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Walking with My Camera: Emerging Spring

Shapes of Spring

Leaves are starting to unfurl. The new shapes of spring catch my eye.

Greening of the Irrigation Ditch Road

The edges of the road where I walk glowed with new growth in the evening light a couple nights ago.

End of the Day Sunlight in Big Knife Creek

It is warm enough to spend more time with my camera at the edges of Big Knife Creek to catch light on the water.

Spring Light in Rattlesnake Creek

Yesterday I walked along Rattlesnake Creek near Missoula, Montana with a family member. We ate a couple of the plentiful Glacier Lilies and were excited by the water. The 79 degree day filled the local waterways with spring runoff. The greens of the light filled waves were an invitation. In an attempt to reflect what the colors and light felt like in my body I played with the above image a bit to dive into the sensations they gave me.

Sun Released Snow Melt in Rattlesnake Creek

The water volume smashing down against the rocks gave the water a wild and tumultuous energy – spring as an unlocking – a release of stored energy.

The Energy of Spring Runoff in Rattlesnake Creek

On our walk we saw young couples, students, retirees, families, dogs and some older children on their own, all released in the warm air. As two boys respectfully raced by on their bikes I thought about how “normally” they most likely would’ve been sitting at their school desks at that time of day but Covid-19 restrictions have upended our ways of being. Nature unfolds her days and seasons as we work to find our way through the pandemic. I have been listening to a podcast series with Dr. Michael Osterholm from CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy). I appreciate his science based perspective and his compassion. Along with helpful information I hope you are finding some beauty to nurture you through all the changes and turmoil related to this virus.


“Come with me into the woods where spring is
advancing, as it does, no matter what,
not being singular or particular, but one
of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.” – Mary Olive, Dog Songs