• Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes

    Quiet Times

    September 3, 2026

    It is in the quiet times that we build our strengths and know we have something to rely on. Solitude is not withdrawal into a place where no one and no sound can penetrate. It is a sweet moment of peace with or without other people that lets us re-center and reset the rhythm of the mind, body and spirit. It is wisdom to stay close to the solitude of nature to keep us young and pliable.

    from A CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

    It was a brisk ride to the coffee shop this morning but it took very little time to warm up. About mid morning I made a trip to Arapaho Bend Natural Area for some journaling time, finding quiet and hoping to find a photo of clouds. I found all three. I hope you are having a wonderful day and doing your best to keep cool.

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  • coffee life,  fountain pens,  journaling,  People/Portraits,  writing/reading

    Sacred Instruments

    August 16, 2026

    I consider my journals and fountain pens as tools that enrich my life. They provide an ongoing spiritual impact on me, seeing them as sacred instruments. I’m aware that when I pick them up to journal in a public place such as a coffee shop, bookstore or library they present an image or statement about the life I live. But the true reason I journal is bringing to life a few words expressing my thoughts, ideas, dreams, and feelings. And, I have to smile when I see people with journals and pens in hand writing words on their blank pages. I secretly wonder what they are writing. What thoughts or images are being envisioned in their minds. Are they writing a short story, novel, poetry, letter, or maybe writing about me watching them.

    A reflective moment

    This Gemini generated image made several weeks ago begs many questions for me. Are the words she is finding on her pages voicing the grieving of the loss of a parent or a spouse, or feeling the experience of a new man in her life, or the excitement of her first great-grandbaby that’s due in a month, or reflecting on her life’s journey of 76 years, or maybe a time to pause and listen to the rain while watching the world pass by? Maybe it’s all of it! But it really makes no difference what story my imagination can create because it encourages me to continue my journaling. Something I like in this photo after spending some time looking at it is how gently she holds the journal and the pen. Maybe they are sacred instruments to her, also.

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  • flowers,  landscape,  mountains,  sunsets

    Colorado Sunset

    July 30, 2026
    Sunset along the Colorado Front Range

    Back in August of 2015 I house sat for some friends for a week. It was a strawbale house on 20 acres in the eastern plains and a lovely place of solitude. This was one of the sunsets I enjoyed while there. I’ve heard the sunset is the sun’s fiery kiss to the night. Seems appropriate for this late posting. May you sleep well tonight!

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  sunrises

    Some of us are trying

    June 1, 2026

    I fear that future generations will judge us harshly for our failure to place proper value on wildness, diversity, open space, spirit, solitude, and other treasures of the natural world still available to us today. May they at least know that some of us tried.

    Guy Tal
    Sunrise at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – May 2023

    I am grateful this community I live in has placed value on the wildness of nature and have established several Natural Areas that are set aside as treasures. I am thankful no wealthy developer will be able to destroy the beauty of this morning sunrise scene. My prayer today is that everyone, including rich developers, will come to see the beauty and priceless value of this sunrise as a gift for all of us without a monetary value. And, I need to know I was one of those who tried.

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  • nature,  quotes

    The web of all life

    May 1, 2026

    My God is too vast to be contained by theology, too mysterious to be defined, too holy to be personified. My God neither punishes nor rewards, but invites me into a living relationship that unfolds in the heart of all that is. My God belongs to everyone, and this belonging connects me to the web of all life.

    Mirabai Starr

    It has been a beautiful day with clear blue skies, sunshine and a gentle cooling breeze. I used yesterday and today to recover from the traveling. I got some grocery shopping done and made tuna salad. This afternoon I spent time at Pineridge Natural Area for the silence, solitude, and journal time. I believe my time at the coffee shop and in these Natural Areas are places where I do connect with the web of life. They are essential in my life! And hope you had a Happy May Day! Enjoy your weekend!

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  • bicycling,  campus,  clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Sunrise on Campus

    April 3, 2026

    Solitude is important to man…
    It is his refuge when the very foundation of his life are being shaken by disastrous events.

    Margaret E. Mulac

    I stopped and took this image of the predawn colors over the Lory Student Center on campus this past week on my ride to the coffee shop. Posting this late and hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend!

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

    Away from the city noise

    March 2, 2026

    “For me it was important to be alone; solitude was a prerequisite to being openly and joyfully susceptible and responsive to the world of leaves, light, birdsong, flowers, flowing water.”

    Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays

    A spring like day. We reached 71 degrees and nature painted clouds all over the blue canvas sky. It makes me smile! I spent some time at a couple natural areas this afternoon to watch the art show and journal. I hope you had a good day!

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  • clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunsets,  trees,  winter scenes

    Silhouettes

    January 21, 2026

    We have had clear skies most of the day with sunshine but on the cold side. Sure looks like most of the nation is on the cold side and it’s going to get worse in many places. Single digits for lows at night calls for two blankets. My day has been quiet. I was able to drive my car for the first time in three weeks so I went to the coffee shop then the grocery store. All went well and nobody got hurt. Actually it was a good experience to see what life would be like if I did not have a car, which I’ve wondered about. I am still being cautious in what I do and discovered today that I may have overdone the walking as I am a bit sore. This sunset image of two hawks silhouetted in the trees was taken in December of 2020 along Weld County Road 15, one of my favorite locations for sunsets. The image is simple, nothing fancy, but the location is a place of quiet and solitude. And, I believe Mr. James is spot on. Stay warm!!!!

    If you can change your mind, you can change your life.

    William James
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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  quotes,  silence

    Living in Solitude

    November 7, 2025

    I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.

    Albert Einstein

    I embraced solitude in my youth while at the same time I was blessed to have close friends and savor memories of times with them. But I remember spending time alone where I used my imagination to create worlds I could control but also kept me from living in reality. In my youth the reality of the world had people in it that did not think or see as I thought and therefore my youth has painful memories. I can recall the wounds inflicted from bullies and the adults who would find fault when I didn’t think as they did and even a God, who I was taught, was finding fault in me. I remember believing there was something wrong with me if I didn’t want to be a part of the crowd and so I would fearfully make the effort to try and fit in. So it is in gratitude that my years of maturity have allowed me to enjoy the delicious gift of healthy solitude in my life while also living in healthy relationships and the gift to have both. 

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