• bicycling,  coffee life,  landscape,  sunrises

    Damn, it was good!

    November 13, 2024
    Sunrise at the CSU Oval with a dirty lens

    I received an interesting email this past week from attorneys in California “demanding” me to remove images from my website because I was infringing on copyrighted images belonging to their company. They had a link to a file listing the images but the link was incomplete. I did some research on the attorneys and discovered they deal with estate and trust litigation. I was sure it was a scam of some sort because as far as I know I have no images on this blog that are not mine. I was concerned that I may have posted a quote or poem that someone was wanting me to take down, which I would do, so I called them. I found out they were aware someone was using their company name and that I could ignore the email. So confusing that people can think of doing something like that, then acting on it and never see the results. Anyway…

    The other morning at Mugs I discovered one chocolate eclair sitting in their pastry case. I was flabbergasted because they normally do carry them except in the downtown store. I knew immediately some poor unsuspecting customer, maybe even a friend, was going to see that eclair and be tempted buy it. So, I quickly made the sacrifice and bought it, thinking only of them of course. Damn, it was good!

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  • bicycling,  fall season,  leaves

    Sunday Turkey Trot

    November 3, 2024
    Fallen leaves at the CSU Oval

    My ride to coffee this morning was an enjoyable 10.1 mile round trip. It was 38 degrees by the time I headed out the door, at 6:40 am. I’m enjoying riding enough that the cold has not deterred me from getting out there. Bundling up along with the exercise are a couple of good things for my health. Colors are still vivid in many places which brings on a smile. As leaves were falling like gold and yellow snowflakes it reminded me that it won’t be long and white snowflakes will replace them.

    Mallards on Spring Creek

    I stopped to spend some time at the small concrete dam and gate area along Spring Creek. The water was smooth, blues skies reflected in the water and I had the time to stop. Three mallards felt the need to get in the image so I let them.

    Sunday Turkey Trot on Spring Creek Trail

    Most Sunday mornings I will encounter walkers, their dogs and bicyclists, all using these wonderful hard surface trails. This morning I needed to stop because a bunch of turkeys were taking their time as they trotted cross the bike trail. They seemed to think it was all theirs. So I let all 13 in the group have the right of way. About 1:00 pm they wandered across my front yard, which is about 2 miles from where I took this image. I’ve never seen them this far in town. Do you suppose they are looking for a place to hide? Hope you had a good Sunday!

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  • bicycling,  clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  poems,  reflections

    Love and Respect

    October 27, 2024

    How beautiful our mother, the earth
    And how worthy of our love and respect.

    Steven Charleston, Spirit Wheel

    I took a pleasant bicycle ride yesterday along Spring Creek Trail and the Poudre Trail. It was 31 degrees when I got up but we reached a lovely 70 degrees by mid-afternoon. Blue skies and a spattering of clouds brought a smile. I was not the only one out riding and walking. Just to my left was a women with a painting easel, sitting on a stool and an umbrella to keep the sun off while painting this very scene at the Cattail Chorus Natural Area. I agree with Charleston’s poem, we do have a beautiful Mother Earth and my prayer is we all learn to love and respect her. ❤️

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  • bicycling,  quotes,  trees

    Cluelessness

    October 26, 2024

    When it comes to learning something new, cluelessness turns out to be the perfect and only place to start.

    Margaret D. McGee

    One of the gifts with bicycling along the hard surface trails in Fort Collins has been the connection to nature. The trails separate me from the city noise but within the city. Unless I told you there were homes a short distance from this scene you wouldn’t know it, you’d be clueless! A brisk 31 degrees this morning but clear blue skies and sunshine now. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

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  • bicycling,  fall season,  leaves,  quotes,  seasons

    Nature’s Tapestry

    October 16, 2024

    In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.

    John Muir

    I can just as easily replace the word walk in this quote with bicycle ride. As I rode through this one area I noticed a scene that I noticed a scene I wanted to photograph. I took several images but was not satisfied with any of them. I turned to get back on the bike and noticed this scene. It is a busy image but the colors, eclectic shapes and patterns caused me to squat down beside the water and accept the image. Because I took the time to stop and squat a woman walking by also stopped to see what I was seeing. She thanked me and we both smiled as we received nature’s tapestry. Taken on my bicycle ride yesterday along Spring Creek Trail.

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  • bicycling,  nature,  quotes,  reflections

    Feeling Reality

    October 6, 2024
    Cloudless sky and reflections

    It is no longer a matter of expressing reality,
    but of expressing what one feels about reality.

    Aaron Siskind

    In some places along the Spring Creek Trail there is little color change among the trees while there are trees in my neighborhood that are almost barren of leaves. This image shows a touch of color and its reflection in the glass like water at Cattail Chorus Natural Area. My feelings in this image is not the colors as much as the clear open blue sky and reflection. I admit to being attracted to our Colorado clouds, yet some of the most impressive images one can make are the amazing blue cloudless skies.

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  • bicycling,  Cityscapes/Urban,  quotes,  sunrises

    Start of the Day

    October 2, 2024

    Hello, sun in my face.
    Hello you who made the morning
    and spread it over the fields…

    Watch, now, how I start the day
    in happiness, in kindness.

    Mary Oliver

    I would add to her start of the day, a bicycle ride to a favorite coffee shop and an image of the sunrise along the way. Weather app suggests the possibility of 90 degrees today. Toasty!

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