Spring has sprung on Blue Spring Road

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Rain by jansenphotojansenphoto (Dutch goes the Photo!)

Rainy day moments!

Spring in the Mid-Atlantic of the United States isn't as edible as spring in the West Indies, but it's more colourful. I have learned to enjoy the display.

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Rain by jansenphotojansenphoto (Dutch goes the Photo!)

Rainy day moments!

Feeling bored, I picked up some camera gear and drove out to Duke Farms in Hillsborough. Just a few minutes from my house as I drove along Blue Spring Road, I noticed the pink blossoms on one of the trees. So I pulled over and captured a few images. I just love how all the pink looks against a background of green.

Even though I spend most of it indoors, with a runny nose, and itchy and watery eyes, and I can barely breathe, spring is my favourite season of the year. I grew up in the British West Indies (Caribbean) where there is no fall, no spring, and definitely no winter. But it's not summer all year long.

There is the dry season and a wet season. The dry season runs from about February to June while the wet season starts in July and ends in January. During the wet season, there is less sunshine and more rain. Of course, there is also a hurricane season which starts in June and ends in November. Ignoring the occasional tropical rain forest shower, with blue sky weather and warm sunshine, the dry season is an ideal time for the islands.

During that wet season, the rains come more frequently and last longer. The land turns an even deeper shade of green. The islands enter a time of renewal when the fruit trees bear so much fruit; bananas, mangoes, java plums (Syzygium cumini), cashews, plum rose (Syzygium samarangense ), soursop (Annona muricata), sugar apple, acerola cherries, coco plum, Bequia plum (Spondias purpurea), guava, guinep (Melicoccus bijugatus), golden apple (Spondias Dulcis), avocado, and papaya. The list of fruits is long.

Spring in the Mid-Atlantic of the United States isn't as edible as the wet season in the West Indies but it's more colourful. I have learned to enjoy the display. And the beer.

Spring is also a time of renewal for me. It's when I come out of self-imposed hibernation both literally and emotionally. It's time for me to be outside, go hiking in the woods or on long walks with Bhavna.

I have decided to release the images under a Creative Commons Zero license. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. You can download the images from Unsplash.

Signs of spring along Blue Spring Road
Signs of spring along Blue Spring Road
Signs of spring along Blue Spring Road

Around 6PM

After 6PM

I drove through Princeton earlier this week and saw the beautiful pink flowers near the Princeton Battle Monument on Stockton Road. The morning sun looked beautiful and I imagined what it would look like with an evening sun.

It rained yesterday and this morning but when the sun came out later this afternoon I knew I would have an opportunity to try.

I didn't get the shot I wanted;  a shot straight down the middle of the walkway. But I got something I liked. If the blossoms stay for a while, I'll try again.

White Blossoms

White Blossoms

It rained today. The rain washed the pollen from the air and the land , offering me a reprieve from the sneezing, sniffling, watery torture of allergies. At first I was upset. On my way to work I noticed the fullness of the blossoms on the trees. Pink and white. I really wished I had the sun.

In the afternoon the rain stopped.  The sun came out.  I looked outside of my boss's window and noticed the weather had changed. I went outside for a short walk.  I noticed the light coming through the trees and grabbed my camera and fired off a few shots.  Then I stood under the tree and enjoyed the cool afternoon air.

I needed only one for the 100 Day Project. Bhavana sat with me to help me choose. This was her favorite.