It may be a completely subjective and inaccurate assessment, but it seems to this observer of the seasons that this past Winter was very reluctant to loosen its grip upon our area, and Spring has been slow to follow... almost hesitant, as if fearing that blooming flowers might inspire the gods of snow to let loose with one last blast of the freezing cold white fluff.
But today I saw some signs which encouraged me.
I was on a bicycle ride through the lovely campus of Smith College, and stopped to admire -- and take photos of -- several colorful bits of flora. This beautiful flowering bush resides behind John M. Greene Hall...
... and this lovely tree bedecked in white blossoms stands next to the Smith greenhouses.
While searching for a bench upon which to sit and drink my decaf coffee, I noticed this tree in full bloom, surrounded by a field of yellow flowers, on a slope below one of the dormitories, and took a series of photos from which I could make this panoramic view.
After I'd put the bicycle away and headed home on my motorcycle, I decided to take the long way back, and stopped by the beaver pond in Conway, to take a few shots of this lone duck -- or is it a goose? -- and its reflection on the gently rippling water.
