Tag: seasons

Summertime in our garden

I was going through old(er) photos of mine taken in 2009, and I put together a lovely collection of summertime photos from our garden (even if I do say so myself). Look, I know it’s not summer now. It’s winter (sort of). Each season has its purpose and is beautiful in its own way. Should we get some snowfall or at least some frost, I’ll probably be out there taking photos that you’ll be able to see here. So I could have scheduled this post to publish sometime in May, or I could let you see these photos now, and let you dream of this next summer, which I hope is going to be a beautiful one for all of us. (Unless you’re in the Southern hemisphere, in which case you’ve already got your summer. Isn’t it weird how that works out?) Enjoy the photos, there are 82 of them!

Small, deep-blue blossoms of a forget-me-not flower. Medias, Romania.
An iridescent beetle perched on parsley leaves.
Mitzi, exploring the yard, at 2 1/2 months of age.
Historic district, Mediaș, Romania
Trixie, exploring the yard, at 2 1/2 months of age.
An iridescent fly suns itself on a grape leaf. Medias, Romania.
Tiny white flowers with stringy white petals. Medias, Romania.
The vivid orange and gold colors of a squash flower. A honeybee happens to be pollinating this one. Medias, Romania.
A raspberry ripens on the vine. Medias, Romania.
Trixie, resting on a stone ledge on a hot summer day.
An iridescent beetle suns itself on a parsley leaf. Medias, Romania.
Ripening sour cherries in our garden
The delicate blossoms of a climbing rose bush open up in the soft morning light. Medias, Romania.
One of my favorite flowers
The unusual blossom of a small, soft, hairy flower with a deep-brown interior

These photos were taken with the following cameras: Canon EOS 5D, Olympus Camedia C-770 UZ and Canon EOS Rebel XTi. For the Canon cameras, I used the following lenses: EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, EF 50mm f/1.4, and the EF 24-105mm f/4L.

Canon EOS 5D (front)

Olympus Camedia C-770 UZ

Canon EOS Rebel XTi

Canon EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Lens
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Lens

 

Canon EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM Lens
Canon EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM Lens

A February snowfall

It’s been snowing today. I woke up to little snowflakes dancing in a light wind in our courtyard. It’s been like that all day. Every time I looked out the window, it put a smile on my face.

There’s something so beautiful about a February snowfall. It’s one of winter’s last few efforts before it gives way to spring. This sort of snow doesn’t ice up the roads. The weather isn’t so cold that it’s unbearable. It’s not like the frosts of early January that put icicles in your marrow should you stay outside too long. This is soft, warm snow that blankets the gardens and the patches of grass, sits every so gingerly on the branches of the trees and nestles inbetween the needles of the evergreens.

It’s like winter’s saying, “It’s been fun this season, I really enjoyed your company. Here’s a parting gift to remember me during the warm seasons.” I love this sort of snow. I love winter. I love a crackling fire in the fireplace, a warm cup of coffee or tea in my hand and the dance of snowflakes outside my window. These sorts of experiences are the high points in our busy lives, and we should enjoy them more.

Well, a blond little girl named Sophie is tugging at my sleeve, I guess it’s time to go.

Jack Frost has visited our garden

Here are photos taken earlier today in our garden, after some heavy frost set in during the night. As much as I love fresh, white snow, especially during Christmas time, gorgeous frost like this is pretty nice, too.

More photos of spring blossoms

I took these photos a few weeks ago in our garden and didn’t get a chance to post them until now. The sour cherry trees were full of flowers, the lilac trees were sprouting leaves, the ladybugs had started to come out, the dandelions were in bloom (I love dandelions), the strawberries and tulips were blossoming as well, and a few more flowers whose names I don’t know were looking quite pretty. Enjoy!

Spring is here!

It was touch and go for a while this year, wasn’t it? We weren’t sure when Old Man Winter would go and Spring would finally be here to stay. I think we’re pretty safe now that the first blossoms are starting to come in.

Our apricot tree is in full bloom. The sweet cherry tree is also starting to blossom. No sign yet on the sour cherry trees. And of course the spring flowers are out, as you’ll see in the photos from our garden.

Enjoy!

DC Cherry Blossoms in 2008

Here are selected photos from the 2008 Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. They’re taken at various points around the Basin, which is where you’ll find the greatest number of cherry trees and conversely, the greatest concentration of people. The crowds were out in numbers that year!

Be sure to go through all the photos below. I picked them out of hundreds taken at the event. Enjoy!

A walk in the forest

I took these photos about 5½ years ago on a walk at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase, MD. They have such lovely fall foliage in their forest. As I edited the photos for the website, it brought back some fond memories of some of my first years together with my lovely wife. This year is our 10-year anniversary and we’re going to have a baby. The good times go by so fast, don’t they? 🙂