• Avian,  nature,  quotes

    I hope so!!

    December 3, 2024
    Western Kingbird – June 2023

    The American people may solve their problems themselves, and so save the world a catastrophe, but not by insisting that the government do their work for them. No man will ever be whole and dignified and free except in the knowledge that the men around him are whole and dignified and free, and that the world itself is free of contempt and misuse.

    Wendell Berry, Hidden Wound

    Spending time in nature has taught me how birds embrace freedom. The life of this Western Kingbird is not without peril, requiring a constant alertness or its life can end quickly in the talons of some raptor. But, I’m not sure they worry about the price of gas or a quart of milk, or increases in property taxes and insurance, or the prison of their corporate lives. And there seems to be no indication they feel more dignified or less dignified than their neighbor. They perch on the same barbed wire fence and pursue the same insects as all their neighbors. I seriously doubt it’s concerned if its song of repeated bursts of “chits” and chattering is more enjoyable, or less, than the meadowlarks or the magpies. It seems they sing from a heart that is free of its role in the contempt and misuse of the world. I desire to think it’s a song of joy, wonder, pleasure, trust or hope! At least I hope so!!

    Read More
  • bicycling,  fall season,  leaves,  quotes,  seasons

    Nature’s Tapestry

    October 16, 2024

    In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.

    John Muir

    I can just as easily replace the word walk in this quote with bicycle ride. As I rode through this one area I noticed a scene that I noticed a scene I wanted to photograph. I took several images but was not satisfied with any of them. I turned to get back on the bike and noticed this scene. It is a busy image but the colors, eclectic shapes and patterns caused me to squat down beside the water and accept the image. Because I took the time to stop and squat a woman walking by also stopped to see what I was seeing. She thanked me and we both smiled as we received nature’s tapestry. Taken on my bicycle ride yesterday along Spring Creek Trail.

    Read More
  • musings,  People/Portraits,  street photography

    Thanks for listening…

    October 7, 2024

    So this morning I needed to take my car in because it was making a noise. I dropped it off then took the bus home. It takes two bus rides and a walk halfway across campus to get home and about 45 minutes. I discovered and appreciate just how easy bicycling really is.

    Took this image on the second bus ride as we left campus.

    I feel sadness today. Found out my medical insurance did not pay as much as expected so now I owe more. The car is going to cost more than expected. This country, and the world, seems to be bent on hatred and violence, unrest and division, all of which causes finger pointing, blaming, and always perpetuating resentments. Coming to mutual solutions doesn’t seem to be on the horizon. And believing our diversity is our strength rather than a problem doesn’t seem to be part of anyone’s vision.

    But on a positive note we have beautiful blue skies and sunshine to bask in. So, once I arrived home, I let nature speak to my soul, as only she can. I sat in the warm sun, which feels almost like being hugged, and ate a refreshing orange. I watched leaves dancing with the wind and excitedly take to the air. I watched a group of Sparrows snatching insects out of the air. I listened to Blue Jays making a racket in the trees. They could be arguing but I doubt they will kill each other. And, I sit with inner silence, my journal, pen and let my breath be my prayer. Thanks for listening if you read this far.

    Read More
  • bicycle rides,  nature

    A gift I did not expect

    October 1, 2024
    Spring Creek Trail

    A gift I did not expect when I bought this e-bike is being able to hear more of the natural world. Her voice has always been there, hidden in the bustle of the city, drowned out by the sound of man’s machines. My ebike has a small and almost silent motor, so I feel its assist more than hear it.

    I like riding on the city’s hard surface trails where I am no longer in the midst of traffic but become more immersed in nature. Now the sounds of the natural world begin to dominate when I ride alongside the river on the Poudre Trail or follow the creek along Spring Creek Trail. In some areas I am surrounded by a canopy of trees and shrubbery, which are wonderful sound barriers to the pollution of traffic noise. This allows me to hear the water sing it’s melody on its journey; hear songbirds as I tootle along; hear squirrels barking and squeaking as they hide atop the trees; hear the alert prairie dogs barking warnings; hear the caw of a crow soaring above; hear the wind rustling cottonwood leaves along the trail; and every once in a while hearing the song of a bird I’m not familiar with. And one sound that strikes a note in my soul is the almost complete moments of silence found on these trails. I love the gift of this language of the natural world.

    Read More
  • nature,  quotes

    The Cosmic Dance

    September 29, 2024

    When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children, when we know love in our own hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet, Basho, we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash – at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the “newness,” the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident, all these provide a glimpse of the cosmic dance.

    Thomas Merton

    And today is National Coffee Day.

    Read More
  • animals,  nature,  quotes

    Those Brown Eyes

    September 25, 2024

    I want not only to observe but to know living beings, and this implies a dimension of primordial familiarity which is simple and primitive and religious and poor.

    Thomas Merton, The Trees Say Nothing

    I would add that this familiarity needs to be in their natural environment; the city park, the mountains, prairie, desert, yards, and gardens. All living beings share this world with me so spending time with them is the gift.

    Read More
  • landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  reflections,  sunrises

    The Love of Sunrise Reflections

    August 25, 2024

    It was unusually quiet this morning at Pineridge. Seemed like everyone slept in late. Almost no one at the natural area and no traffic sounds from the city. A few magpies and blackbirds along the shore were excitedly chatting about the colors in this mornings sunrise. It was a peaceful and silent time to me. I was loving and being loved by the reflections in the water.

    Just as the sun broke the horizon, a light breeze out of the northwest sent small waves across Dixon Reservoir. Yet, the water still offers it’s reflection. I stood in awe and wonder as a lone pelican gracefully and silently flew over the water. How do they do that? Nature is amazing. After allowing nature to fill me with love and refreshing my soul I headed home. I had my prayer and meditation time, put on a crockpot of 16 bean soup, then rode the bicycle to meet Jeff for coffee and conversation.

    “Love is the inheritance of mystery that we leave to the universe—the proof that consciousness is more than chemicals and fire, but rather a song that sings the why and how of all creation. Love sings it now and will sing it until the end of time.”

    Steven Charleston
    Read More