Now is a good time to rejoice in the familiar yet breathtakingly fresh beauty of spring. The explosions of color after a disappointingly snow-free and warm colorless winter is cause for being outdoors on the familiar path.
Early in the morning I took a long walk with Dudley the dog, following our regular route.
I enjoy the solitude of the path by a stream and through the woods. It counteracts the noise when we pass the house with the dog that watches for us from the windowsill and barks his head off.
Although we take the same route most mornings, there is always something new.
This time I took my camera to record some of the beautiful spring blossoms exploding along the way; two days of storms were predicted and I wanted to capture it before the flowers were town apart by the rain.
Recently in Florida, I spent 12 days walking the same path every morning and most evenings with Dudley, enjoying the familiar sights and sounds I am accustomed to from previous trips. The trail we walk is always the same one, but the experience differs with the change of seasons and according to who or what shares the path.
Dudley was reminded that rabbits are faster than little brown dogs
Ibis hunting in the park
morning on the lake
The Rails to Trails Withlacoochee Trail is a beautiful walk between several lakes, loaded with wildlife and blossoms, breezes, sunshine and mist on cool mornings.
I enjoy watching the movements of the sandhill cranes that live on one of the lakes; they fly across the lakes, making their honking noise that can be heard a mile away, and then move around the neighborhood; twice during the last visit, they visited my Mother's porch, sending Dudley into a barking frenzy.
The first mint sprig; ready for a glass of iced tea
first rose
baby pine cone
This year the unseasonably warm weather gave me an early opportunity to start tackling the plethora of weeds in the garden, spreading mulch, cleaning the pond, fertilizing the plants, preparing the vegetable plots, and did I mention pulling weeds?
pond muck in the vegetable garden
future bullfrogs
Muck from the frog pond is good fertilizer. In the process of harvesting it, a few tadpoles were netted and quickly released. More changes are expected around the pond as the water plants grow and tadpoles morph.
beavers on the lake in Florida
Like the sandhill cranes, the beavers, rabbits ducks and other wild things, I find comfort in traveling a familiar path and find it refreshing to notice its changes. Spring is a spectacular gift from God.
Earlier this month, on a trip to Florida, I was reminded that seasons in fact do occur everywhere, but not at the same time or with the same vigor. That holds true for nature as well as for life’s seasons.
azalea - Inverness, Florida
azalea - Inverness, Florida
red bud tree, Cedar Key, Florida
In early March, in rural Florida, many of the spring blooms have already come and gone, with a few azaleas remaining and lots of white dogwood and red bud trees in full bloom. Azaleas bloom in Northern Virginia in early May when home is just a glorious place to be. How fortunate I am to have seen them once and to know they are coming again soon.
Cedar Key, Florida
There is no good season for a curmudgeon!
Enormous alligator on the Withlacoochee River
Life’s seasons come and go, sometimes mild and others stormy and full of sadness or peppered with bolts of lightening. Two friends, both beautiful daughters, lost parents who hadn’t seen quite enough seasons and will be greatly missed. A Florida relative is facing invasive breast cancer. Friends are ending difficult marriages and others struggle with unemployment. On a more positive note, blessings abound - from finding employment to births and recoveries.
Sandhill cranes
Paynes Prairie Preserve, Florida (a flock of sandhill cranes is barely visible in the grass)
Cedar Key, Florida
My own season of unemployment is ending temporarily as I take on a three-month full-time assignment, the most consistent work I have had in two years. I am very grateful for this spring surprise and am hopeful it is an indication of more to come.
Cear Key, Florida
A real town in Florida where they grow...
...potatoes. Spuds, Florida
Now is a beautiful time in Northern Virginia. Daffodils, hyacinths and other bulbs are bursting and many of the trees have begun flowering.
I am reminded of Pete Seeger’s song, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” written in the 60’s using The Bible’s powerful words from Ecclesiastes 3. I loved that song, performed by many but most notably by Judy Collins, Seeger himself and The Byrds. Ignorant that I was, I remember hearing the minister read it in church and wondering why he changed the words to the song.
A blue heron shows his annoyance by shaking his backside
Blue heron (on post) waits for a handout on the Rainbow River
Enjoy this season and may these words from Ecclesiastes serve as a special gift with extra meaning just for you.
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace
As I have advanced in my photography skills, I have also realized that I have not only learned more about how to use my camera and lenses, but in the process gained valuable life lessons. I now know there is also a lot more to learn. Some examples and illustrations from my weekend in Citrus County, Florida follow.
Make sure you have all your equipment before you leave the house. I rushed out the door to photograph the sandhill cranes when I heard them flying over the house. Unfortunately, I left my flash card indoors and found out when I raised the camera to shoot and it wouldn’t cooperate. Missed opportunity.
Sometimes when you mess up you get a second chance. The cranes came back again the next day.
Wait. Patience pays off. I sat on the dock for 20 minutes without taking any photographs, just watching the moves of the sandhill cranes. Sure enough, they came closer and closer until they were only 6-8 feet away.
Clean up your files so you have room for new ones. There I was with the sandhill cranes almost close enough to touch them. I had waited and I had the best opportunity ever to shoot great close-ups of them. This time I had the flash card but it was full. Instead of getting the perfect shot, I spent time deleting photos from the flash card to make room for a few more photographs.
Sometimes a new angle makes all the difference in the outcome. Photos of the same bird, same location, different angle do not alike.
Get out from behind the camera and take in the whole view – you might otherwise miss something. I was so busy photographing the sandhill cranes that I didn’t realize that other birds were all around me.
Don’t be in such a hurry that you miss what you were looking for. Rushing to the spot where I thought the cranes would be, I nearly walked right into them as they strutted down a driveway.
Sometimes a view from a distance is worth more than being up close. It was such a thrill to watch the fly-over of the whooping cranes behind their ultralight “mother”. Up close the view might not have been as dramatic.
Share your joy when you see something special. A woman on her motorized wheelchair, with her little dog riding where her amputated legs should have been resting, stopped to admire the sandhill cranes. We spoke about them and their amazing beauty and grace. I walked on down the trail and she and her dog stayed a bit to watch the birds, then continued their journey.
Your mind is the best photographer. It was impossible to capture the beauty of the sunset. These photographs are nothing like the real thing that is still etched in my mind.
A close look sometimes gives you a different perspective. Who knew a weed could be so beautiful or interesting?
Nature and sunlight pair to create exceptional beauty. These cypress knees in the morning light were hard to resist and moss in the trees looked pretty in the late afternoon sun.
Opportunities present themselves in the most unusual locations. The Citrus County dump was a good place to see lots of swarming birds.
Be careful where you step. Wild orchids grew in the grass and I almost crushed them.
Get out and Walk. You are bound to see something interesting. The Withlacoochee trail in Citrus County, Florida offers endless photo opportunities.
