My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Stopping is an essential part of the spiritual life. If we cannot stop, we cannot see our True Nature. When we stop, we begin to see clearly, and we can appreciate the wonders of life. We can see that there is no separation between ourselves and the world, and we can marvel at the oneness of all things. To be fully present in the moment, we need to stop letting our mind race ahead to the future or dwell in the past. We need to let go of our distractions, our worries, and our busyness.
Thich Nhat Hanh
One thing about bicycling is the tendency to be more present to the now and not as much time in my head. So this cloud scene required me to stop this morning and take in the beauty and wonder of nature. And, I wasn’t late to the coffee shop.
“There is beauty in silence and there is silence in beauty and you can find both in a bicycle!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
The gift of riding. That’s a simple statement but I think it needs to be expanded on. I had been looking at bicycles because I began having issues with my back when I walked more than 5k steps. This August it will be two years since I purchased my e-bike. From that purchase a new world opened for me and the gifts began appearing. So here are some reasons I consider riding my red steed as a gift. It includes good cardio exercise since it does not bother my back. I do not have to deal with the insanity and congestion of traffic. I spend less money on gas, put fewer miles on my car and I pollute less. I am spending more time in the elements of nature. This was a surprise because the riding puts me in nature rather than being enclosed in a car. To enhance the experience of nature I enjoy taking the Spring Creek Trail, even though it’s a longer ride than across campus. In taking that trail I’m experiencing more of the sounds, sights and smells of nature. While riding I am in the midst of the beauty and the silence of nature. For me it is the gift of a spiritual experience and a wonderful way to start my day.
I bought the Trek Verve+ 1 bicycle. I did a lot of research into what I wanted before settling on this bike because I felt it met my needs as a Class 1. It has a small rear hub 250W motor with 40NM of torque. That easily gets me up any hills around here. The battery is rated at 250Wh, is integrated in the downtube, and lets me get about 32 miles on a charge. It has a Shimano 8 speed shifter, which has more gears than I need or use. I handed them my credit card after the return of my first test ride!
The original image for this scene was taken this morning on my bicycle ride home from the coffee shop. I am standing at a concrete detention wall that creates a small pond used for water control. I must say the bicycle ride home from the coffee shop, almost two hours later, was much hotter than the ride to the coffee shop. Today is expected to be in the upper 90s and I can feel it now. Same forecast for the next 5 days. And for anyone interested I found out Dairy Queen was closing about 45 franchises due to some franchise issues, primarily Alaska, Texas and Montana. Luckily the closures do not affect my area. Whew!! I hope you stay cool and calm today!
I am thoroughly enjoying my morning rides to the coffee shop along Spring Creek Trail. This morning I stopped and took this image while standing on a small bridge over the creek then put it though the Jetpack image editor to come up with this AI generated image. I used anime style with enhancement. I did ask it to add the sunbeams and show more of the creek. I feel it gave a decent representation of the original scene. Anyway, it was fun to play with. It is another hot day for most of the country so I hope you enjoy or have enjoyed your day!
“My feet were placed on Mother Earth in the midst of others’ so that I might learn to walk together with them in my heart.”
Good Buffalo Eagle, The Seven Paths
The above quote is a good message to this world. It may just be the answer we are all looking for. We have proven so often that violence and hate never allows us to walk together.
A friend of mine fell a few days ago and had to have some surgery. She spent some time in rehab and was finally able to return home yesterday. So, welcome home Ruth and pray you have a quick recovery. 🙏
This was the scene along Spring Creek Trail this morning. The fires west of here in Utah and Colorado are now affecting us. We are seeing ash settling on cars and you can smell it. Sadly I heard this morning at the coffee shop that 3 firefighters have died and 2 have been injured in the 28,000 acre Snyder-Mesa Fire. I am not sure but assume this is the fire where most of the smoke filled air is coming from. In spite of the sad news, may you enjoy your Sunday!
It’s HOT here in Colorado today. Weather app says 93 degrees. I took this yesterday afternoon because I love the reflection in the almost glass like pond. When it gets this warm and the water in the pond moves every so slowly we get plenty of filamentous algae growing on the pond. It looks rather yucky to me but the carp and suckers love it. Some research says the best way to control this algae is to eliminate fertilizers. I’m all for that! Stay cool and I hope you are enjoying the weekend.
This is the last leg of my bicycle ride to one of my favorite coffee shops. And for many of us at the end of this path awaits one of our baristas, always greeting us with a smile, a drink of our choice, and one or two of the irregular/regulars to commiserate with. And it almost never fails that we find one of the squirrels-of-the-oval, at almost every other tree, encouraging us along on this last leg of the mornings journey. And Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers!!!
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.
