King of the Mud Puddle

photograph of a red southern toad sitting up in a mud puddle

 

Walking in a park near the James River on spring afternoon, I stopped to see if there might be anything interesting in a large puddle adjacent to a small pond.  Sitting, quietly a few feet from the trail was this red toad.  It remained so motionless as I photographed it, I began to think it might be a toy frog somebody put there as a joke.

Steaming Stump

photograph of steam coming off a log as snow melts

When I arrived at the edge of the lake, this stump was absorbing the sun.  As the dark wood warmed snow was converted into a small cloud of steam.  As a result, this photo shows all three forms of water:  frozen (snow), liquid (water), and vapor (steam).

Tree Fallen in Water

black and white photograph of a tree fallen into a pondThis tree once stood tall and provided shelter and possibly food to many of its forest companions.  Seeing it laying, lifelessly in the water reminded me of the simple truth of mortality.  Not in a morbid or depressing way, just as an immutable law of nature.  Keeping that in mind, we should all live each moment to its fullest.