• Plants,  quotes,  trees

    Branches

    January 19, 2026
    The chaos of branches in one of the trees outside of Mugs on Laurel

    We need silences to be free from the words that come between us and reality. We need silence to still our chattering minds and focus on the new creation to which we are constantly giving birth. There is a music to silence and a dance within stillness which is lacking in our lives and communities.

    Toni Bender

    We had a dusting of snow overnight then blue skies and sunshine the rest of the day. I would say we had nearly an inch but most is gone by now. It is still cold but our Colorado sunshine will quickly melt snow. Stay warm and dry and hope you had a good Monday!

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  • fall season,  leaves,  Plants

    More than eye candy

    October 18, 2024
    It’s called a change of colors for a reason.

    This time of the year the leaves become eye candy for me. On my walk I knelt down to see what compositions I could find. While kneeling the wind would blow, bringing down more leaves, and moving those already on the ground. It becomes a continuous creation of new compositions. And there seems to be an infinite number of leaves of different shapes, sizes and colors for nature to work with. However, they are more than eye candy because their life cycle includes decomposing, restocking the soil with nutrients and making up part of the spongy humus layer of the ground that absorbs and holds rainfall. They also become food for numerous soil organisms vital to the ecosystem. Yes, they are more than eye candy. How beautiful life is!

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  • leaves,  quotes

    A Path of Grace

    September 18, 2024
    Two leaves, similar but different

    We do not want our lives to signify nothing. This would be the most profound and ungrateful ignorance: to remain childish in an aging vessel…Life’s longing for itself, is a path of grace.

    Kathleen Dowling-Singh

    I remember a morning when I was getting ready for work I felt tired, confused, probably hungover, unhappy, and questioning if this was all there was to life. I knew at that moment that I did not want the life I had. My life meant nothing to me. Somehow, and some will call it grace, I moved through that period to discover life is much more than I could foresee at that time. I found lifestyle changes that included letting go of some old thinking, believing, and most importantly an unhealthy lifestyle and career that was not fulfilling me. I look back at it now and see it was my time to let go of childish ways and begin living life’s longing for itself, growing up. Today, even with the challenges of everyday life in this aging vessel of mine, I want to live a path of grace.

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  • pond,  reflections,  water

    Zooming In

    January 17, 2023

    A great photograph is a distillation, a reduction of the chaos of our wider experience to a visually satisfying essence where what is excluded is as important as what is included.

    David Ward

    Took my camera for a short walk around my ponds yesterday. The afternoon sun was breaking through the overcast skies and reflecting light off the soft ripples drifting across the pond. I zoomed in to focus only on the ripples and reflections and remove the chaos. When I head out of town to some place of quiet or one of the natural areas I am also reducing the chaos of life, zooming in.

    Snow is expected tonight and into tomorrow with accumulations of 6-11 inches. I have doctor appointments today, tomorrow and Thursday. Some are consultations and some are tests. Wherever you are stay dry, warm and out of trouble.

    And today is my dads 94th birthday! Happy birthday dad!!!!

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  • lifestyles,  quotes

    Within the Parentheses

    November 24, 2021
    Ropes of a hammock

    We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.

    Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

    There are moments throughout my day where I do not feel like it is a precious moment. It feels like a struggle to face the next moment, let alone the one I’m presently in. Yet I find taking a deep breath, saying some form of prayer, even a simple word such as thanks or help, and I can walk through the moment. Even then it may not feel like a precious moment but I believe I lived within the parentheses. How about you?

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  • Art,  Art/Design,  leaves,  Plants,  quotes,  snow

    Simplicity

    November 1, 2019
    Attracting attention

    “As I have practiced it, photography produces pleasure by simplicity, I see something special and show it to the camera. A picture is produced. The moment is held until someone sees it. Then it is theirs. Photography, alone of the arts, seems perfected to serve the desire humans have for a moment — this very moment — to stay.”

    Sam Abell
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  • architecture,  Art

    Candle Sconces

    July 28, 2019

    This an image of three candle sconces in a hallway with multi-colored window curtains in the background. An abstract I like. This is my last week at the Mercy Center. I will be heading home this coming Friday. It has been good for me. Learned a lot about myself which was a major reason for coming. I have also met some really neat people that may be friends for years to come. The five week course has gone by quickly. And, I must admit I have put on about 5 pounds in the four weeks. I’ve got one more week to go! Have a great week!

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  • Art/Design,  Cityscapes/Urban,  clouds

    Patterns for the Day

    October 3, 2015

    Afternoon Clouds
    Afternoon Clouds

    We had a wonderful day. The coolness and smell of fall and yet no need for a jacket. Even as leaves begin their fall we must remember to look up. Nature is at work their also.

    At the Bus Stop
    At the Bus Stop

    The above image is very abstract and confusing. It is the fiberglass cover at the bus stop. The paint and color of the fiberglass has faded over time and is almost transparent. So, I framed it as an abstract and shot it in black and white.

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  • Art/Design,  Canon Powershot G12,  quotes

    It’s What We See

    August 17, 2012
    Reflections

    “I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it. And by seeing we also begin to understand ourselves.”

    Anonymous

    This image is not just about the subject or my attempt to confuse the viewer. It’s about what I saw of the subject, it’s environment and the light. And, what is it? It’s a coffee table in a hotel lobby with beveled glass inserts and the reflection of window lights and curtains.

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