Art will help us survive. Although I took this photo in the time before "social distancing" and COVID-19, I think this image speaks to our present predicament. These two people, standing more than 6 feet apart, contemplate this marvelous French painting of a time past of close social interaction. You can almost hear the chatter of diners, the clinking of glasses and silverware, the calling of children, the laughter of lovers, all the noise of an evening out. Looking on in silence, we remember, and long for its return.

Among the first flowers to bloom in our yard this spring is this wild columbine. Judy has transplanted this flower from garden to garden as we have moved from city to city, house to house. But this particular plant had been left behind in Springfield for several years after we had moved to Tennessee. The Illinois house was going to be sold last year and Judy was invited to return to move any plants that she might like to retrieve. So now we have some of our iris, some hosta, and this wild columbine. This flower has thrived at its new location and become a massive plant this spring. I wonder if it's wild any longer. I think it is just glad to be home and tame like the gardener's husband.

How our lives change. Just a month ago, Judy and I left Nashville to meet our friends in Beaufort, SC. We spent Sunday night, March 1, in Waynesville, NC. We left early the next morning to continue our journey. We were eager to get there so we stopped only for gas and the necessary break. No photos on the way, except I couldn't resist when we passed the ruins of Sheldon Church, first built prior to the Revolutionary War. I was surprised to find the gate open as access to the grounds had been restricted due to vandalism. I have other photos, nearly 100, that I took on this brief stop that detail the structure and landscape. But I decided to share this one first because of the significant change in our world that has occurred in the past month. There are several massive mausoleums that hold the remains of the Bull family that were instrumental in the development of the area. I was caught by the signs of life in these monuments to death. I don't know what the future holds in these scary days. But I claim the signs of hope.

Stacking rocks can be helpful as a signpost to a trail, but we encountered similar stacks throughout the Northeast. Most of the time I think of them as an idle-time novelty, but they are increasingly viewed as destructive to habitat for all sorts of creatures. So I find them visually interesting, but...

Three weeks ago this morning (could it be that long ago?), our friends (Mike and Marcia, and Gerry and Christie) had left Quebec City to return to their regular lives, and we were left behind to explore. Judy wanted to go back to the old city. It was raining. There were few tourists walking the narrow streets of old Quebec. But this shop was open for refreshment. Within an hour, the streets would be so crowded that it would be difficult to move, but at this moment. there was time for a croissant, and reading, and snuggling. Oh, so appropriate. It's easy to fall in love with Quebec.

How many projects has this stool witnessed? This blue metal stool is located in the wood shop of the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. I loved the aroma of this shop. It was large enough for several good sized boats to be constructed side by side. Tools and clamps were everywhere, and there sat this stool. Everybody I saw that day was standing to work. But I could imagine using it to sit while you sanded a hull, or painted a boat. I think there were lots of dripping paint brushes used in this space, and the stool was near the action.

Our visit to Acadia National Park in Maine was dismal for visitors, but terrific for photographers. Tall waves added to the fog created dreamlike scenes. I captured this image using a circular polarizer and neutral density filters. Exposure data: 100 iso, f/13 at 6 seconds. 24mm setting on 24-240 lens. The polarizer eliminated the wet, shiny highlights on the rocks. The neutral density filters allowed a slow shutter speed (longer exposure) which blurred the motion of the waves.

On a warm, sunny day we stopped to explore the Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge, one of only two covered railroad bridges left in Vermont. The bridge was built in 1897 and last used in 1951. It was located on a short section of railroad that connected the Rutland Railroad with the Delaware and Hudson. We ate our lunch in the parking lot and took several HDR photos inside the bridge. We then moved to another bridge so I could take the photo below. And then I noticed behind me (photographers should always turn around to check the view behind them) that here was this fellow who was putting his canoe in the water. His dog was ecstatic to be going with him! I shouted that if every fishing buddy was as enthusiastic as his dog, no one would stay home. Oh, he's excited all right, the guy replied, but we are not going fishing. Tomorrow is the first day of duck season and we are going out to check on my blind. I got nearly as excited as his dog because they really made my picture better. And he even wore a red shirt. Now, that's special.