Random Thoughts

Beginning of Spring in Shenandoah National Park /  by Todd Henson

Mountains as seen from Skyline Drive

I realized this year how great a location the mountains can be for observing the signs of seasonal transitions. My folks and I were on a day trip and decided to drive over part of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. This is the north-south road through the park and provides lots of views of the mountains and down into the valleys. We picked a fortunate time to visit in early spring when most of the trees at higher elevations were bare but at lower elevations you could see lines of color of new leaf growth. I would love to see a time lapse movie of this process as the new green growth moves its way up the sides of the mountains.

New leaf growth moving up the mountains

An alternate, vertical, view of the first image showing the new green growth moving up the slopes

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief observation of the transition from winter to spring.

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Tree on a Hill /  by Todd Henson

Looking at Layers in the Landscape /  by Todd Henson

Looking at layers in a landscape, the wider view

I was walking through the bamboo grove at Blandy Experimental Farm, actually following the tracks of a rabbit in the snow. When I lifted my head I saw I was exiting the grove and that just beyond was a snow-covered field, one that appeared to have been plowed after whatever crop is grown there was harvested. And beyond that was a narrow line of trees with another field beyond, but with enough plant life to give it a tan color instead of the white snow of the foreground field. And beyond all this was another line of trees, then the mountains with a blue-cast from the sky, and finally the blue sky, itself.

Looking at layers in the landscape

All this captured my attention and I realized it was because of the layers of the scene. I like that each layer introduced another color or a new shade of an existing color, and how the layers were spread out over the distance. I can’t claim anything special about these photographs, but perhaps you’ll find the layers as interesting as I did.

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