• landscape,  mountains,  natural areas,  quotes,  silence

    Art of Presence

    January 20, 2025

    Prayer is the art of presence. Where there is no wonder there is little depth of presence.

    John O’Donohue

    I stood in wonder this morning at the scene before me. A silence surrounded me. With almost no wind I became aware of the stillness, the beauty, and the penetrating cold. I felt alive. There was a voice inside reminding me that I was an integral part of this world. And, my presence in this world is to love all of creation, to be anchored in justice and compassion, to accept our interconnectedness with all things, to listen and observe our natural world as a teacher, and that living life, being present with all its ups and downs, is a spiritual experience. So, if prayer is the art of presence, then I wish to practice this art of presence until my heart beats for the final time! I guess you can say even that is a prayer.

    If you enlarge this image of the frigid morning at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area you can faintly see the setting of the waning gibbous moon just to the right of center. Stay warm, be safe and pray.

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  • lake,  landscape,  sunsets

    An Afternoon Drive

    January 23, 2023
    Watson Lake on a January afternoon

    As I turned onto Bingham Hill road I encountered a flock of 15 turkeys swaggering and fanning their tail feathers. I stopped, watched and listened to them. They are quite amusing. Took a dozen images but had too short of a lens for an image I would like to have had. A quarter mile down the road I came across a dozen mule deer grazing in the open field. Again I stopped to watch and listen. From there I drove to Watson Lake to sit at a favorite spot overlooking the lake. I soon heard the call of an eagle then watched it land on the ice with a fish in its talons. With binoculars I watched as the bird devoured the whole thing, leaving nothing. After the eagle flew away I sat in the quiet of the frozen lake. Behind me I could hear the sound of the Poudre River as it continued its journey eastward. So an afternoon drive became a series of spiritual experiences with nature. So glad I got out.

    Swaggering and fanning their tail feathers
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  • clouds,  landscape,  sunrises

    Moments like this…

    January 5, 2021

    Wanted to share this mornings pre-dawn colors. I took this near the south dam on Horsetooth Reservoir, a scene that looks out over the sleeping city of Fort Collins. We are expecting high winds today and I could already notice them picking up. I love how nature creates anew each day with the clouds, the patterns and color palette that all stir up deep feelings within me. When I got home I asked myself the question, “Would I come here if I was not a photographer?” I’m aware I do have the incentive to take images, hoping to come home with a keeper or two. However, at this stage in my life, it’s more about being there, letting it all touch me in some way. It’s moments like this which draw me closer to creation and a conscious contact with its creator. I call them spiritual experiences.

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