Sunday, March 28, 2010

Although spring 2010 is a few days old, the last vestiges of winter in these parts are tenaciously clinging to the landscape. Spring posies are blooming pretty well on schedule except for dogwoods, which are noticeably slow. The sun has set on Palm Sunday and nary a dogwood bud nor dogwood bloom is making a serious showing. Seems out of whack, but who am I anyway to second guess the Divine Source of Easter?

On the upside, we had one more opportunity to record the sights and colors of winter. Still healthy from a good spring drenching, mountain streams are flowing at a healthy clip. North of Prim, Arkansas, Turkey Creek crosses Hanover Road via the low water bridge you see above.

We approached the creek from the south bank where the unruly surge skirts the bridge, creating a knee-deep ford just to get there. The shot you see above is from the north side of the low-water bridge. It necessitated a ford going and a ford coming back, as if that was something bad (heh-heh!).

We agree with Antonio Vivaldi’s vision of the four seasons, with each vital to the other, as expressed in his concerto, The Four Seasons. Our admonition again: The winter performances of the great outdoors are every bit as spectacular as the green ones in spring and summer. If you hurry, you can catch the last part of the fourth movement.

This switchback is somewhat less than a half-mile from the bridge. As Hanover Road descended, the probability of a creek ahead loomed large. The reds and browns with the blue skies and a tad of coniferous green complete a pleasing winter palette.

On the way to the low-water bridge (our first visit), we were fooled a bit by this small intermittent stream across Hanover Road, thinking this might be “it.” Turns out, it was only the warmup act. The creek seemed calm and pristine, deserving a shot prior to being assaulted by a pickup truck's rumbling tires.

Just past the small creek crossing, a trail pointed to the stream we had just crossed. Curiosity getting the best of us revealed this look. Gurgling ripples and a staid old tree laid in wait for us. There was also a stob laying in wait for my trusty truck, the result of which was a flat tire miles from civilization. More about that on our blog. See below.

 
N O T E S:  
Nikon D 300, ISO 200, tripod mounted, all shots. Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 EX DC HSM, All shots composited. Low water bridge and switchback, base exposure, 1/250@f8; Ripples and tree, base exposure 1/320@f7.1. Post processed with Photomatix Exposure Fusion, Photoshop CS4 Extended and Genuine Fractals Print Pro.
 

IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN sooner or later. And lo, it did. A flat in the boondocks, cause for concern but not panic. See the fun of a flat on our blog, Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind. Got lucky again.

Click the jump wings to see the previous Photo of the Week.

Click the camera for an index to every Photo of the Week.

Most of the time, there is more to the Photo of the Week story than can be told in an essay. And most of the time there are more pictures to be seen. Presuming that some folk will enjoy being privy to this trove of information, I have created a blog, “Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind,” where I am showing and telling “the rest of the story." There are also some blatantly commercial mentions of some of the things we do to earn our beans and taters. Click on the Weekly Grist logo and go to the blog.  — J. D.