow.”
Non-violence is a power which can be wielded equally by all—children, young men and women, the elders, provided they have a living faith in the Source of Love and have therefore equal love for all humankind. When non-violence is accepted as the law of life it must pervade the whole being and not be simply applied to isolated acts.
Mohandas Gandhi
It is in the quiet times that we build our strengths and know we have something to rely on. Solitude is not withdrawal into a place where no one and no sound can penetrate. It is a sweet moment of peace with or without other people that lets us re-center and reset the rhythm of the mind, body and spirit. It is wisdom to stay close to the solitude of nature to keep us young and pliable.
from A CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
It was a brisk ride to the coffee shop this morning but it took very little time to warm up. About mid morning I made a trip to Arapaho Bend Natural Area for some journaling time, finding quiet and hoping to find a photo of clouds. I found all three. I hope you are having a wonderful day and doing your best to keep cool.