Spring fever has set in. I really needed to get out of town for a day, so off to the East I went.

I checked out some of the local establishments.

And finally made it to the river.

The river was low, but with a bit of exploring I found some feeding fish. It was amazing to see them so lackluster in their ways. Mayflies were out, so I tied on a small emerger pattern and quickly landed a couple of very nice trout. As the hatch came to an end I tied on a wooly bugger and stripped it through a nice looking section of water. First cast and fish on! The line quickly hit the reel and then almost as quickly the fish had broke me off. (Enter explicative here). Knowing that I had most likely put the fish down, I moved to the next spot just down river. I tied on another bugger, made a cast, hooked a fish, heard my reel scream again, and promptly lost another fly! (Enter explicative here, only louder).

I’ve never had so many fish break off. Heck I was using 2X leader!

A clickable panorama…

With the wind now blowing at full force, and the ominous clouds filling the sky, I decided that I should head back home.

I was treated to a stunning light show as I crossed the desert at dusk.

Finally, a sliver of a moon welcomed me back to my neighborhood – and the rare rain storm that had settled in for the evening.

After a couple of weeks of the Jays, Robins, and assorted songbirds giving me permission to watch them frolic outside my back door, this afternoon a Northern Flicker decided to stop by and visit for a little while.

I quickly grabbed the camera and stepped outside to try and get a closer shot. That’s when I realized that it was still a bit frigid out.

Pine and Alder trees blooming, birds congregating, snow forecasted. Yep, must be spring.

Friday is the first day of spring. The Vernal Equinox. The day when the sun decides to spend more time up north. It’s starting to slightly show in some of the nearby foliage.

It’s a day that, at least for me, signals the end of the doldrums of winter.

Soon, there will be Salmonflies fluttering around the local rivers with trout eager to come to the surface for an imitation.

Soon, I will be coming home from the lake at 10 in the evening.

Soon, I will be reveling in the fields of wildflowers.

Tonight I am making plans.

Tomorrow gives me hope. Hope to put my sweatshirts away and look for my long lost shorts. Hope for the heat of the upcoming summer season. Hope for the life giving light that will be extended for what seems like a few short months.

Hope.

I awoke this morning to another blustery day. It was windy, rainy, and just generally rotten. I decided that this would be a good day to stay inside and play with the camera. After all, I have a wonderful Hyacinth blooming right now!

Again, a very simple setup was utilized with natural light from the left, and a gold reflector on the right to fill the shadows. Post processing was done mostly in Lightroom, with Photoshop being used to add a bit of an Orton effect and for the framing action.

Would any of you care to share what you did today?