Month: April 2015

It’s a blur

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“There is no such thing as perpetual tranquility of mind while we live here; because life itself is but motion, and can never be without desire, nor without fear, no more than without sense.” – Thomas Hobbes There’s nothing more rewarding as a parent than watching my son grow. And even though everyone warned me, I didn’t expect that it would happen so fast. Somehow, in watching other people parent, things seem to happen more slowly. Maybe because I don’t witness the daily developments that turn into bigger milestones. When people ask how my son is doing, I feel like I say the same things month after month. “Oh, he’s running/climbing all over.” Or, “He’s using more words now.” It’s difficult to convey what these cursory reports really mean to us. And likely people don’t really want to hear all the details of how my son mastered a piece of playground equipment that he’s been attempting for weeks. 🙂 It’s hard to explain how special it feels to hear your toddler put a string of words together …

Early bird – Cherry blossom sunrise

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“To him whose elastic and vigorous thought keeps pace with the sun, the day is a perpetual morning.” – Henry David Thoreau Every spring in DC, anticipation builds for the arrival of the cherry blossoms.  The blossoms signify many things – from the long-awaited arrival of warmer weather to the less-anticipated commencement of tourist season.  But whether you’re a blossom veteran or a first-time visitor, it’s hard not to be in awe of the abundance of life when seeing the blossoms at their peak around the Tidal Basin. Sunrise is probably the most peaceful time to catch the blossoms before the crowds get heavy and the light grows harsh. I love early mornings and the feeling of getting a fresh start while much of the world around me is still asleep.  It’s usually hard to make time to shoot during the best light, other than quick morning or evening shots here and there.  So making this sunrise cherry blossom shoot happen was extra special for me.  Of course, it was extra special for the hundreds …

A peek at the cherry blossoms

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“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln Happy Friday!  The cherry blossoms reached their peak bloom in DC last weekend, so I had the bittersweet problem of having too many pictures to choose from for my 365 shots this week.  I visited the Tidal Basin twice, so caught the blooms in different light.  I have many more photos to share in a separate post.  🙂

iced coffee

Weekly photo challenge: float

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“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.” – Jane Austen I’m planning for family visits and summer travel this week and thinking wistfully about relaxing.  There’s something ironic about stressing over planning an activity whose purpose is to provide pleasure.  I’ll focus on the humor of that rather than crying into my iced coffee. 🙂 Check out other responses to the “float” challenge.

Capturing spring

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“The beginning is always today.” ― Mary Shelley April has turned out to be a wonderful time to start a 365 photography project.  It’s a new season and fresh start and motivation comes a little easier when the weather is warmer.  I don’t even mind the rain so much as long as the chill is gone.  Every year when spring arrives, I commit (in vain) to learning the names of all the blossoms.  Something about being able to say, “Oh, look at those star magnolia blossoms over there” makes be feel like a budding (haha) botanist.  It’s like a survival skill somehow.  Except, I doubt knowing the names of flowering trees is going to help much in the zombie apocalypse.  (Neither, likely, are my similar attempts to learn the native birds in Virginia.)Anyway, I usually forget the names of all but one blossom every year, so at this rate, I may have learned them all by the time my son graduates college.  Perhaps blogging about them will aid in learning, so I’ll share this week’s lesson:  the …