Family Reunion

Family Reunion

On the last night of the family reunion, the four girl 

cousins (by now sisters once again) danced by the fire, 

then linked arms on the dock.

The moon shone on them, and blessed them as they 

blessed each other.

May this moment last forever.

~ Hal

Kiss the Summer Hello

Kiss the Summer Hello

This rose has been climbing our trellis for a couple of months now. 

Today I got home from an early morning run and noticed the bees nearby.

The sunlight was bright and hot, but it was reflected into the shade 

and the glow was palpable.

No need to wait any longer - just kiss the summer hello.

~ Hal

Wonderland

Wonderland

At the other end of my daily commute to the city is an unremarkable 

six-story brick office building. Unremarkable, that is, except for a 

sometimes ragged looking native prairie landscape planted between 

the street and the front entrance.

A few days ago I was out front, waiting for my ride home and noticed 

this particular plant unfurling. I didn't have my camera with me, but I 

brought it into work the next day. It only took a few moments to fall 

into a completely different kind of world.

~ Hal

Meadow Anemone

Meadow Anemone

I've had my eye on this Pasque Flower all spring. Maggie planted it a few years ago just at the bottom of our front steps, so it's kind of hard to miss, especially on the mornings when I'm sitting right next to it, waiting for my ride to work.

It originally bloomed at Easter, and since then has made an amazing transformation into something that looks more like it belongs underwater than at the edge of our front lawn.

~ Hal

The Secret Life of Plants

The Secret Life of Plants

Today I asked the boys to move a couple of woodpiles from one 

place to another. During the explaining I noticed a few ferns poking 

up next to the outdoor spigot.

In the evening, while the rice for dinner was cooking and the sun 

began to set, I grabbed my camera and went outside to take photos 

of the blossoms on our apple tree, which is now in full flower.

Thinking of the ferns for a moment, I glanced at them and was 

disappointed to see they were already in the shade. I got down 

on my stomach and took a couple of shots anyway, then moved 

over to the apple tree before the rest of the light faded.

I had no idea at the time what those ferns were really up to.

~ Hal

Spring Green

Spring Green

The first leaves are beginning to unfurl, and from a distance the 

wooded hillsides seem to gently promise that spring is truly here.

Maggie and I were talking about it and she told me that as a child, 

whenever she got a new box of colored pencils she immediately 

looked for "spring green," her favorite color.

I went looking for some way to bottle a little bit of this green 

magic and found a willow tree down the block, swaying with 

the breezes.

~ Hal

Maple Blossom Special

 

Maple Blossom Special

Word from the sugarbush is that the sap has stopped running. 

Friends who have been boiling syrup for the past month or 

so are emerging from the woods with smoky clothes and 

sticky fingers.

Here in town the hard maples are blooming. From a distance 

the flowers don't look like much, nothing more than little fuzzy 

blobs at the end of a dry twig. Most of the branches are so high 

up that you don't often get a chance to see one in detail.

On Sunday I had the bright idea to drag the tall ladder out of 

the garage and get up close and personal with the maple tree in 

our front yard. I was surprised to see how beautiful and colorful 

these flowers really are.

~ Hal