Seasons Come and Seasons Go

Winter is an etching,

Spring a watercolor,

Summer an oil painting,

And fall, a mosaic of them all.

Stanley Horowitz 

There were probably some people who didn't appreciate the snow in northeast Kansas early this week. But the snow gave me a chance to add to a seasonal grouping that has been years in the making.

Frank Anneberg Park in Manhattan has a walking path that I enjoy using when I'm in the Little Apple. I already had several photos of a lonely bench on one of the walking trails. The spring version was taken in 2010, and I added the fall version in 2011. I've used both images for notecards.

I've always wanted a snow scape to add to the seasonal mix. When Randy went to Manhattan without me for meetings one winter, he attempted a photo. But his version was blurred. (There's a reason I am the official photographer for the family.)

While Randy was listening to research proposals for Kansas Wheat on Monday and Tuesday, I was getting my feet wet at Frank Anneberg Park. (I didn't plan ahead by bringing my snow boots.) I captured one image during the gloomy morning and one later in the day when the sun came out and the trees cast shadows on the snow.

But I think the wet socks and shoes were worth it. Now, I just need one more image to complete the four seasons vignette. I'm not sure of the timing for that fourth photo. Do I capture it in early spring bloom? Or do I wait until late summer? Time will tell.

I need to do the same thing with images a little closer to home. Maybe Peace Creek will be the setting for my next series of Seasons. Maybe it's the majestic cottonwood at the end of the driveway. If I do some digging, I probably already have most of those images hiding on the computer among the 40,000 or so photos. It's my own version of a treasure hunt.

Every season contains within it the potential for beauty, 

and we draw more of that beauty

 into our lives by our response to whichever season we're in.

Jamie C. Martin

Which one of the winter images do you like better - overcast or sunshine?