My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and asking deep questions.
There’s a difference between seeing something and beholding it.
Martin Shaw
The sun shines, the wind blows, the leaves on the trees dance wildly, robins sing happily, squirrels chase one another, a flotilla of pelicans float on the reservoir, and white clouds drift across the blue sky. There is so much beauty around us to see and behold. They all grab my attention, maybe even calling to me. I hope you had a wonderful Friday and may you have a wonderful weekend!!!
For the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that Love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.
Viktor E. Frankl
This is graduation week so I decided to run away to Weld County this afternoon and look for storm clouds, trees and less traffic. I found all three! I am rather confident that salvation of man is not through violence, wealth, power, self interest, and consumerism. Through love and in love sounds like a better solution. I will assume you recognize this cottonwood tree as it is one of my favorite models. She’s always there. Same spot, too. All of her new leaves were waving excitedly at me in the breeze.
Something whispered something that was not even a word. It was more like silence that was understandable.
Mary Oliver
I’ve been struggling with health issues for the past 4 days. Primarily deep back pain that penetrates my chest. I’ve had about every test possible checking for blood clots, strokes, seizures, and any heart issues. I have many symptoms of pleurisy, but all the testing came back negative. So, I am taking six Tylenol a day and resting. I haven’t been to the natural areas, bicycling, or photography as much. However, I made it to Mugs for an Old Town mocha and gathered around friends this morning. Seems hanging around friends is good medicine. I’ve kept up with my journaling and been reading some new poetry. I hope all is well with you. And, thanks for listening to me whine.
This beautiful field of sunflowers is now a high school with a huge parking lot, three baseball fields, a half dozen tennis courts, and a massive football stadium. And, directly behind me is over a mile of houses (Starting in the low $400s the signs say). Along with the houses comes buried sewer lines, water lines, gas lines, electrical lines, paved streets, concrete sidewalks, all required infrastructure needing years of constant maintenance against nature’s attempt to reclaim it’s world. And there’s a quick stop place for our gas guzzling cars and to purchase unhealthy foods. For such a large area it would be almost impossible to actually touch the earth as most of it is covered with concrete and asphalt.. The farmer that previously owned this field would alternate the sunflowers with onions yearly. Personally, I preferred the sunflowers over the onions but I will take the onions over what is now there. Saturday morning on my way to meet Eric for coffee I realized how much I miss those sunflowers, even the onions.
There is a voice inside of you
Shel Silverstein
That whispers all day long,
“I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.”
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What’s right for you–just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama
I spent some time today at Arapaho Bend Natural Area. As I approached the area, I noticed the clouds to the west over the mountains and knew there was a photograph of these clouds reflected in Rigden Reservoir if I walked to the east edge of the reservoir. Unfortunately the clouds aren’t as dramatic as they were a few minutes prior to this image but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
After about 36 hours of overcast skies that brought much needed moisture, the storm moved to the east late yesterday afternoon. Blue skies once again appeared and the late afternoon sunshine spread its golden glow upon us. We did experience some heavy rain early afternoon and even hail. It seemed like the color green popped out in the blink of an eye. I took this image yesterday evening about 8:00 pm after leaving the movie premiere I attended at CSU. Then, this afternoon I took a bicycle ride to Spring Creek Park where there was still remnants of flooding along low lying areas of the trail and the underpasses. I hope you had a wonderful Thursday!
True self-fulfillment arises in the absence of the ego.
Lao Tzu
It’s a busy day. Coffee and conversation at Mugs, then met my oldest daughter for breakfast. Will meet Duane for a late lunch at 2:00 pm then attend a movie premiere for my friend John Barnhardt at 5:30 pm. at the CSU Lory Student Center theater.