Where is Spring (sung to the tune of Where is Love? from Oliver!)? We just keep getting snow- and some rain. And then it melts- and then we get more. Today it is sunny- and cold (it snowed last night). Our plants just don’t know what to do! We have blossoms and buds and leaves and a nest with finch eggs attached to our wreath on the front door, but we still get snow. Can you tell I’m getting impatient?
Happy Easter! It has been a rainy and snowy Spring, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that we woke up to snow today. But it’s the first time since we moved here in 2013 that we have had snow on Easter. Our plum blossoms have endured several snowfalls this year and are so far surviving. Nature is amazing!
Spring in bloom in Wickenburg. . .
Little darlin’, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been clear
Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright
George Harrison
After a long dismal winter, we were beside ourselves to find this field of gorgeous poppies yesterday. It still seems like winter in Prescott- still having occasional snow and lots of flooding rains- BUT. . . down in Wickenburg, it is SPRING! We stayed longer than expected, just enjoying the scenery and eventually having a late lunch/dinner downtown. What a great day!
I was totally captivated by this little girl’s impromptu dance and couldn’t help taking a few shots.
It is finally Spring here in Prescott. The trees have leaves, our birds are building nests, flowers are in bloom, and cottonwood fluff is floating in the sky like snowflakes- playing havoc with everyone’s allergies. Our irises are blooming, but getting a satisfactory shot has been challenging. I tried several times and finally settled on this composition. I took the image into Topaz Studio and ended up with a look that is not even close to my original image- but I like it better.
Although the flower season is always comparatively late here (“Don’t plant until after Mother’s Day!), blossoms have started to appear on the trees- always a welcome sign of Spring. Our plum tree has just a few- just enough show us that Spring is on its way.
More apple blossoms!
Last week we had a huge windstorm and snow the next day. And now we are back to Spring weather, and our apple trees are in bloom!
One of the best thing about February is that tulips start to appear in the grocery stores! Since javelinas eat the tulip bulbs here, buying them as cut flowers is the best option.
Lensbaby soft edit
85mm macro textured edit
On Saturday, Lonnie and I got OUT OF TOWN! After a couple weeks of illness- and then a water leak which will eventually lead to our floors being replaced- we were more than ready for an outing. We didn’t go far- just southeast to the town of Superior to visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, where we walked and walked and walked admiring all the different cacti and wildflowers. It is a beautiful spot! I took dozens and dozens of photos; it felt so good to get out and use my camera again.
These rocks form the backdrop of the state park, which is right by the highway. Octotillo was in bloom everywhere!
I brought my Lensbaby Edge 80 along too, which I used on these flowers (along with a bit of enhancement from Topaz Impression).
I had fun yesterday giving this butterfly a painted look with three textures and two different Topaz Impression filters. It somehow satisfies my childhood desire to be a painter.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I looked through my recent photos and decided to break with tradition and go with pink instead of green for today. I took these shots of the blossoms on our plum tree before we left for Palm Springs. I guess this was a smart move, because, now that we are back, the blossoms are all gone.
This little gate caught my eye as we were walking to the petroglyph site the other day.
melinda anderson photography 