My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”
John Muir
Drove to the Arapaho Bend Natural Area. Sun had just set. No wind. A subtle pink color in the clouds to the north. Walked to the edge of the reservoir and setup my tripod. Waited and watched. I was given the gift of this moment. Just what I needed. Beauty does that.
Above the mountains
the geese turn into
the light againPainting their
black silhouettes
on an open sky.Sometimes everything
has to be
inscribed across
the heavensso you can find
the one line
already written
inside you.Sometimes it takes
a great sky
to find thatfirst, bright
and indescribable
wedge of freedom
in your own heart.Sometimes with
the bones of the black
sticks left when the fire
has gone outsomeone has written
something new
in the ashes of your life.You are not leaving.
David Whyte
Even as the light fades quickly now,
you are arriving.
As David Whyte’s poem suggests I arrived in time for the sunset offered by Nature.
A cool north wind
ms
invites the tall grass
to dance.
An intimate silence
invites us to pause
to listen.
A golden reflection
invites the gift of this day
to begin.
No clouds this morning but plenty of haze from the smog and smoke drifting from the west coast. Unable to smell them but sure can see their effects. Interesting how the camera sensor does not record the red/orange sun in the sky the same as the reflection in Dixon Reservoir. Hope you had a good weekend and a great week ahead.
Started reading the book Nomadland by Jessica Bruder and finding it interesting. At times it’s sad, at times disturbing, at other times informative and other times funny.
On one of my walks at Dixon Reservoir I noticed this man just getting started with some fishing. The rising sun offered me a wonderful silhouette so I paused, took a deep breath, composed, took five images. Probably three too many but what the heck. For me the mood of this image tells a story about this man’s love for fishing.
My bicycle ride to and from Mugs coffee shop takes me across the campus of Colorado State University. I was surprised this morning at the number of parents dropping off students at dorms. I’ll guess 90% were wearing masks but I imagine that will change when mom leaves. It also brought more awareness of the vast differences we have in our attitudes towards this pandemic. What the heck, maybe these freshman need to become fishermen, standing six feet a part. Yes, I know, I’m thinking out loud again.
“…the difference between confusion and ‘don’t know’ is that confusion can only see one way out and that way is blocked, while ‘don’t know’ is open to miracles and insights.”
This image was taken a few years ago while on a rainy walk. I was surprised when I looked through the viewfinder because of what the camera and lens saw was much different than what my eyes saw. My eyes saw the leaves and reflection both in focus but with the lens stopped down due to the low light, the focus was on the reflection. It was a great photography lesson for me. But, it also teaches that what others will see is not necessarily what we will see.
I came across this door yesterday on the third floor of the Lory Student Center. I’d never seen it before. Something about it was different so I stopped and read the signage. The students can access this room by scanning their student ID’s and use the room for up to10 minutes to meditate, reflect or any similar activity. Now the green sign says 20 minutes when they swipe their student ID. Wow! What a unique and wonderful idea. I wonder how many 18-21 year old students will use this. As I reflect on this idea, I would venture to say that a lot of them need to use it, due to the lifestyle of being a college student.
I took this image on the bus ride the other morning. The sunrise was a pretty red and pink so I shot towards the east and included one of the riders. I like how it came out as it made it an abstract image. We have been cold ever since the Thanksgiving snowstorm that left us with 15 inches of snow. We’ve had a couple of days reach above 50 degrees but most days hoover around 40 degrees. Due to the cold and the amount of snow it is taking time to melt the snow, which is not the norm for Colorado. There are still piles of plowed snow along the campus that are still 6 feet tall. I confess I’m looking forward to warmer weather.
“The ability to ask beautiful questions, often in very unbeautiful moments, is one of the great disciplines of a human life. And a beautiful question starts to shape your identity as much by asking it as it does by having it answered.”
David Whyte
A few years ago I became less interested in answers and more interested in the questions. We already have too many people who have the answers. I’m grateful for the inquisitive minds in our world today, always looking for another question. Those questioning minds belong to the creatives, the prophets, researchers, the explorers, the seekers.
This was taken in 2005 at a local pond with my friends while having a picnic, plenty of food and games. It is scenes like this that I wish I could know what people were thinking about. I wonder if my friend was having an awareness of her part in the universe, or was she remembering a choice made in the past she would like to change or was she dreaming of a future moment yet to come.
“I could have. What does this phrase mean? At any given moment in our lives, there are certain things that could have happened but, didn’t. The magic moments go unrecognized, and then suddenly, the hand of destiny changes everything.” Paulo Coelho.