• landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Dare to be Ourselves

    January 11, 2024

    “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”

    May Sarton

    Same place, different day, different canvas, different colors and clouds than yesterday. Makes me smile when I think about the constant of change and variety of scenes within nature. As I stepped out of the car this morning at Pineridge Natural Area, I noticed two young women wrapped in blankets getting ready to sit on the bench and watch the sunrise. One of them said good morning Monte. Surprised, I asked how they knew me. They said I met them last winter up here and they still had my card. When they saw me get out of the car they figured it was me. So, I find it interesting that within many of us is a desire to be known by others. While at the same time we can be known by people and never be aware of it. Which leads me to ask myself this morning why I need to worry about it. Seems Mary Sarton is correct, we just need to dare to be ourselves and let life be what it is.

    Cold weather is heading this way so it will be frigid the next four days. For sure two blankets sleeping weather. Excited to meet with my oldest daughter, Christine, for lunch today. Stay warm and be yourself!

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Exciting Possibilities

    December 31, 2023

    Often when something is ending we discover within it the spore of new beginning, and a whole new train of possibility is in motion before we even realize it. When the heart is ready for a fresh beginning, unforeseen things can emerge. And in a sense, this is exactly what a beginning does. It is an opening for surprises. Surrounding the intention and the act of beginning, there are always exciting possibilities.

    John O’Donohue

    I’m not going to offer a list of my favorite images for 2023 because they’re all my favorites. That is not arrogance but an acknowledgement of a love I have for this craft of photography that even the ones you don’t see are teachers for me. This will be my final post of 2023. It is time to say goodbye to the year and look to the possibilities in 2024. Last year began with a lot of unknowns with my health and this year I have other unknown health issues. Seems to come with this age thing. Yet, I am looking to this coming year with exciting possibilities in all areas of my life. I’m not sure where this year will lead me, what spirit of adventure awaits, whether those are good or bad, what adjustments to my sails I will need to make, what will I need to learn, and what new ground will I walk? Exciting possibilities.

    I started this last day of 2023 at Pineridge Natural Area to take in the cold, in the silence and the amazing colors of predawn. Nothing more energizing for me than beginning the day and ending the year with time in nature. And, I also enjoy witnessing creations ever changing works of art. I then made my way to Starry NIght for an Americano and a croissant. I end this post with a prayer and wish for all your new possibilities in the coming year.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Just Beyond Our Understanding

    December 28, 2023

    The God of our understanding is just that: the God of our understanding. What we need is the God just beyond our understanding.

    Rami Shapiro

    As I set up my tripod this morning, the full moon was setting behind me and the sun had not yet risen. Predawn or twilight are the names we call this time of day. It is a favorite time for me. An orange glow sat along the horizon, a color I have come to know as the gift offering of the day’s mysteries. And today I think I will call those mysteries: adventures. As I returned home and walked to my front door the sky above me became filled with the sight and sounds of hundreds of Canada Geese. I just stood there with a bag of groceries in one hand and 12 roll package of toilet paper under the other arm. I watched them zig and zag in their attempt to keep perfect formation. And, as always there are those one or two or three that wander off course, then hustle to get back in formation or join another formation. I watched the rising sun begin lighting them with its glow against the clear blue sky. I accepted another of the day’s offerings!

    When younger I did not use the name God in any form or shape of reverence or awe, but usually out of anger or frustration with life. I’ll just say it was profanity. I could not understand a God that would cause or allow the pain and suffering I saw in life. However, I reached a point in life where, as Rami Shapiro suggests, I began to seek a God just beyond my understanding. As I experience moments of reverence or awe like this morning, I have a sense this is what God is all about. Yes, it is just beyond my understanding. Hoping you have a wonderful day!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    A beginning…

    December 27, 2023

    A beginning is ultimately an invitation to open towards the gifts and growth that are stored for us. To refuse to begin can be an act of great self-neglect.

    John O’Donohue

    After quiet time at home I started a crock pot of vegetable soup. Then enjoyed an early morning mocha made by Hannah. Was able to get in some reading and journaling before meeting Mark for breakfast. Hannah and I both agreed she did a good job with her latte art and improving each day. Believe they call it practice. Christmas was good this year. Spent time with family and friends and those who are both. Not sure how you faired but I over indulged in food consumption, enjoyed myself while consuming though but paid the price. So, I was miserable later in the evening, both Christmas eve and day.

    John O’Donohue’s quote says a lot in those two short sentences. We are quickly closing in on the end of the year which means a beginning of a new year. What will it hold? Reflecting on this past year I am grateful to have had both gifts and growth. I’m now wondering what gifts and growth will we encounter this year? Maybe lots of both.

    This is a five image handheld panorama of Dixon Reservoir this morning about 10:30 am. The high winds over the past 48 hours have moved all the smog and crud sitting along the Front Range out to Kansas and beyond. And it still blows. Sure makes things look bright and clear. Going for a walk!!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    … this meeting place

    December 11, 2023

    I know plenty of people who find God most reliably in books, in buildings, and even in other people. I have found God in all of these places too, but the most reliable meeting place for me has always been creation.

    Barbara Brown Taylor

    The only sound was from my boots crunching the gravel under my feet as I walked to a favorite location along the ridge above Pineridge Natural Area. I like this spot because I can look out to the eastern horizon and find the skies reflection in Dixon Reservoir. When I arrived I setup my tripod then stood, listening to the silence. I like this meeting place in creation. I also didn’t want to take a photo but as you can see I did. Hope you have had a good day.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Morning Sunrise

    December 7, 2023

    “Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”

    Rumi

    This is a five image panorama from this mornings sunrise over Dixon Reservoir. It’s not the best but it does offer a sense of the majesty of the predawn gift. We had another beautiful day of sunshine and warmth before we see colder temperatures and snow arriving tomorrow evening. Hoping you had a wonderful day.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    to begin the day…

    December 6, 2023

    “The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe.”

    Abraham J. Heschel

    There is nothing quite like beginning the day at Pineridge Natural Area and receive the gift it offers. It does not seem to matter if my time there is for a few minutes or an hour, or whether it’s summer or winter, because something happens inside me every time. It’s not that the day goes my way better but my attitude and perspective in facing the day come from a better place. So a wonderful way to begin the day is to stand in awe and wonder of its beginning… then live the day!

    I have never read any of Abraham Heschel’s books but I find him quoted quite often by many of the authors I read so I may have to change that. Have a wonderful day!

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