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

    The Gifts Creation Offers

    October 26, 2022

    It seemed like a long time since I had been to Pineridge Natural Area to photograph and experience the pre dawn light and silence. I looked in my archives and the last sunrise image I took was in July. Well that needed to come to halt. So, I’ve been throwing off the warm covers and making my way out to the natural area this past week. Silence. Solitude. Beauty. Cold toes. I need to receive these gifts creation offers. Most songbirds are gone while a lone owl lets me know with a “Who hoo” that they are glad for the new day. Or maybe they are glad I finally showed up again. It was 30 degrees yesterday morning when I took this image. After taking a few images I headed to a coffee shop to warm my hands around a mocha latte. It is cloudy this morning and we are expecting a slight chance of rain today. Hope you have a great day!

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

    Then things changed…

    October 24, 2022

    The day began as I watched the predawn colors on the eastern horizon then the sunrise from the ridge above the reservoir. I sat on the bench watched and listened. An owl, perched on the dead cottonwood tree, sharing with the world their joy for this new day. I enjoyed the warm sunshine and a light breeze we had all morning, drinking coffee and reading on the porch. It is what’s known as a perfect Colorado fall day. Then things changed… 

    By mid afternoon dark clouds had moved in, temperatures began to drop and the cold wind brought its power and authority to our attention. I put on a coat rather than a jacket and stepped outside for my walk. The cold wind stung my face and my nose began to run. The wind blew the still clinging leaves from their branches and sent them sailing in every direction. Some danced around me as if I was that important. My body knows this feeling as we move more into the later stages of fall and the promise of the colder season that quickly approaches, winter. Did I mention it’s cold?

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  • Annie Dillard,  leaves,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  Plants,  quotes,  sunrises,  Uncategorized

    … try to be there.

    September 30, 2022

    “The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”

    Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

    The winds began to pickup on Thursday afternoon. I stood on my porch watched them blowing with the wind. We may see isolated storms over the next two days, so many trees will probably be barren by Monday. We really had no bright colors on the trees this year, almost every leaf turned brown then began their descent, the final stages of their lives as leaves. I learned to make it a routine to grab my camera and walk around my condo and along the edge of the ponds just to be there. Never know what simple beauty I will discover

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  • clouds,  horizons,  journal,  journaling,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    A Sacred Place

    September 17, 2022
    The still waters of Dixon Reservoir

    A photo and excerpt from my journal this past July:

    Tuesday morning at Pineridge Natural Area. Sun just rose on an almost cloudless horizon. Our meadowlarks sing joyfully. Thank you! Bless this day. Love the birds. I awoke early this morning so had a short night of sleep and may need a power nap later today. The sun is a blinding bright orange orb. It will soon heat up this July day. It is a glorious time of the day for me. My young friend, Kate’s car is here, so she is already up on Viewpoint Spur practicing her morning yoga/meditation. It is also a glorious time of the day for her. This is a sacred place for many. Yet, even in this sacredness I find my mind wandering away to the busyness of the day, fretting, planning and no longer present to the sounds and beauty of creation. I take a deep breath and return. I believe these mornings transform the core of who I am and is an integral part of my own evolution, becoming who I was created to be. A process I will continue to take until my final breath.

    ms
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  • coffee life,  coffee shops

    Change of Seasons

    September 14, 2022

    Leaves have begun changing colors and are making their end of life journey to blanket the ground with their colors. Canada Geese are loudly flying in formation as they return for the fall and winter months. Mornings are becoming cooler and the heavy dew will be turning to frost soon. The sun has begun to rise farther south on the horizon, and later, signifying the season of shorter days. Jackets will come out of the closets to help us face those brisk mornings. Homes will begin to fill with the aroma of steaming pots of chilli soup to enjoy on cold evenings. All signs that the change of seasons is upon us.

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  • landscape,  reflections,  sunrises

    They’re Loving It!

    September 1, 2022
    Hebgen Lake

    My primary reason for this trip was to visit my friends Duane and Jan at Yellowstone Holiday. They retired a couple years ago, sold their home and living fulltime in their RV and have been working in RV camps the past two years. They are loving it. Last year they were working a camp along the California coast. This is the Sunday morning sunrise at the small marina they work at. The dim lights on the left are from the marina lodge and store. This view is looking outside of their RV on Hebgen Lake.

    “As a Wanderer, you must be true to yourself. You cannot continue to follow the crowd.”

    Bill Plotkin
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