My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Predawn light at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in 2011
“The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.”
Wallace Stevens
Sun has just set. Weather app says snow will begin after midnight and into tomorrow with 2-6 inches. Road conditions will not be good for commuters tomorrow morning or evening. This image was taken 11 eleven years ago at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. I enjoyed going to this area for morning quiet time and photographs. Because of the reflection on those calm waters I was gifted with two views of this beautiful world that particular morning.
Cottonwood trees reflecting in a pond at Rocky Mountain Arsenal from 2011
“The ability to ask beautiful questions, often in very unbeautiful moments, is one of the great disciplines of a human life. And a beautiful question starts to shape your identity as much by asking it as it does by having it answered.”
David Whyte
A few years ago I became less interested in answers and more interested in the questions. We already have too many people who have the answers. I’m grateful for the inquisitive minds in our world today, always looking for another question. Those questioning minds belong to the creatives, the prophets, researchers, the explorers, the seekers.
“Perhaps you have noticed that even in the slightest breeze you can hear the voice of the cotton tree; this we understand is its prayer to the Great Spirit, for not only men, but all things and all beings pray to Him continually in different ways.”
”Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.” ~Steven Pressfield
Reflections at Mary’s Lake at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal
I’m now in Phoenix visiting my parents. I headed out for some morning sunrise photos and froze out there. I was not expecting the weather to be this cold. It was 27 degrees yesterday morning and about 33 this morning. May have to go back to Colorado to get warm. But, I am enjoying time with my family. This image was taken a couple yeras ago at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver. Have a super day.
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir
It was not a good day. They happen, ya know. Sometime in the morning I felt this restlessness rising within me. I lost my anger on a couple of trivial things, calling inanimate things names, as if they could hear and understand. My focus was all over the place. I walked into the kitchen for something and could not remember why I went there (still can’t). These are signals for me that my spirit and soul are in need of more time in nature. So, with a sunny and warm day I made my way to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR. I knew a long walk was the needed therapy. I had just read a post by Dave Showalter whoincluded an image of one of the approximately 50 eagles that have been seen at the refuge. No eagles were spotted but it was just what I needed. John Muir looked to nature as a temple, a place where he encountered his Creator. So, I guess I needed to wash my spirit with a walk in nature.
On Wednesday it started snowing sometime after 11:00 pm and continued until midday. The silence of a snowfall during the night allows us to awake to a new world, one covered in a blanket of white. For me watching a snowfall is a thing of beauty but there is something special when a silent snowfall surprises you in the morning. And, I accept, that along with all this beauty in nature comes the cold and wet, which is its way of sustaining this world of ours.
So I grabbed the camera and braved the icy roads. I had no particular plan but let my intuition guide me. I traveled north and east on 120th in search of the farmers two trees and they were still there. After a few frames and letting the cold air invigorate my soul, I drove to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. I wanted to take in the beauty of the grassland and cottonwoods in their winter white.
To my enjoyment, not far from the cottonwood grove, I found a nice buck and four does in search of food, while off in the distance a solitary coyote entered a group of trees.
Walking back to my car I was met with the gift of the rising moon on the eastern horizon.
I’d walked farther than I thought so it was taking me longer to get back to the car than I expected. Looking at my watch, I had about 15 minutes before they closed the gate to the refuge. But, just as I climbed up the slope to the car I saw the moon just starting to rise above the lake. There was no way I could let this opportunity pass. So, within five minutes I took a few images of the moonrise, while a doe stood off to my left and a raccoon scurried along the waters edge and I made it before they closed the gate.
Cottonwood trees on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR
I’m not sure but something about the alignment of these trees tells me they were planted. Scientists are studying the patterns of nature, attempting to find a mathematical answer. We are constantly finding out more about nature but this is one question where the answer may only be a moment of awe. So, for me this row of trees is just not the pattern I see nature using. Nature has its own way to create patterns.
“One is never alone in the forest. One is never unobserved.”
A Far-Off Place by Laurens van der Post
In my experience it is seldom that a prairie dog will allow humans to come very close. But, for some reason this little one let me closer than usual. His hole was located along the outer edge of the prairie dog town. They can detect predators from a far distance and then alert other prairie dogs to the danger with their special, high-pitched call. They are considered a keystone spicies, which means they have a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. They provide food source the many prairie animals such as the fox, coyotes, raptors, badger, and snakes. They are definitely a pest for farmers and ranchers due to the towns they build. Anyway, this little one was letting me know I was being closely observed.
