Not Missing Out

Where we are, right now

Apr 24, 2024

Sometimes we get nostalgic for things and we miss we them. And sometimes in response to missing things, we fill the void in a joyous way. For example, we might recreate a favorite meal. Yummy! So glad we felt nostalgic!!

But other times the missing thing can’t be replicated. We might then pine for it, even obsess about it. If the empty feeling is powerful enough we might wallow in our sadness or depression for a while, when we could be experiencing some other, available, wonderful thing. Right here, right now.

I’m not in California any more

There are many things I love about California, and sometimes I yearn for them. Among those, it’s loaded with natural beauty that feels like home. You can see examples by flipping through my book Captivating California (via the Preview button you can see every page).

But if I wallow and pine too much for the Pacific Ocean or the Sierra Nevadas I’ll miss out on what’s available right here, right now. And it turns out that Virginia is also truly lovely, and strikingly beautiful in the Spring. I could wallow at home, or I could take advantage of local gifts.

Let’s get to images

The rest of this letter shows what April Showers have brought for us, here and now. I’m NOT a horticulturalist, but Stacia told me about an app called Seek, where I can identify most of what follows. Please correct any errors if you know better.

Without further ado, here are some pretty things we have locally right now along Goose Creek.

Virginia Bluebells. This one sports two colors from one plant, which is uncommon. More often they’re all purplish-blue, as in the lower bouquet.

Narrow-leaved Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica)

Northern Springbeauty (Claytonia caroliniana). I realize the Carolinas are south of Virginia, but somebody named this one “Northern.”

Lesser Celandine. Who’s in charge of these names, anyway? I dislike when plants and animals are labeled as “Lesser.” How pejorative.

Blue Phlox. They bloom in larger numbers after the bluebells are gone, providing us with a new carpet of purplish-blues on the forest floor, to replace the old. But right now it’s double-bonus time, as we’ve got both here at The Creek.

Not old yet - Bluebell Carpet to Infinity. Crazy.

Creeping Charlie. This is known by many names, including Ground-ivy, but that is boring. Although to be fair, it’s better than Creepy Charlie.

I can’t identify the plant until the flowers open, I guess. I also can’t promise I’ve ID’ed the bug correctly. There are more than 5,000 different species of ladybug in the world! But I think this is a Seven-spotted Ladybug.

A photo without a Spring flower, what??? While looking at small things I found this incredibly handsome Carpenter Ant so I had to show you (I *think* it’s a Carpenter). I’m willing to call it handsome so long as it’s far enough away from our house. They’re not welcome there.

Common Dandelion. If it’s not in our garden, it’s not a weed. That’s just facts.

So many lovely things, so close, so abundant. And believe it or not, I omitted many other varieties of currently-flowering plants and trees. Otherwise this would never end.

Enough is almost enough, but before I conclude…

I thought you might also be interested in a few non-flowery things from nearby Sugarloaf Mountain, near Frederick, MD. It’s about 40 minutes away, and it’s a completely different ecosystem. These shots were also taken last week, so fitting the “right now” motif.

American Beech forest with bright, new, light-green leaves. Soon those leaves will thicken and darken substantially.

The broad leafed plants are Eastern Skunk Cabbage. The curly things are emerging ferns of some sort.

So yeah, California is amazing, but this place ain’t bad, either. I’m quite pleased that I didn’t wallow!

A guy could get used to this. The view atop Sugarloaf Mountain, at a spot called White Rock

Until next time,

Limited Edition Prints for Sale

Another channel of my photography. Oof. But as promised, I’ve got this new set of Limited Edition prints available for purchase. Any unsold African wildlife images from last fall, as promised, have been retired from circulation.

Each edition consists of ten Numbered Prints and two Artists Prints, 16x24” silver halide, with certificate of authentication. As before, these are limited both by number and duration of the offer. If you’d like one or more for that special person, don’t hesitate. You wouldn't want to become he who is lost!

Winter Fog Series, Limited Edition Prints for Sale, click this text

Is there something here you like or dislike? Questions? Have anything else to say? Let us all know by clicking on the Comments button below, and express yourself. Don’t be shy, now.