Ken Davis » Photography

You must Stop if you intend to Smell the Roses.

Ken — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 01:10:25 +0000

Wild Roses

Today I woke up early determined to run up the mountain to two beautiful lakes. This is exercise at it’s best and I was committed to reaching the lakes in less than an hour. The route is all up hill amid towering pines paralleling a rambunctious stream. As I labored upward there was only one thing on my mind. Make the trip in 60 minutes. Okay, I was also thinking of oxygen.

A flash of color catches my eye. Wild roses! I can’t stop. Have to make it to the top in an hour. But about ten strides later I turn around and run back for a closer look. The roses are so beautiful, I can’t resist snapping a picture. Then a sweet, wild, pure aroma washes over me. I inhale deeply, put my camera away and with renewed energy continue my sprint up the mountain. On this steep trail “sprint” means a heaving shuffle, but I refuse to walk. I have to make it in an hour.

Columbine

A few minutes later I see another flower so beautiful it is been designated as the Colorado State flower, the spectacular Columbine. I glance at my watch. I must stop even if I don’t make it to the lakes in an hour. The camera shutter clicked and I continued on. Then there was part of an elk carcass and the bluebells. I end up stopping to take all of the pictures you see here and I am so glad that I did.

Carcass

The the lakes were still there when I finally broke into the open at the end of the trail.

Not only did I reach the lakes I got a chance to enjoy the journey AND I made it to the lakes in 56 minutes.

I know it may sound trite, but don’t let your hurry to reach a destination keep you from stopping to smell the roses.

Don’t hurry past LIFE.

Have you ever stopped to “smell the roses?” What was your experience?

A Video of the Devil Dog Hill Minus the Devil Dog

Ken — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:04:57 +0000

E-mails have been pouring in asking to see the “devil dog hill.” One poured in just now. So I rode the hill with my friend Spence Smith and filmed the ride for you. Imagine a dog attacking from the left, imagine hitting a large acorn. Enjoy the ride! If you missed the post…. about this you can read it here.

Have you experienced moments like this? I would love to hear about it.

When words fail

Ken — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:27:38 +0000

Problems where did you go?

Pride where did you run?

Did the tears of joy wash you away?

Humility, worship, and awe engulf me.

All the others are invisible in the shadow of your creation.

Oh God! I am here in the presence of your handiwork.

I feel so small,

yet significant

I am silent.

Watercooler Wednesday

A rose is not just a rose

Ken — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:19:24 +0000

Sometimes a cheap camera is all you need to find out that a rose is not just a rose. Randy Elrod demonstrated this when he captured this beautiful photo of two roses in a shaft of sunlight. What did you see in his photo? Did you see Just two roses? If that is all you saw, you missed so much. The beauty of that photo is in the light and the shadows and the nuance of color and the discovery of colors that you would never guess exist in a rose……unless you actually looked deeper. A rose is not just a rose it is a myriad of sensory elements that when combined bring a gasp of amazement. God brings the same nuance to every day of life. too often my days are just days, a blank white space in a calendar. If I miss the tingle of cold on my cheeks, the rustle of leaves in the wind, the giggle of my granddaughter, the rose in her cheeks, then I will never capture the moment.

Every moment of our lives is crammed with awesome sensory evidence of a living, loving God. Go back and look at Randy’s photo again. Then look at today again……. See what I mean?