Seasonal Rituals

I like exploring new parks, and new areas inside of parks, as much as the next fellow. But I've realized that I have some places within familiar parks - even specific plants or individual trees - that I visit regularly every time a certain season rolls around. For instance, the red-flowering currant bushes in Twin Ponds Park, usually in March or April. In June/July, the stand of fireweed in Hamlin Park. In early summer, a street with a good sunset view a few blocks from my house. In October/November, the Arboretum, especially the areas to the north along the water.

And, in March or April, a group of trees in the North Bluff area of Discovery Park. I made this pilgrimage yesterday. Mostly, it is to photograph the buds, which look like this:

These patterns of mine stem partially from practical concerns: every year my technical and compositional skills improve (I hope), so I want to have another crack at getting a respectable picture of, or a new take on, a promising subject. In another sense, though, I simply like these pilgrimages. It's nice to return to familiar places to celebrate the beauty of a particular season, and a way for me to feel more in tune with seasonal changes.

Also, it was another day of experimenting with macro backgrounds:

   

I think I like the one with the bluer background. Probably.

There were a couple others worthy of note yesterday. First, the angled afternoon sunlight was making the newly leafed shrubs look almost luminescent, especially in the second of these two. Since the large trees don't have much yet in the way of spring growth, sunlight can still get through to the understory.

Finally, a few salmonberry flowers are starting to pop out. Most of them are still just buds, though, so there'll be more to come.