Reconnecting with nature through hiking, camping, and paddling
The other side of the building on the right is a lovely little downtown restaurant. It’s funny how quickly the scene changes when you walk half a block, around to this end of the building. Despite the litter and trash, I like the lines, the flow and the contrast of this image.
If you click the photo above you can see a larger image of it.
The first few years I had a bluebird box in the yard it remained empty. Then, just as I was thinking of taking it down, a pair of Eastern Bluebirds nested in it. Since then we’ve had bluebirds nest in the box every year, producing multiple broods. The female pictured here is feeding one of the juveniles from the first brood of this season. If the past is any indication we should get at least another two broods this summer.
The water lilies were in full bloom at the Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts (VMFA) on Mother’s Day.
This rusty piling seems out of place among the old wooden posts.
People often assume this bird is a Red Headed Woodpecker. The confusion is understandable as the Red Bellied Woodpecker’s head is red on the top and back. By comparison the Red Headed Woodpecker’s head is red on the top, back, sides, and front. If you happen to catch a glimpse of this bird’s stomach you’ll see the red patch for which it is named.
There’s a lot of character in the building housing the GlobeHopper coffee shop: stained glass, murals, and even a little neon light.
A Junco rests on a snowy branch while out foraging in the snow. How such a small creature survives the winter never ceases to amaze me. Does it wake on such a morning wishing it could sleep a little longer, rationalizing that later the snow will melt and its burdens will be just a little lighter?
Natural objects on the shore the James River, near Richmond, VA.
I wanted to capture contrasts in this image. The bright sunlight filling the upper right corner of the frame versus the dark shadows of the stones. There’s also the serene, softly moving ripples on the water contrasting with the smooth but fixed and solid stones.
Sometimes we can find our duality in the simplest places. Without hard there is no soft. Without bright there is no dark.
Several Anhingas rest on an old wooden structure in the middle of the James River, near Richmond, VA. The hard winter light created a silhouette effect.