A Pella Window

               This window depicts the old world feel and charm of Pella Iowa. A step back in time to  Holland. This town has seemed to withstand the ravages of time. Still old and quaint; a fun place I love to visit. The food, architecture,and customs remain as a reminder of a culture and time that seems be fading, as these types of small towns disappear  from the fabric or our landscapes to accommodate the newness of today's society.

Finding a New Perspective

   Even though personal creativity may not lead to fame and fortune, 

it can do something that from the individual's point of view is even more important. To make day-to-day experiences more vivid, more enjoyable, more rewarding. When we live creatively, boredom is banished and every moment holds the promise of a fresh discovery. 

Whether or not these discoveries enrich the world beyond our personal lives, living creatively links us with the process of evolution within ourselves and how we see not only the world, but find the creativity that lies within the universe. 

   The maco shot of this Christmas bauble takes on a different feeling when taken from a different mindset. By focusing closely on the ornament off  the tree the vivid individual ornament becomes in its own right a fresh reward.

 

A Hidden Wholeness

 

                                       That which is barely seen, or faintly visible is nonetheless real.

                                                     There is a hidden wholeness to everything.

                                                      It is in the waiting that it all will be revealed.

Out the Back Window

The Colors of Christmas

                           Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places.
                                                                      ~Camille Pissarr~

The Beauty of Being Blessed

We are, each of us, here, says Jonathan Sacks 

in his extraordinary book, The Dignity of Difference, 
"because someone -- some force at the heart of being -- 
called us into existence and summoned us to be a blessing."  
                    How will you bless the world today?

Letting Go

Richard Rohr tells us

"All great spirituality is about letting go."

So -- what is it that you need to cast off today?

 

Ivy on the Wall

The verdant ivy clings around
Yon moss be-mantled wall,
As if it sought to hide the stones,
That crumbling soon must fall:
That relic of a bygone age
Now tottering to decay,
Has but one friend--the ivy--left.
The rest have passed away.

The fairy flowers that once did bloom
And smile beneath its shade;
They lingered till the autumn came,
And autumn saw them fade:
The emerald leaves that blushed between--
The winds away have blown;
But yet to cheer the mournful scene,
The ivy liveth on.
~Henry Wendell~

 

Not a Patridge Not a Pear Tree

               

                Sometimes alone is just alone.

Friends Touching Friends

 

                       The very things that mark us with their color, grace and beauty --

                                      are the things that fill us with their light.

Finding Fall

,

It's not enough to be holding your camera.  

It's not even enough to know how to use it.  

What's most important -- 

in this, as in any creative endeavor -- 

is our ability to be present, attentive: 

to notice, to listen, and to see. 

Craving Color

                         Perhaps it's just me, but I get cravings for color, just like I get cravings for food -- for chips, or a juicy burger, or chocolate; just as I crave light after a long winter and cloudy days after a long summer.
                      We need dark, and light, color and drama -- and if it doesn't come to us on its own, we humans have a way of creating it.  Just remember: with creation comes responsibility. The trick is to notice where those cravings come from: which ones arise from a healthy desire for balance, and which might be symptoms of a deeper hunger that the things we crave aren't really going to assuage, but can only be found in a deeper awareness of consciousness.

The Open Gate

 

 

 

 

 

                

     The Gateway To Heaven Is Everywhere

 

    Watch for your own “Fourth and Walnut” corner and in you find yourself.  All of our faults and ego possessions are just heavy and burdensome luggage that keep us from walking through the always-open gate—or even seeing it in the first place.  Allow the gates of heaven to open, showing you that God is here, now, in all. Let one person or creature or stone remind you of their and your own identity, indwelled by God’s presence.

Stripping Trees

   Beavers are famously busy, and they turn their talents to reengineering the landscape as few other animals can. This summer has been amazing to see the trees that have been cut down by beavers. Many of their habitats were destroyed during the flood of 2013 that ravaged the front range of the Colorado Rockies. Now, new homes are being constructed and the above images show what they are capable of.

Majestic Elk

         September and October brings many visitors to the Rocky Mountains to view the elk rut. There are three ruts during the season, and thousands descend with binoculars and long lenses to capture the magnificent of these huge animals. The elk remain near the tundra during the summer, and in the fall they come to lower elevations which makes for great photo ops.

Shadows

As light becomes shadows
Stillness reflects beauty.
Heartbeats resonate.

More To Me

 

 

There is so much more

To me,

Than you can see.

♦

At first glance,

You see my color -

All shades of wonder.

♦

You assume

That's all there is to know.

Is what you see,

All that I'll be?

 

 

 

 

 

Raspberry Summer

As the clouds float
over our heads and we
sunbathe,
the nostalgia
is almost
overwhelming.
but still we breathe
happy
enjoying our
raspberry summer.

 

 The summer has quickly glided by with all the memories of good times bathed in summer warmth. The last of the farmer's markets are beginning to wind down. With the approach of fall, the market colors are turning to yellows, oranges, and the greens and reds of fresh apples. The red raspberries will come again when the warmth of the summer sun returns to another raspberry summer. As creation forever completes it marvelous circle giving us many gifts to look forward to, we can find joy in each season's gift of life.

Insect Hotel

A Small Visitor

   A small speckled visitor
 Wearing a crimson cape
Brighter than a cherry
Smaller than a grape.
A polka-dotted someone
making a  slow crawl
A black-hooded lady
In a scarlet shawl.

 

Oh ladybug, I wish you joy

As you complete your garden chores.

I’d like to put aside my work

And join you in the out-of-doors!

Life's Value

       "What gives life its value you can find and lose--But never possess." 

~Dag Hammarskjold~ 

Last Rose of Summer

 

 

“There is an innocence in admiration; it is found in those to whom it has never yet occurred that they, too, might be admired some day."
~Friedrick Nietzche~

 

 

Flowers of Awe

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.  

It is the source of all true art and all science.  

He to whom this emotion is a stranger, 

who can no longer pause to wonder, or stand rapt in awe, 

is as good as dead.  His eyes are closed. 

~Albert Einstein~

The Colors of Creativity

Colors of Imagination

The Denver Botantical Gardens is currently presenting an exhibit by Dale Chihuly. The Chihuly exhibit is integrated into the gardens with art pieces sprinkled throughout. Walking through the gardens was a little like walking into the illustrations of a Dr. Seuss book with outrageous shapes and colors everywhere. I imagined that it was kind of like seeing the world after imbibing a strong hallucinogenic drug -- although, of course, I wouldn't have any direct knowledge of such things. The beautiful colors and designs are the most amazing, creative, and imaginative pieces of creative art that our world is so blessed to have.. I could see any of Chihuly's

work incorporated into any one of my gardens. Do to the prohibitive cost of such art work that will not be an option. The next few posts will be photographs of the artistic work seen at the Denver Botantical Gardens.