• clouds,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    A Journey of Discovery

    January 14, 2025
    Predawn sky at Pineridge Natural Area

    When you regain a sense of your life as a journey of discovery, you return to rhythm with yourself. When you take the time to travel with reverence, a richer life unfolds before you. Moments of beauty begin to braid your days.

    John O’Donohue

    As I parked the car at Pineridge Natural Area this morning, I realized I was moving in autopilot mode. I only took two photos then headed to the coffee shop. Any inspiration to be there was lacking. I know one reason was the cold. Another reason was because my chattering mind kept me from being present to any journey of discovery or reverence. That’s not my norm. The above quote has been sitting in waiting for the right time to be posted and this seems to be the day. This morning there was almost no reverence of my presence to myself or the natural world I am a part of. As I have journeyed through the day, and that is what each day is for, a sense of peace and reverence has settled in and I am grateful for my life! I hope you had a good day and stay warm!

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  • coffee life,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Top of my Gratitude List

    January 13, 2025
    Adriana and Emma

    May the light of your soul guide you; May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart; May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul; May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work; May your work never weary you; May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement…

    John O’Donohue

    My coffee life this morning had a special perk to it. I was pleased to see Emma at the coffee shop when I arrived. Let me tell you about it. So Adriana, in the background, is one of the current baristas, a full time student at CSU and a manager at Mugs. Emma, in the foreground, worked at Mugs for many years while a student at CSU. She now lives in Massachusetts after graduation and is in town for a visit. These two were roommates for several years and two of the most beautiful people on the earth. They both have made a lot of my mornings better by their presence, offering their smiles, their morning greetings and making my mocha lattes. My life has been enriched because of the gifts they are and I believe the world is richer because of their presence. Even though I am much older, they inspire me through the lives they live! I also consider them adopted granddaughters. They are at the top of my gratitude list! Even though I knew Emma was going to be here, it was still a wonderful surprise to see her. I’m still smiling!

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  • landscape,  nature,  quotes,  silence

    It was time to go…

    January 12, 2025

    Silence is somehow at the very foundation of all reality.

    Richard Rohr

    I was restless yesterday afternoon so I grabbed my camera gear and headed to Prospect Ponds. The wind has been blowing all day so I bundled up, but knowing I would not stay long. I’m too old to endure too much cold. I was pleased to find plenty of silence and very few people (smarter than me?). I met up with a couple of the park rangers and asked if they could shut off the wind. They laughed and told me they already did but it was going to take a few minutes for it to take effect. Wasn’t what I wanted to hear but I admired their quick response and humor. As I took this image of the ice patterns on the pond I realized how cold I was getting. It was time to go. Enjoy your Sunday and stay warm!!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  nature,  quotes,  sunsets

    Time Well Spent!

    January 11, 2025
    A waxing crescent moon at sunset from the Cathy Fromme Nature Area – 1/3/2024

    “…some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

    Judy Blume

    I can find myself in a funk, or drifting into one, every once in a while. When that happens I need something to lift my spirits besides sitting at home reading a book or journaling so I opted for time at Cathy Fromme Prairie Nature Area and let the quiet touch my soul. Nature threw up a few clouds against the sky, offered a warm golden glow on the horizon and hung a thin waxing crescent moon above. Even though I felt the cold it was time well spent. For me, each time I enter into the presence of nature there can be a change within me: mind, body, heart and attitude. Some may notice a change in me while others will have no clue. The important thing is that I do. It’s time well spent! 

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  • fountain pens,  journal,  quotes

    My journaling…

    January 10, 2025
    Dark Chocolate Petit Beurre Biscuits and chocolate milk

    “As the pen rises from the page between words, so the walker’s feet rise and fall between paces, and as the deer continues to run as it bounds from the earth and the dolphin continues to swim even as it leaps again and again from the sea, so writing and wayfaring are continuous activities, a running stitch, a persistence of the same seam or stream.”

    Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot

    Nothing like a couple of Dark Chocolate Petit Beurre Biscuits and a small glass of chocolate milk to add to my journaling experience. My journaling has been a continuous practice in my life, a journey, a path I enjoy walking, one word, one step at a time.

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  • frost,  quotes,  winter scenes

    You are a living message

    January 8, 2025

    Here is one way to look at yourself through spiritual eyes: you are a message. When you wonder what existence is all about, when you ask about your purpose in life, or when you feel small in comparison to the troubles of the world: remember that you are a message sent by the Spirit into creation. What you say, what you do, how you think and feel: your whole life is a long and sustained message for others to encounter, experience and receive. You are a living message: sent to touch more lives than you can imagine.

    Steven Charleston

    My car’s dashboard showed 2° as it grumbled to start this morning. But I was bound and termined to make my way to Mugs and support my baristas. Could be one of my purposes in life. This morning Winter was my barista, and a name fitting for this wintery day. I needed to be there, to share the message of how awesome she is and that I’m one of the many lives she touches. I was surprised how many people were at the coffee shop. They gotta be nuts to be here on a morning like this!!!!

    By 7:30 the blue skies and sunshine were a welcome sight. I stayed a little longer than normal, leaving about 9:30 am. I drove to the Reservoir Ridge Natural Area to experience the beauty of the wintery scene and capture a photograph or two of the snow and frost. It was a magical time! I wish people offered more nurturing messages like our natural world does. Yes, magical!

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  • quotes,  street photography

    A Walk Down the Alley

    January 7, 2025

    Photography is the easiest art, which perhaps makes it the hardest.

    Lisette Model

    There is some amazing hidden artwork in the alleys of Old Town Fort Collins. Every so often I enjoy taking my camera down these alleys and see what images I might discover. My camera does not have to stop and pee or sniff like a dog would which makes it easy. My light on this day was soft diffused light from overcast skies. I am learning to stand before scenes like this with awe. At first I was drawn to the colors, but after a while, the intricacy of all the lines pulledme into it. I’m glad I took a walk down the alley. We awoke to a couple inches of snow and it still snowing. Again, it looks like everyone is dealing with winter conditions. Stay warm and enjoy your day!

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

    Watching the Changes

    January 6, 2025
    Predawn at Pineridge Natural Area – 28 sec at f 22.0 and ISO 200

    It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not. We need to learn to appreciate the value of impermanence.

    Thich Nhat Hanh

    Nature is a good teacher of about impermanence. If we watch closely nature is always in flux. In this scene the movement of the clouds is blurred during a 28 second exposure. Yet, as we stand and observe this scene we are not necessarily aware of the subtle changes with them. I now enjoy taking the time to watch the changes as they happen. I took a total of eight images from this same spot and each one is subtly different. Photography has and is helping me learn to appreciate the value of impermanence. It looks like much of the nation is dealing with wintry weather. So stay warm, be safe!

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