My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Smoke hovers over the city
The foul smell of smoke, now choking
The amber color uninviting, otherworldly
So quiet, birds sing in silence or elsewhereDespairing mood in this darkened world
Close my eyes, pray for a brighter day
Open my eyes, but nothing changed
I go for a mocha, stare at blank pagesI sit in the quiet, seek the light within
Wishing it will shine on this gloomy day
Now write words, they keep me in the present
Even in this blackness we do not give up hopems
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.
Awoke early, had my quiet time, made a french press then drove up to Pineridge Natural Area. Quiet up there and had the place pretty much to myself. The smoke from Cameron Peak Fire is very noticable in this image, especially in the color. The fire is now over 14,000 acres with over 500 firefighters attempting to control mother nature.
I had some journaling time at the natural area then did a short walk to get the heart rate up. I meet Joe for coffee this morning then cleaning around the condo. It’s gonna be a laid back kinda day. We need days like this.
“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
Right now I have three options available in getting into a Class B. Option 1 would be purchasing a new Class B that would run from $150k to $200k with the options I’d like. Option 2 would be buying a used van probably costing from $60k to $100k for one I’d be happy with. Option 3 would be letting go of this dream and not buying a van which would cost me $0.
My financial history is not something to brag about. I made decent money working as an engineer but had no skills in managing that money. I spent many years spending foolishly while pursuing the pleasures of life. Therefore my retirement years are being spent with minimal cash. For the past 6 years I’ve been living on my social security checks, leaving my retirement funds for when I reach the 72 year marker or for some unforeseen emergency, which I’ve needed to do. My miniscule savings is gone. 😞
With that said, options 1 and 2 would be possible only if I sold my condo, bought the van and placed the remaining small (tiny) equity in some fund/investment or I win the lottery. Selling my condo is not the best financial move and for several reasons.
I have no idea how long I would I travel in a Class B? Since I’ve never done it before, would I like the lifestyle? I’m also over 70 so I’m unsure how long I will stay healthy. If I knew that living in a Class B was something I would do until I took that last breath then I’d go for it. It’s almost a guarantee that someday I will be needing my home back. So selling my condo is too high a risk for me.
So, at the present moment owning a Class B is a dream that is almost daily in my mind but at the present time is unattainable. I wish I could let it go and live with what I have, which really is enough. Because the life I live now allows me to rise early and greet the dawn with my camera without the need for a van. From a financial standpoint it’s a dream that is not feasible for me unless a large sum of money fell from the sky. And, that’s why I buy a lottery ticket every so often and dream. 😃
Awoke way too early then struggled to get back to sleep, seem to have more of those nights over the past few years.
So, I crawled out of bed at 4:00 am, had my quiet time, made a french press then headed to the Arapaho Bend Natural Area; may need a nap later.
At 5:45 am most people are still wrapped in blankets so it was quiet except for the birds, they always rise early; always in a seemingly good mood.
The weather people predicted a cloudy day, then rain later, so I took the chance for a sprinkling of clouds in the east; I was awake anyway.
I like the solitude of my life, living alone, plenty of quiet, yearning to live near a natural area, always one of my daydreams; it could come true.
Then I’d rise early each morning to greet the sunrise while listening to the free concert and tire you with too many sunrise images; See!
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Awoke early and headed east with intentions of stopping at the Kingfisher Point Natural area then walking across the road to the ponds. However, there are now private property signs all along this area. I do not remember them in the previous visits, of course it has been a while. Usually if they are trying to restore an area they post it as such. So, I stayed on my side of the street. Everything is green and lush right now.
Thought I’d include some history of Kingfisher Natural Area from the CSU website. In 1998, the Fort Collins Natural Areas Program (NAP) purchased the dried waste ponds and has worked since then to rehabilitate the soil, remove non-native plants, and create places for urban recreation. Further south, NAP also added land that includes floodplains ponds, possibly the site of earlier gravel mining like those at Cattail Chorus and Riverbend Ponds, to Kingfisher Point to create a more hospitable area for water birds. After a century and a half, the city mostly has returned water at Kingfisher Point Natural Area to wildlife and environmental protection while simultaneously creating green spaces for residents to recreate.
They say you can see great horned owls as they’re known to occasionally nest in the area. As the name implies you will see kingfishers, along with wood ducks, pelicans and western tanagers. On a warm evening, you might hear chorus frogs. Good morning from Fort Collins!
The strange look to this water is really the clouds reflected on the calm waters of Dixon Reservoir this morning. When I arrived there were several fishermen out along the shores including this Great Blue Heron. This is almost a 75% crop because it was shot at 55mm, thus it’s not the best image but the feel is what I wanted anyway.
One of the reasons I come here is because of the silence. The nature area is right up along the foothills and does look down on Fort Collins and very little traffic to be heard. But, things seemed quieter this morning at the nature area, with several periods of complete silence, even with the meadowlarks. I did arrive earlier than usual which may be the reason. Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!