Surveying

spring morning
Spring mornings are a delight for the eye and nose. A low hemophagic critter index prevails but it is warm enough to volatilize a universe of scents.

a thousand people in the street

Market St west view
“Now in its 21st year, the Charlottesville Marathon & Half Marathon is one of the oldest and most coveted races in Charlottesville. It has been defined as America’s Destination Marathon because of its scenic beauty and historical background”–Charlottesville Marathon
Market St east view
Traffic calming. People in the street. It is a magical moment when the people displace automobile and truck traffic. Incredibly, the mass of humanity is quieter than one idiot with a bad muffler or a loud stereo.

Venus, new moon, Liquidambar styraciflua

moon sky venus tree
The moon is a silver teardrop,
The sky is a canvas of blue,
Venus is the evening star,
And the tree is a place to rest.
The moon is a beacon of hope,
The sky is a promise of tomorrow,
Venus is a reminder of love,
And the tree is a symbol of strength.
The moon is a place to dream,
The sky is a place to soar,
Venus is a place to be,
And the tree is a place to grow.
The moon is a place to find peace,
The sky is a place to feel free,
Venus is a place to be happy,
And the tree is a place to be you.–Bard
(replying to the prompt “moon sky venus tree”)

quercus falcata

roadside oak
When folk resist the chainsaw temptation trees grow.
Quercus falcata, also called southern red oak, spanish oak, bottomland red oak or three-lobed red oak is an oak (part of the genus Quercus). Native to the southeastern United States, it gets its name the “Spanish Oak” as these are the areas of early Spanish colonies, whilst “southern red oak” comes from both its range and leaf color during late summer and fall. The southern red oak is a deciduous angiosperm, so has leaves that die after each growing period and come back in the next period of growth.–Wikipedia

Taxodium distichum

three + bald cypress
The National Champion Bald Cypress is in the Cat Island Nation Wildlife Refuge, near St. Francisville, Louisiana, and it is 96 feet (29 m) tall, 56 feet (17 m) in circumference, and is estimated to be approximately 1,500 years old. The oldest known living specimen, found along the Black River in North Carolina, is at least 2,624 years old, rendering it the oldest living tree in eastern North America.– Wikipedia