• bicycling,  campus,  clouds,  landscape,  sunrises

    Clouds at Predawn

    March 14, 2026

    The cloud is free only to go with the wind.
    The rain is free only in falling.

    Wendell Berry

    Here is this morning’s predawn sky over campus on my bicycle ride to Mugs. Emily was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink of choice this morning. We had some dramatic winds along the Colorado Front Range and into Wyoming on Thursday. They closed I-25 and US 287 north from Fort Collins to Cheyenne and Laramie for the better part of the day. There were wind gusts recorded over 80 mph. So there has been some major wind damage. The campus had some big old pine trees toppled. They released students early on Thursday due to the winds and it was the last day of class before spring break. What was interesting to me about this wind was having it blow for almost 12 hours nonstop. As my friend, Joan, described it, it was “unsettling.” They are predicting more high winds again today and into tomorrow. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

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

    The refreshing gift of nature…

    February 18, 2026

    It’s been a while since I ventured up to Pineridge Natural Area for predawn skies and sunrises. A couple reasons for that. It requires me to get up early and I find it more difficult to get out of a warm bed. I changed that this morning. I awoke early so… The temperature was 25 degrees and a light breeze from the north. It looked like clear skies as I could see stars but I made the decision to go anyway. As I left my condo I could see a few clouds huddled along the eastern horizon which spurred me on. It was not the best day to be standing in the cold, as February is known for cold, frosty mornings. But as old Father McGuire would say, “It’s just the way God wanted it.” I’m glad I did go and not just to accept an image but to be in the presence of nature. I did not stay long as it does not take long to feel the refreshing gift of nature (and the cold). Not many people out except for one hardy jogger. The sun now shines but the weather app says rain is possible in the early afternoon. I hope you have a wonderful day!

    POD (Pen of the day): Petrol Marbled Pelikan M205 with Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite ink.

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

    Thanksgiving’s Predawn Sky

    November 27, 2025

    Finding beauty in a broken world is creating beauty in the world we find.

    Terry Tempest Williams

    It was a very cold morning at 22 degrees. I felt gratitude for the life I am living as I stepped from my car and walked to my favorite rock at Pineridge Natural Area. The rock was just as hard as the last time I sat on it but this morning it was also quite cold. The sky was beginning to turn a light pink then shifted into a darker pink. I accepted the gift of a beautiful predawn sky. It was quiet, still and serene. In the early twilight I could see a group of four hardy runners bouncing along the trail with their headlamps as they circled Dixon Reservoir. I assume they were working up an appetite for turkey dinner later today or maybe a warm cinnamon roll with coffee when they returned home. I agree Terry Tempest Williams quote, there is much beauty to be found in this broken world. I then made my way to Mugs in Old Town for a mocha and blueberry scone. They were having the annual Turkey Trot going on so the streets were blocked off for the race and people were gathering for the race. I decided to head back home before it became a mess. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  reflections,  sunrises

    Overcast and Cold

    November 26, 2025

    Selfishness seldom has to do with reaching for the biggest piece of cake on the plate;
    rather, it is preoccupation with our selves.

    Marcus Borg

    It is overcast and cold here this morning. A brisk 22 degrees when I left for coffee. Needless to say I did not ride the bicycle to coffee. However, it’s up to 30 degrees now. I put on a crockpot of chili soup earlier and will indulge in that later. I sure do like how my house smells when I’m cooking with a crockpot. Today will be a quiet day at home with reading, journaling and some flute practice. I took this sunrise and reflection image at Arapaho Bend Natural Area back in October. Have a wonderful day!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  sunrises

    My need for silence

    August 19, 2025

    What you need, what we all need is silence. Stop the noise in your mind in order for the wondrous sounds of life to be heard. Then you can begin to live your life authentically and deeply.

    Thich Nhat Hanh

    I drove up to Pineridge Natural Area for a few photos and spend time in nature. I came home with a lovely photograph of Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon, all in alignment. The eastern horizon was a beautiful red, pink, and orange. Several bats were having a feast on insects as they circled above me. I drove home feeling renewed then had my meditation and morning readings before bicycling to coffee. I am now in a much better place to authentically live my life. We are noticing a lot more new faces at Mugs as students return to campus and the almost 6,000 freshmen class invades us. I hope you have a wonderful day!

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes

    Contact With Nature

    July 4, 2025

    The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place themselves under the influence of earth, sea, and sky and their amazing life.

    Rachel Carson

    A rainstorm passed through during the night. With my eyes closed I listened to the thunder rumbling in the distance while the rain beat against my bedroom window. I crawled out of bed about a half hour earlier than normal and made my way to Pineridge Natural Area, just to enjoy the pleasures of this Sanctuary. I listened to the birds singing in the stillness. A couple pelicans drifted on the reservoir. The grass at my feet dancing in the light breeze. The sky was magical and the coolness was refreshing. All my senses were fully alive. The sacredness of this place touches my amazing life. May you enjoy the burgers and brats!

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

    seeing miracles…

    April 27, 2025

    “The more you turn inward, the more available the sacred becomes. When you sit in silence and turn your gaze toward the holy mystery you once called God, the mystery follows you back out into the world. When you walk with purposeful focus on breath and birdsong, your breathing and the twitter of the chickadee reveal themselves as miracles…”

    Mirabai Starr
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  • landscape,  natural areas,  poetry,  quotes,  sunrises

    I believe…

    February 2, 2025
    Pineridge Natural Area – December 2020

    I have made it through some hard times in my life.
    I imagine you have too.

    Looking back, I can honestly say
    That in more than one of those times
    I was not sure I would make it.

    The presence of a living and conscious love
    Got me through.
    I can only call it Spirit.
    So my faith is not the product of an emotional need
    Or an intellectual imagining.

    I believe because I know. Because I have been there.
    Because of my experience.

    I cannot convince others of this truth.
    I can only share it and wait to see
    The light of memory in their eyes.

    Steven Charleston

    I believe in the presence of a living and conscious love
    because I, too, have been there and experienced it.

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