Gate Keepers

Innocence

Margaritaville

All God's Colors

Light in the Darkness

A brilliant display of light flashed in front of me while passing through a graveyard. It took me by surprise, so much so, that I turned around to see what might have caused it. Sun shining through an old stained glass window in the back of a mausoleum, colors of light poured out from its doors. Strange as it may seem beauty can be found anywhere.

Looking Up

Here's your sign....

Last Day in Denver

I am here!

I believe moments in life define people and make them who they are. Ever been drawn to someone where you instantly connect without ever having spoken a single word. You become invited into that person's world just for that moment. That moment turns into a life time, transforming itself into your experience to carry with you. Sometimes these moments even become part of you. Something you reflect upon every now and then, maybe in a crowded restaurant amongst all the hustle, you find sanctuary and peace in your thoughts. Today I walked the streets of Denver, streets that JD and his owner call their home. At first I did just as everyone else before me had I walked past not wanting to make eye contact, attempting to avoid the inevitable question.... "Can you spare some change?" As I walked further away, I realized although I consciously made the effort not to, the connection had already been made. With every step I took away from the pair the urge to turn back grew stronger. Wanting to release my mind of the new hold that was placed on it, I went back. As I returned the man smiled and said "His name is JD" looking down towards his dog, "He's an Alaskan Husky". He never once spoke of himself or asked for money just focused on his companion JD. I could hear what he was saying, but for reasons unknown to me I had one over powering my thought, "I am here!". Words were never spoken and yet repeating themselves like a broken record in my mind. Soft at first, then increasingly louder. I continued to try and focus on the man eyes until the words "I am here ", became almost unbearable. I began to question why I ever decided to turn around. It was at that point, I asked if I could take a picture. I was searching for anything that may provide a break from the world I was being engulfed in. He humbly replied, "sure".

It's strange how little you may know about a person and yet how quickly you can be wrapped up in their world. It was not until I stepped back waiting for people to pass, that I realized the message that was being sent to me. Just like any other experience each person will come away with a different conclusion or feeling. The meaning I walked away with is mine and mine alone. Now it's your turn to step back from my world and draw your own conclusion. What you come up with is yours to carry with you on your journey through life.

Eureka!!

Well I did it…. Today I finally found snow and from what saw I wasn’t the only one. I went on this road that was closed to the public. I justified to myself that while I was a tourist I could not be considered the “public” also, not to mention after three days of looking, a sign was not going to stand in my way. The first thing I discovered was tracks by what I could only imagine would be a bear. They were half the size of my foot and yet that still did not stop me from jumping in it. I ran straight to it and turned around and fell backwards doing my impression of the “Neste plunge”. My snow angel had a surprise waiting for me when I looked at my pictures on the computer I realized that there was a heart in the snow right at the bottom. I guess the snow fairies were shining down upon me. (If you click on the picture it enlarges, I also darken the area around where the heart to make it easier to see.) I tried my best to make a snow man, it just does not work like you see on TV. You know, first starting out as a small snow ball then rolling it along the ground as it grows into a bigger snow ball. This I decided, must be movie magic cause no matter how I tried it just would not do anything more than crumble into nothingness. When all else failed I turned to pure “Stacey” style… instead of fretting over my snowman that would never be, I made a snow castle. Laugh as you may, but I can pretty well bet you have never heard of someone making a snow castle… and if you have did they even come close to having the style I did on their first attempt? I played in the snow by myself for hours, actually until it turned completely dark. I got to see the most beautiful sunset going down behind the mountains. I ended the evening with taking a self portrait of me by my snow castle in the dark. Overall, it was a magical experience from the bear tracks to the mysterious heart in the snow down to the awe inspiring sunset. I just wish it could have lasted longer. This is definitely going to be one adventure I will love to do again with one minor change, next time I will make sure it lasts longer than one day!