My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Minus 7 degrees this morning at 5:30. By 8:00 we were up to -3 and bright sunshine. Predicted high of 28 degrees caused me to smile. Heat wave is here today. If you notice those are the Canada Geese in the background, sleeping in late.
“Parks and gardens are the quintessential intimate landscapes. People use them all the time, leaving their energy and memories behind. It’s what’s left behind that I like to photograph”.Â
Michael Kenna
While on a walk in the Arapahoe Bend Nature Area I encountered an elderly gentleman on the trail. He had a walking stick in each hand and a small Canon around his neck. As he walked in front of me he would stop every once in a while, look around, taking it all in. He would raise the camera to his eye, frame a shot and press the shutter and methodically move on. No chimping. The walking paths in this area are level and easy to walk so for us elderly folk it is a great place to touch base with nature. I caught up with and enjoyed some time walking and talking with him. We both agreed we enjoy our nature areas. Just a few days before, this scene was covered in snow.
“If you’re not feeling the full joy of life, it could be that your creative urge is not getting enough play.” Thomas Moore
I intended to shoot some images of the rising moon last night, which I did, but they were nothing compared to the sunset in the west. This was my play time last night. It was a tad bit cold but what a joy to experience.
Yesterday brought overcast skies and gentle rains throughout the day. Along with the rain and clouds comes cooler temperatures, almost had a Fall feel to it. Late in the afternoon the clouds broke and sunshine once again brightened up evereything. A sudden impulse to head out with camera and tripod for one of the nature areas led me to the Riverbend Ponds.  Clouds then began to build up to the northwest, darkening the sky. Rumblings of thunder let me know I was not going to have that much time out there. About 45 minutes of walking and taking a few images I started seeing raindrops on the water, telling me it was time to head back to the car. I just finished a 3-day trip Saturday afternoon so I needed the time away from the city and people. The Red-winged blackbirds were singing, while sparrows and swallows would sweep down and skim along the water surface searching for dinner. And, every so often a fish would break the water as it took some insect off the surface of the water, leaving circular ripples to move across the water. It was just what I needed.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.
Chinese proverb
I love listening to the birds sing in the morning. My favorite is the meadowlark. No, it’s the robin. Wait, I think it’s the sparrow or the wren or the ….
Sunrise yesterday morning at the Arapahoe Nature Area.
I’m now in Phoenix visiting my parents. I headed out for some morning sunrise photos and froze out there. I was not expecting the weather to be this cold. It was 27 degrees yesterday morning and about 33 this morning. May have to go back to Colorado to get warm. But, I am enjoying time with my family. This image was taken a couple yeras ago at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver. Have a super day.
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. 🙂
I had planned on sleeping in but the internal body clock went off around 4:15 am. Tossed and turned then decided to grab the camera and see what the morning sunrise would offer. The nature areas within the city provide some wonderful opportunities for quiet and wonder as the day begins. I headed for the Cattail Chorus Ponds as it’s been a while since visiting the area. A smile came across my face as a meadowlark greeted me when I stepped out of the car. As I walked to the ponds I could feel my pants getting wet from the morning dew. The last time I was out there was about four years ago so there was a lot more growth along the banks than expected. Never the less, I found a rock to sit on along the bank and take it all in. I waited and I smiled.
This is an HDR experiment. The image was taken with my D300 and a Tamron 17-50 mm f2.8 lens. The metered exposure was at 17 mm f16 @ 1/60. It is a series of nine (9) images exposed at 1 stop, then processed in HDR Efex Pro. I chose Full Scene Compression preset and lowered the tone compression then adjusted exposure and contrast/tone in Lightroom. I would like you to let me know what you like and don’t like about the image.
Prospect Ponds as a series of ponds encircled with trails and located along East Prospect Road. The City of Fort Collins maintains the ponds and trails. It is used by fishermen as the ponds have plenty of small bass, crappie and perch. The natural area is a haven for waterfowl, birds, mice, foxes and raccoons to see in the early mornings and late evenings. As I walked along the edge of one of these ponds on a cool fall morning I had my attention captured by these reeds and the early morning light. After setting up and taking a few images I was given something extra by nature as a fish rose to the surface to make this pleasant splash and ripples, adding more sparkles to the image. Yes, a morning splash with nature.