Posts from the ‘Front Porch Musings’ category

Bosque Birdwatcher’s RV Park: San Antonio, NM

San Antonio, New Mexico is a small town, located just off I-25, south of Socorro by 10 miles, Albuquerque by 80 miles. It is home to Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge

Bosque del Apache is Spanish for “woods of the Apache,” and is rooted in the time when the Spanish observed Apaches routinely camped in the riverside forest. Since then the name has come to mean one of the most spectacular National Wildlife Refuges in North America. Here, tens of thousands of birds–including sandhill cranes, Arctic geese, and many kinds of ducks–gather each autumn and stay through the winter. Feeding snow geese erupt in explosions of wings when frightened by a stalking coyote, and at dusk, flight after flight of geese and cranes return to roost in the marshes.

In the summer Bosque del Apache lives its quiet, green life as an oasis in the arid lands that surround it. From the Bosque del Apache Wildlife website

From the main intersection in town, a small sign pointed the way to Bosque Birdwatcher’s RV Park, 3 miles south. The spot appeared to be a farm turned into RV spot with maybe 30 spaces that bordered the wildlife refuge.

This morning I saw what I think are Sandhill Cranes that live in the refuge.

Beautiful in the morning’s pink alpenglow.

Sunrise to the east was worth watching as well.

Beardog in the mist

From this morning. That bit of blue at Karl’s chin is his lighted collar.

After a short spurt of Winter, we are back to slush and a dreary mess. But the gray and the mist have their own beauty. And it is both the wonder of “what will it be today” and the mix of things that weave the tapestry of life…and I’m not speaking of only the weather :).

Happy Wednesday!

Looking toward Christmas

The season of Advent: Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a reminder both of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting of Christians for the second coming of Christ.

I love this time of year – the waiting and expectation of Christmas, of snow and real Winter. There is excitement in all of it – remembering childhood Christmases so full of anticipation and then the growing of faith and the wondering of all that Christmas means to me now.

I like to savor every moment of this “time before” – the knowing of this celebration as our Heavenly Father wanting to enter our world and our lives.

On this quiet morning, I sat enjoying. The light from my little indoor tree softly lit small treasures from childhood, first years on my own and more recent finds that speak to me of the joy and wonder of this time of year. I sat…looking toward Christmas.

The 11th hour of the 11th day

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th Month – Armistice – a celebration of Peace.

Today and all days, thank you to all of the men and women who have served and are serving – to keep that peace.

A special thought for the veteran dearest to me: Stephen Lee Douglas, U.S.M.C. (above).

For my Grandfather: Paul Biddle, my Father: Merle Summers

Reamus, Buck, Buckskins Rule, Barco, Glenn, Bill and Bob B are From the Front Porch readers who I know have served.

Reflected sunlight

Karl and I walk down the driveway first thing in the morning and last thing at night. From late September through early March, these walks are in the dark…in the woods.

This week our walks have been by moonlight. This morning, a warm, rainy front is moving in with blustery winds ahead of it. The temperature was a warm feeling 46F and the wind through the pines felt dry and fresh.

It struck me this morning that I have never felt fear walking in the woods, in the dark. I’ve walked out to the eastern edge to look at the mountains in the night and down the driveway often. I am familiar with all of the creepy fairy tales, but for whatever reason they did not leave me with any fear.

These words of Brennan Manning are often near me and even more so this morning.

Let go in reckless confidence all that shackles you to yesterday, imprisons you in your own small self today and frightens you with the uncertainty of tomorrow.

I find it easy to walk in the dark, in the woods, in reckless confidence. I live much of my life with a spirit of reckless confidence and I’m grateful for that. As I thought about that, there was that flash of insight about at least part of my life where I have allowed fear to imprison me.

Moonlight is reflected sunlight. To photograph the moon, you need to understand that and set the camera accordingly, counterintuitve to typical nighttime settings.

To negotiate life’s scary parts, to go forward with reckless confidence – counterintuitive to past experience and failures – maybe my focus should be set on reflected Son Light.

Photos taken 11/6/2009 shortly after 6:00 a.m.