• mountains,  quotes,  sunsets

    I just take ’em

    October 23, 2023

    God makes the pictures, I just take ’em.

    Ed H. Urqhardt

    With an almost cloudless sky on Friday evening I wanted to try for a blue sky sunset taken from the eastern plains. I drove to Cobb State Wildlife Area. I watched and photographed a lovely sunset but the sky was not the blue I wanted due to a prescribed burn near Red Feather Lakes. On my way home I stopped and took this image to show the fire. You can see the smoke rising from the mountains on the right side of the image. Even though it was a small fire it filled the sky with its ugly gray/brown color. Yet, I cannot be disappointed because I was given this image, just as it is. Or, as the quote says, I just take ’em.

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  • horizons,  landscape,  mountains,  quotes,  sunsets

    Holiness of the Present Moment

    September 3, 2023
    Colorado Front Range Sunset – 2011

    A contemplative practice is any act, habitually entered into with your whole heart, as a way of awakening, deepening, and sustaining a contemplative experience of the inherent holiness of the present moment.

    James Finley

    His quote opens up a lot of possibilities in living a spiritual journey but also apply to photography.  I have a daily contemplative practice of prayer and meditation. When I skip them, cut them short, my day is off. I miss things, out of sorts, quick to anger, restless, wandering in my thoughts, judgemental and more. My daily contemplative practice keeps me centered in living life, what I call the present moment. 

    In my photography his definition of a contemplative practice does two things for me. One is that I gain experience in my craft, where practice helps me become more adept at using my gear. Secondly, it provides me the opportunity to be in the present moment where I’m able to see the dragonfly, or the baby cottontail hiding under a bush, or hear the chickadee sing, or notice the light beam striking a rose or the orange sunset beaming light over the Front Range. I believe a contemplative practice allows me to receive the gifts of nature for my photography as well as in my spiritual journey. I like being in the holiness of the present moment. Now coffee!

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  • horizons,  landscape,  mountains,  Plants,  poems,  poetry,  sunsets,  trees

    I like that…

    July 12, 2023

    I, who live by words, am wordless when
    I try my words in prayer. All language turns
    To silence. Prayer will take my words and then
    Reveal their emptiness. The stilled voice learns
    To hold its peace, to listen with the heart
    To silence that is joy, is adoration.
    The self is shattered, all words torn apart
    In this strange patterned time of contemplation
    That, in time, breaks time, breaks words, breaks me,
    And then, in silence, leaves me healed and mended.
    I leave, returned to language, for I see
    Through words, even when all words are ended.

    I, who live by words, am wordless when
    I turn me to the Word to pray. Amen.

    Madeleine L’Engle, “Words”

    Those prayers of my youth for help have evolved over time to become more about gratitude, listening and staying present. I like that. Prayer has become much more than the words I say and more about the words I hear, yet are unheard. I like that. I can also say the same thing with my journaling, blogging and my photography. Each is becoming what it is meant to be. I like that. My friend shared this poem with me. I found it to resonate with me so I wanted to share it with you. This is last night’s sunset along Overland Trail. Directly behind me is a pond with a wonderful chorus of croaking frogs. I like that. Moments like this have become prayer to me, no need for my words. Well, maybe “Thanks.”

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  • clouds,  gratitude,  landscape,  sunsets

    Yes, giving thanks…

    April 10, 2023
    Friday evening’s sunset at Cobb Lake State Wildlife Area

    At the end of the day, give up your worries and give thanks for the journey.

    Ben Vereen

    It is another beautiful day here in Colorado. Just finished a busy morning with cardiac rehab and an echocardiogram. Good news is the new aortic valve is working just fine. Hope everyone is thankful they remembered where they hid all the eggs!

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  • landscape,  mountains,  Plants,  seasons,  sunsets,  trees,  winter scenes

    Post Surgery Update

    March 16, 2023
    A cold blue sunset back in February 2021

    Overcast skies dominate and it’s windy, definitely a bad hair day. Want to update my status after surgery. The TAVR procedure went well. They were done in just over an hour. Surgery started at 7:00 am and I was home about 5:00 pm. They fractured the original valve that was installed back in 2018 and inserted a new valve inside of that one. All done through the arteries. Amazing! My body seems to know nothing about a new aortic valve being installed. However, my groins are well aware of the three catheters invasive entry into my body, one in my wrist and one in each groin. I walk with pain, bent over like an old man, slow and deliberate, one foot in front of the other. Getting up and down from a chair is a slow process also. All tests done so far show the valve working perfectly and the gradient numbers of 40 we saw before surgery are now below 20. That tells us the heart is not working as hard pre surgery. I cannot say enough for the care I received from the medical staff and all the support and outreach from family and friends. Now comes the slow recovery process but this is nothing like I had with my open heart surgery four years ago. More to follow. Hope you are having a wonderful day!

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  • Avian,  landscape,  quotes,  sunsets

    Sacred Bond

    March 4, 2023
    Setting sun at Rowland Moore Park – 2017

    Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.

    Robin Wall Kimmerer
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