Sprung is Here

I had a friend many years ago who grew up in Hawaii. She moved here and made me aware of a few things that I took for granted up to that point in my life. One was the trees. We have an abundance of trees here. In the suburbs many city streets are completely lined with trees, creating a beautiful canopy. I am very fond of trees. Where she came from, there were few trees, but many mountains. Here, the trees were her mountain surrogate, as she loved the back set of mountains everywhere.

And the other flash of enlightenment she bestowed on me was a keen awareness of the seasons slowly changing. We went out photographing in the winter and she immediately noticed the new buds on the trees in February, something I had never spotted before. So now I see signs of new life long before the snows melt.

And there is one day where spring pops, and that day was yesterday. It is because of the trees that I know this day, the day that spring springs. We've had a lot of cold, wet weather the past few weeks, more like winter than early spring. And then yesterday, while driving down the street, under a canopy of trees, I suddenly noticed the light green of new growth...everywhere. Overnight, spring had sprung.

It is truly an amazing process to watch. If you know my photography, you know of my deep fondness for the autumn. Spring-sprung-Day is a red letter day on my calendar.

Now, if only I can endure the summer to feast on our next autumn!