nibbling on grass
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black eyes alert to danger
nothing but cuteness
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- Arapaho Bend Natural Area, landscape, natural areas, poems, poetry, quotes, sunrises, writing/reading
Whoever that may be
In the late summer season of life, I found
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authors, guides, and teachers who have made me
aware of the gift of my wandering soul and spirit
within my own inner landscape.
With no knowledge of an inner landscape
I went seeking in the enticing outer landscape
yet this wandering soul and spirit of mine
was never satisfied, never fulfilled, always lost
Now in my winter season of life
my soul and spirit wander my inner landscape
seeking the Unknowable,
that source of life,
Whatever and
Whoever that may be.I’ll end this with a thought from C.G. Jung, suggesting that our wandering has and is the thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God.
- Arapaho Bend Natural Area, clouds, landscape, natural areas, poems, poetry, reflections, sunrises, writing/reading
The Power of Practice
To live a life grounded in God
Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light
you don’t need information;
you need to be informed by
the spark of divine presence
you always carry within you.
But you’ll have to practice
this, with concentration,
like you would if you were
learning a skill or art.To grow in this craft of photography requires practice. At the present moment I have over 90,000 images in my archives. A rough guess would be that less than 5% of them are good images. I’ll define good as images I’d want to print, frame or sell. And, I post many images on this blog that I would not define as good but want to share them anyway. There is something about them I like. Which means I have a large number of keepers that are lessons and teachers. The lessons they teach may not be something I understand while looking at the image on my computer. Some lessons may be unconscious and only known or understood until I’m in the field and something intuitive, that spark within me, tells me to change my composition or some technical aspect of my equipment. And, that is the lesson practice offers!
This morning’s clouds, predawn colors and reflections at Arapaho Bend Natural Area were a good way for me to start this day. My only hiccup was making an 8 ounce pour-over rather than a 12 ounce pour-over.
I hope you also have a good day in whatever you do!
- haiku, horizons, landscape, natural areas, Pineridge Natural Area, reflections, silence, sunrises, writing/reading
The Morning’s Clouds
nature’s gift
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painted on a canvas sky
the morning’s cloudsI found a place to settle along the ridge, just below the road and above Dixon Reservoir. I lowered my tripod to be just at eye level and sat there among the bluestem grass, rabbitbrush and sage brush. My low perspective was much like that of the cottontails or coyotes. I was surrounded by silence and the spicy, bitter yet inspiring fragrance of the sage. And, Oh, those clouds! I took in slow deep breaths and soaked in the gift of being alive. Within me a prayer stirs and a desire that all the world would experience and partake of these moments nature offers. I could have sat there all day but…the day calls.
I took this image about 8 minutes earlier. This is the predawn sky and the first one is sunrise. Meet Mark for breakfast at 9:00 am then have the staples removed from my head. Rain predicted for later this afternoon. Have a super Awesome day!
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oh, this gift…
they rise from the depths as nymphs
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transforming from prey to predator
from pinkish-brown to sky blue
oh, this gift of the blue damselfly - clouds, haiku, horizons, landscape, natural areas, Pineridge Natural Area, poems, poetry, sunrises, writing/reading
the twilight hours
a predawn pink sky
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silence just before sunrise
these twilight hoursMy morning began with quiet time of prayer and meditation followed by a drive to Pineridge Natural Area. I enjoy being a part of these divine hours. Seeing the predawn pink colors along the eastern horizon brought on a smile and a bit of giddiness. And, the coolness of the light breeze was invigorating to all my physical senses. Meadowlarks and Robins contributed their morning song enhancing the moment and this sacred place. I found myself smiling again. Taking a deep breath I felt within the gratitude to be alive and the experience of these twilight hours. Hope you had a good Friday!
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From shore to shore
rising early I journey to this sacred place
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where darkness and silence will soon depart
and night surrenders to the light of day
gray clouds have settled atop the foothills
a holy mist anoints me as I watch in awe
the unique waves moving from shore to shore -
the day’s rising sun