The Dear Only Knows

A rose is a rose,

And was always a rose.

But now the theory goes,

That the apple's a rose, 

And the pear is, and so's the plum I suppose.

The dear only knows,

What will next prove a rose,

You, of course, are a rose,

But were always a rose.

~Robert Frost

Something pretty and calm to begin another week on the calendar.

Just breathe.

Breathe, Love, Meditate

 

Video Taken On One Of My Recent Walks

Cosumnes River Preserve Wetlands Walk

Galt, California

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature,

 he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

~John Muir

Breathe in, breath out. 

Meditate.

Breathe in nature. Know your worth. Live in love.

Meditate.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Meditate.

Scenes from Cosumnes River Preserve

March 19th, 2026

Greater White-fronted Geese

And A Little Soft Jazz

Autumn Heart Flutters

 

 

“Under the brush of the autumn wind, the leaves dance, painted in hues of orange and gold, a visual symphony that sings in every corner of the forest.” 

 

~ David Passarell

    Mountain poems: Musings on stone, forest, and snow  

 

I just need to breathe.

 

 

 

Yeah, What He Said

"Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter."

~Ansel Adams

Yeah, what he said! If I take good pictures, well, it's because I know the basic function of a camera. I mean, how do you take credit for a sunset? Or a cute animal? Or sometimes... just being in the right place... at the right time? I suppose it takes a creative urge to capture the fleeting, or the selfishness of keeping a moment forever. Maybe it's the pursuit of the unobtainable. Maybe that's it. Who knows. I do know that I love the surge of adrenaline of snapping a photo, and accomplishing something personal, that I can share. You see, being a private person means there is very little I am prepared to share, but by sharing my photography, well, that tells you all about what truly makes me... me.I didn't have to know the man in this photo, I got to know him silently, as he thoroughly enjoyed his dinner, a beautiful sunset, and some meditation!

 And a little while later, I got to say...

 Yeah, what he said!

This is just one set of many photos I have recently added to my Flickr account. Click on the link to see whats past, whats present, and what might come in the future!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: A Nice Place To Sit

"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom."

-Buddah

I have shared to place with you before, it is the Point Montara Lighthouse and Youth Hostel grounds. When I saw the topic for this challenge, I had to smile, because this is one of the most beautiful spots in the Bay Area, and it is never crowded when I go there, almost like it is one of the best kept secrets as well. :) I have visited this place often for it's quiet, calming, feeling.

When I am sad, it provides the right kind of solitude to let me just sit and think things through, when I am happy, it is fun to sit on one of the chairs that the Hostel provides, and just enjoy the sounds of the Pacific ocean, and the fun seabirds that fly past, on their way up the coast toward San Francisco. It's my favorite place to take a little time out of life, to just enjoy being away from things. I went their this past week, and did a little meditation, and when I was finished I felt so good, relaxed, but invigorated at the same time. Does that make sense? :) We should all look for places like that, it does a body good to take the pressure off once in a while.

I took this picture at a beach park along HWY1, just south of Hearst Castle, near Cambria, California

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Some very comfortable looking pelicans, kicking back at their perfect place to sit, near Pismo Beach, California. October, 2006.

Tammie Jean, who authors the blog, Long Drives To Know Where, suggested this topic, a few months back, when we did a special challenge that called for new topics to be submitted as part of the challenge. We got a lot of good ideas that day, but we are always looking forward to more ideas being submitted. So put on your thinking caps, and send us those suggestions for future challenges. You can email Karen, Steven or myself, and we will add you idea to the challenge list pool. Who knows, you idea might be next! Now, go visit the Robins who participated for this challenge, all you have to do is follow the links below!

:)

Linking List

1.Tammie Jean... Long Drives To Nowhere


2. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

3. Carly... Ellipsis
POSTED!

4. Kiva... Eclectic Granny
POSTED!

5. Gattina (See RR Sidebar For Link)
POSTED!

6. Jill... Letting Crazy Take A Spin
POSTED!

7. Sandra... Strong Chemistry
POSTED!

8. Jan AKA Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnatti
POSTED!

9. Lisa Marie... Lisa's Chaos
POSTED!

10. Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pix
POSTED!

11. Vicki... Maraca
POSTED!

12. Sarah... Charish-Me


13. Martha... Perception
POSTED!

14. Suzanne R... Living ... Suzanne R's Life
POSTED!

15. Sandy... Myanderings


16. Momma... (See RR Sidebar For Link)
POSTED!

17. Jan... The Prytz Family
POSTED!

18. Chrissea... Chrisseas-Corner
POSTED!

19. Old Dog... (See RR Sidebar For Link)
POSTED!

20. Teena... It's all about me!
POSTED!

21. Celeste... Ragracers
POSTED!

22. Becky... Where Life Takes You
POSTED!

23. Vicki... Visions By Vicki
POSTED!

24 Jama Hameed... Sweet Memories
POSTED!

-OndineMonet

Secret Joys

"Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way."

-Douglas Pagels - These Are The Gifts I'd Like To Give You

I have been trying to soak up the last of the summer, so yesterday I decided to spend a little time at the Palace Of Fine Arts. The grounds are simply stunning this time of year, and there is a lot to see with the camera. The sun was moving in and out of the clouds and fog... I love it when that happens. The scene in front of you can at one moment be softly lit and cool, almost dreamy, and then the next minute it seems to come alive with the warm sun and vivid color. It is a peaceful place to meditate, and then do some brisk walking. Beauty everywhere. Ahhhh... that's better!

-OndineMonet
Palace Of Fine Arts
San Francisco, California
September 4th, 2007
Mid-Morning

Steven's Feline Friday: The Many Moods Of Elvis EP #1

"In the middle of a world that had always been a bit mad, the cat walks with confidence."

-Rose Kennedy

Guess What? Elvis and I decided to try making a new video. He was feeling a lot more animated the other day, and in a much better mood, so we decided to give his reach for stardom one more try. :) I think this one is better then the last one, but we still have some room for improvement. :) We likes the camera, which will make things easier. I am trying to break the habit of talking baby talk to him. LOL. What can I say, he is my baby! :)

In this video he is being very affectionate. We had just finished doing some Yoga. Yep, he and I do Yoga together. He even has his own mat. I help him with his stretches, and then we do some Qi Gong and meditation. Although, his meditation sounds a lot like sleeping. Snnnnnooooorrrrrrr. :) Maybe our next video will be one of he and I practicing our search for inner peace. :) For now, enjoy!

There is still time to get your entry in for this week's edition of Feline Friday, over at my friend Steven's blog, (sometimes) photoblog. You can find out all the information you need to play along by clicking here.


-OndineMonet
The Many Moods Of Elvis
Episode #1