My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and asking deep questions.
The skies have been looking like this the past few days as storms build up along the Front Range then move off to the eastern plains. There have been a few severe storms and we have predictions for more over the next 5 days. Would like to share some of this rain with those out west and southwest.
Awareness of the Divine begins with wonder.
Rabbi Heschel
Unknown to me, White-faced Ibises wander through our area during the warmer months of breeding. I do not know that I’ve ever seen them before simply because I pay more attention to this book of nature now. In fact I enjoy reading it. I just sat and watched them with wonder. I found these birds along Weld County Road 13 in a marshy area with no name on any map I could find. Both images from Saturday afternoon.
My sister and I returned last night about 11:00 pm. The drive home took us about 15 and half hours due to lots and lots of road construction and some nasty weather. We encountered rain/snow mix just south of Colorado Springs until we reached home. It actually got pretty intense for awhile. A major stretch between Colorado Springs and Denver was driven in the dark with rain/snow and slush. Probably had an inch of snow when we arrived. The image above is what we were driving into and was taken just south of Colorado Springs on I-25.
My sister, Sheree, and I feel we got done what we needed in helping my parents make this move. Her and I came home with some stuff, some of it is pure treasure. Good things happened yesterday as we made our way home. My parents home went on the market yesterday afternoon. They also found out yesterday their move in date will most likely be on May 19th. My sister, Marcee and her husband John, will be involved in making that final move happen. They will be living about 2 miles from my parents. So it is all working out nicely.
captivating storm
ms
waves of ominous clouds
solitary tree
Took this late yesterday afternoon on Larimer County Road 3. What initially drew me to this scene was the clouds and then I saw the the solitary tree. The combination got me excited. These clouds were all around me but no rain. They are however, predicting rain later today and over the next 3-4 days. Had a short night of sleep and will probably nap on the plane. I’m almost packed and ready to leave. Have a great day!
“Life is grace. Sleep is forgiveness. The night absolves. Darkness wipes the slate clean, not spotless to be sure, but clean enough for another day’s chalking.” Frederick Buechner
Listening to the news grieves this heart.
Voices cry warnings of a storm brewing
somewhere, every day, every moment.I want to turn away from it all,
cover my ears, bury my head in the sand,
still storm clouds rise on the far horizon.With diligence I stay alert listening to the
thunder of lies, watching for lightning bolts of anger,
each a sign of the growing storms of hatred.Oh, to wake from this nightmare, to discover
instead, a sunlight of love rising on the horizon,
offering us the gift hope. This is my prayer!ms
I took this image last night as storms moved through to the north and the south of us bringing heavy rain, lightning and thunder both directions. Surprisingly we stayed dry. Man, I love the beauty of clouds even though there can be a lot of damage from their power. They never stay the same, always changing.
I have been surprised with all the birthday wishes from family and friends. This is my 70th year or just over 25,550 days counting leap years. Thanks to everyone!
This afternoon I will be heading to my oldest daughters house for a BBQ and celebrate my oldest granddaughters college graduation. She was not able to walk for her graduation from CSU due to the COVID-19 issue. She has worked hard for this, changed her major three times and did the six year plan. Congratulations Abbie!!!!! I love you. 
This image was taken last night as a nice rain storm was developing in the west. I could see the rain falling in the foothills so I drove out to the natural area. This allowed me to participate in the storm as it built up with wind, lightning, thunder and then the gentle rain. The image is a raw file using Adobe Landscape profile in Lightroom Classic.
I’m pleased with how solid the camera feels in my hands. The size and build are the draw even though there is a small weight increase. Also impressed with how snappy and quiet it can focus, which I would expect. The joystick is a joy!! I was pretty sure that it was going to be something I’d like.
I must admit I was overwhelmed when I first started reading the manual, even questioning my decision. There seemed so much to learn. I could not believe all the information provided in the viewfinder, to the point of almost forgetting to look at the subject when I first used it. But that has quickly died down by practicing with it. It will become second nature.
I’ve only shot with raw files so still need to look at the jpeg files. The raw files are Huge! I’ve gone from about 30 meg to 50 meg, an increase of 30%. Glad I upgraded to the 4TB drives a few months ago. I imagine I will be deleting more images because of their size.