• musings,  quotes,  shadows

    Early Morning Shadows

    April 9, 2026

    A shadow is never created in darkness.
    It is born of light.
    We can be blind to it and blinded by it.
    Our shadow asks us to look at what we don’t want to see.”

    Terry Tempest Williams

    As a photographer I have been fascinated with shadows for a long time. Similarly I have become fascinated in seeing the shadow side of myself. There are aspects of each of us we do not want to look at nor do we want the world to see and have found ways to hide or disguise that in our shadow. In my youth I was blind to my shadow. Now as I’m older I’m finding it to be an adventure looking at my shadow side, exposing it to the light of awareness and growth, and bringing out the details so that I can uncover who I truly am and allow others to see my authentic and full self. Who knows what gem may be discovered in those shadows for both me and the world. I hope you have had a wonderful day.

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

    Thanksgiving’s Predawn Sky

    November 27, 2025

    Finding beauty in a broken world is creating beauty in the world we find.

    Terry Tempest Williams

    It was a very cold morning at 22 degrees. I felt gratitude for the life I am living as I stepped from my car and walked to my favorite rock at Pineridge Natural Area. The rock was just as hard as the last time I sat on it but this morning it was also quite cold. The sky was beginning to turn a light pink then shifted into a darker pink. I accepted the gift of a beautiful predawn sky. It was quiet, still and serene. In the early twilight I could see a group of four hardy runners bouncing along the trail with their headlamps as they circled Dixon Reservoir. I assume they were working up an appetite for turkey dinner later today or maybe a warm cinnamon roll with coffee when they returned home. I agree Terry Tempest Williams quote, there is much beauty to be found in this broken world. I then made my way to Mugs in Old Town for a mocha and blueberry scone. They were having the annual Turkey Trot going on so the streets were blocked off for the race and people were gathering for the race. I decided to head back home before it became a mess. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  storm clouds

    Deep Sustained Silences

    June 11, 2025
    Storm clouds this afternoon on the eastern plains

    Everything here feels compromised—too many planes—too many cars—too many concessions where commerce is favored over contemplation. What if it is only through the deep sustained silences that precede and follow love that life can be brought forth in all its fullness?

    Terry Tempest Williams
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  • Avian,  quotes

    Teaching me to listen…

    May 24, 2025
    Eastern Kingbird

    I pray to the birds. I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the messages of my heart upward. I pray to them because I believe in their existence, the way their songs begin and end each day—the invocations and benedictions of Earth. I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.

    Terry Tempest Williams

    We’ve had a steady mist all morning and they are predicting heavier rain later this afternoon. It is welcomed moisture and much the same for the next four days. Seems my photographer’s eye has been drawn to clouds and birds the past few weeks. The song birds have put on some wonderful concerts that keep me coming back for more. If I could change one thing in Williams quote it would be the phrase “pray to.” I would like it to say “pray with.” And, I do believe their songs are teaching me to listen! Happy Saturday!

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  • flowers,  nature,  Plants,  quotes

    Serenity

    August 2, 2024

    Solitude… is what sustains me and protects me from my mind. It renders me fully present. I am desert. I am mountains. I am Great Salt Lake. There are other languages being spoken by wind, water, and wings. There are other lives to consider: avocets, stilts, and stones. Peace is the perspective found in patterns. When I see ring-billed gulls picking on the flesh of decaying carp, I am less afraid of death. We are no more and no less than the life that surrounds us. My fears surface in my isolation. My serenity surfaces in my solitude.

    Terry Tempest Williams

    The Oxford Dictionary defines solitude as: the state or situation of being alone. I relate to her quote because there are times when enjoying my coffee life, surrounded by people in conversations, baristas foaming milk, and piped music, I can feel isolated. A major contrast to the city’s natural areas which provides a place for me to be in solitude. Yet, I am never really alone as I am surrounded by plants, birds, animals, clouds, and people, who add their presence and sounds to my solitude. So, while I’m in solitude with nature, I too find serenity. Happy Friday!

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  • clouds,  landscape,  mountains,  quotes

    Time at Watson Lake

    May 5, 2024

    “The world is holy. We are holy. All life is holy. Daily prayers are delivered on the lips of breaking waves, the whisperings of grasses, the shimmering of leaves.”

    Terry Tempest Williams

    I spent some time this past week at Watson Lake for some quiet time and journaling. The wind blew, with a cold bite to it. I enjoyed the sound of waves pounding onto the shore. Things are greening up. The ponds, lakes and reservoirs are full, and snow sits atop the mountains in the higher elevations. All is a good sign for us. It was cloudy and cold this morning. Perfect weather to meet a friend for a spicy chai. The sun breaks through clouds and blue sky is our gift now. Hope you had a wonderful day!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Morning Prayer

    April 24, 2024

    “I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.”

    Terry Tempest Williams

    I listened to it raining during the night so I was surprised to see an almost clear sky this morning. Since I woke early I made my way to Pineridge Natural Area to enjoy the beginning of a new day, bringing my camera just in case. Listening to the choir of meadowlarks and robins this morning lifted my spirits, setting the tone for the day. Listening seems to be a theme for me this morning, so I better listen. I stopped at Starry Night later and enjoyed a mocha latte made by Hannah. I listened as she excitedly shared about the blossoms on the tree outside her bedroom window, even showing me photos. And, I listen as they play In My Life by the Beatles. Hope you have a wonderful day!

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  • prayer,  quotes,  shadows,  silence

    The Silence of Prayer

    January 27, 2024
    This mornings shadows in my bedroom

    I am learning to pray again, not in the way I was taught as a child, but in all the ways the desert has taught me to listen.

    Terry Tempest Williams

    Over 20 years ago I was given the suggestion to learn how to pray in my own way, that maybe prayer was much more than I had been taught as a child. That suggestion has become a wonderful gift. So my life of prayer, the how, what and who of my prayer is, has become so experiential, personal and inclusive. It is always evolving, a conversation, yet without words. It has become more about listening to an inner voice and listening to nature. I include my journaling, listening for words, as a form of prayer, as is reading. Might as well include laughter as prayer. So is crying. Watching the sunrise. Taking in a deep breath is prayer. And, if we take the lesson, we will find nature teaches us silence to sit with. I’m learning to be silent in the silence of prayer.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Honor Creation

    August 17, 2022
    Sunrise from Viewpoint Spur at Pineridge Natural Area

    By honoring wilderness, we honor beauty. Beauty is not peripheral, but at the core of what sustains us. Awe and wonder ignite our imagination. We are inspired. We witness the magnificent and miraculous nature of creation. We are humbled. Wilderness becomes soul settling; a homecoming; a reminder of what we have forgotten—that where there is harmony there is wholeness. The world is interconnected and interrelated. Wild nature is not only to be protected, but celebrated.

    Terry Tempest Williams, Erosión

    I celebrated sunrise this past Sunday morning with a slightly different view by walking up Viewpoint Spur. This view adds trees and brush to the foreground. Love the awe and wonder of those pink clouds. A great way to honor creation! And, as she says in her quote, wilderness settles my soul.

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  • landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    What will it take…

    July 19, 2022
    Early morning at Watson Lake

    “What will it take for us to change so that other species like the greater sage grouse, the grizzly, the wolf, and the wolverine can live and thrive in peace? What will it take for us to honor what they need, instead of what we want?”

    Terry Tempest Williams, Erosion
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