My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.”
James Oppenheim
Start another 4-day trip today. This was from an early evening walk at the Arapaho Bend Nature Area. Learning more about this Fujifilm X-E1.
“Restore the spark of life by doing work that is deeply rooted in your soul.”
Thomas Moore
We are cold and cloudy this morning. It’s one of those days when you want to pull the covers up around your neck and dream a bit more. Once you crawl out of bed it becomes a day for making chili soup, maybe even homemade bread. I start a trip tomorrow so have things to do today before leaving.
When spending time on a trail in one of our parks or nature areas I like to look for the art nature provides. And, no matter where I look I will find it. I enjoyed this scene because of it’s simple beauty but I know this scene will not be there tomorrow.I must enjoy it while it’s there. The constant work of nature will change it. An hour from now or by tomorrow more leaves will have fallen. The wind will blow away some leaves or move the leaves creating a different pattern. Rain and snow will change the colors and contrast. A squirrel may run along this log and alter the scene. Or maybe man will pick up the leaves and alter the scene. I will return at a later time to see how it has change. But, this was the art for today.
“…one is not really a photographer until preoccupation with learning has been outgrown and the camera in his hands is an extension of himself. There is where creativity begins.” – Carl Mydans
True but we must have the camera in hand.
On my way to play this past Friday and noticed these clouds along a housing development a couple of blocks from my condo. They were just so dark and ominous looking I had to stop and take a shot. Surprisingly, not one drop of rain fell. If you look close you will see a bicyclist in the center of the image at the edge of the trees. This is where the bicycle path runs.
Had an interesting conversation with my grandson yesterday morning. We had a beautiful frost overnight leaving these large crystals all over the car. I told him to check them out as they were just gorgeous. He looked then stated he thought I was the only one who would notice something like that. He may be close as there may not bee that many people who look at frost as I do. It could be my age is giving me more respect for the constant art of nature. Or it could be walking around with a camera in my hand has helped me to pay more attention to our world.
“You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Being in nature is a form of prayer. With my camera in hand I’m always looking for something to place in the viewfinder. To do that I must observe and stay present then I cannot help but see the wonder of nature and reflect on it’s creation. I’m thankful to be there and when giving thanks we’re offering a prayer in nature.
Last week I slept in one morning. It seemed like the covers weighed a ton making it too difficult to get up. After another hour of sleep I found the strength to remove the covers and crawl out of bed. The sun was already up casting that warm morning light through my window. As I watched the sun in my room several questions went through my mind. What did this mornings sunrise looked like? What colors were there? What animals and birds would have watched it with me? What would it be like to see every sunrise or sunset? How many people see twelve or more sunrises or sunsets in a year? What would I be like if I experienced more sunrises and sunsets? Would I have a quieter mind, know more peace? Lots of questions this morning. Maybe I should have gotten up earlier. 🙂