The obscure we see eventually

The obscure we see eventually.  The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.

Edward R. Murrow

The only impossible journey

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.

Tony Robbins

Mystery

Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust - we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper. Albert Einstein

Hummingbird

From scarlet to powdered gold,

to blazing yellow,to the rare

ashen emerald,

to the orange and black velvet

of your shimmering corselet,

out to the tip

that like

an amber thorn

begins you,

small, superlative being,

you are a miracle,

and you blaze

From Ode to the Hummingbird

Pablo Neruda

Hummingbirds are everywhere here. I see them flitting outside among the butterflies all day long out in the patio garden. I took this photo though at the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, and now that I am learning how to use Photoshop from Kristina, I am having fun working with my photographs. Check out her photos. She is a great teacher and an amazing photographer. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristinabrendel/

Sedona

You cannot manifest that which you cannot conceive.
Dattatreya Siva Baba

I am finally learning something about photoshop. This is one of my first attempts.

I am still learning that...

Grasping brings less; letting go brings more.

Parker Palmer

Sky words

Words and clouds from Carefree, Arizona

Spacious Skies

The desert sometimes issues its own invitation. ‘Come! Enter into my silence, my uncluttered solitude, my stark beauty, and I will show you the depths of your own soul you never knew you had. Elizabeth J. Canham

A little getaway

One of the great things about living in Arizona is that in very little time I can get to breathtakingly beautiful places like Sedona. The above photo is from the car on the way in. Although I just did an overnighter, I had time to have dinner at the Heartline Cafe, watch the sunset, go on a skywatch where, with three astronomers, I got to look through telescopes and see Saturn, Jupiter and four of its moons, a binary star system, the star Antares in the Scorpio constellation and many other stars. It was an amazing evening! The next morning I had breakfast at my favorite breakfast place, The Coffeepot.

Here is a link to the Heartline Cafe: http://www.heartlinecafe.com/

And here are more Sedona sights.

Birthday

My heart

Is an unset jewel

Upon the tender night

Yearning for its dear old friend

The Moon

Hafiz

My second birthday since moving to Arizona has arrived and I am amazed how quickly time has come and gone. When I moved here a year ago in May, life was as wide open as it can get. And now my life is established here in beautiful Arizona and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. I am taking the next seven days to finish my book proposal on the Receive material and then will turn my attention to some exciting projects that are in the works.

I am itchy to travel and might even head up to Sedona for a couple of days. And then next month I will go to the east coast for a short visit to see family and friends. Life is good.

Anniversary

This landscape is so hopeful. In a desert everything blooms with optimism. Just like me.

It was one year ago today that I got in my car in Pennsylvania and headed west to Arizona where I have made my new home. A couple of days ago I hiked Pinnacle Peak, one of the lovely desert mountains around here, which is where I took the above photo. I've been reflecting a lot today on the changes in my life. It's been an incredible year. And here is the poem that has been with me for last several days. It is by one of my favorite poets.

In the Evening

The heads of the roses begin to droop.
The bee who has been hauling his gold
all day finds a hexagon in which to rest.

In the sky, traces of clouds,
the last few darting birds,
watercolors on the horizon.

The white cat sits facing a wall.
The horse in the field is asleep on its feet.

I light a candle on the wood table.
I take another sip of wine.
I pick up an onion and a knife.

And the past and the future?
Nothing but an only child with two different masks.

Billy Collins