Weeks of rain in May, and then, right at the end, the peonies, daisies and hosta opened. And the sun came out, after a rainy morning.
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First week of May and at Pathways Retreat Center, the haze was green as new leaves opened to the sun. And then it proceeded to rain for most of the next three weeks. . .
First week of May and a pinkish haze infiltrates Witmer Woods, near the college cabin -- redbud in bloom.
A rainy month, this May, leaving everything decked in raindrops even after the sun came out. The annual spring transformation felt like it arrived all in one week, but that was mostly the trees filling out with leaves. Crabapple blossoms, miniature iris, flowering quince, and a jack-in the-pulpit led the procession.
April's spring is unfolding -- from early crocus and the first sighting of pollinators, to tiny daffodils and windflowers, to snowdrops and geese and feathers blowing in the breeze, to Lenten roses, and trees in blossom. And days of rain and days of sunshine, mixed together.
What a difference a few weeks make! In mid-March the snowdrops were finally open and the early crocus started to poke up through the March mud. There were glimpses of sunshine -- and streetcleaners. And now the crocus are open -- first a few random lonely blooms scattered in the grass, then the clumps in the flowerbed, almost closed on cloudy days and exuberantly open in the sun.
The bright red of cardinals are a cheery sight on a winter day but we also enjoyed the many other birds at the feeders -- tufted titmouse, juncos, sparrows, woodpeckers, nuthatch, chickadees, morning doves, towhee, bluejay, and more. Including one squirrel. Here are photos of a few of them.
This week we took a couple days vacation at Pokagon State Park, managing to get there on dry roads, enjoy a couple days of heavy snow, and then get home again on clear roads before the big freeze hit. One highlight was watching the many birds at the feeders on a blustery, snowy day. A clear view of the feeder just outside the window -- and then the next minute it's hidden by a swirl of snow gusting down from the roof. A chickadee that looks like he wants in out of the cold -- and a snowy view of the lake, with the opposite shoreline barely visible. For some reason, no one chose to sit out in the lawn chairs to enjoy the view.
A visit to Benton dam on a warmish winter day -- some ice, but no snow. And the amazing orange of duck feet, and the patterns of ice, oak leaves, acorns, branches and blocks.
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My approach to contemplative photography --
"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." Mary Oliver in "Sometimes" Archives
August 2020
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