May 20

Spring has finally brought warmer weather to Boston, and a noticeable decrease in the number of blooming flowers I see. My allergies rejoice at less pollen in the air, and I love the warmer weather (I much prefer heat to cold).

As I walked to work from my parking space today, I glanced up at a window box on Garrison Street and noticed this strikingly bright little geranium dressing up the foliage on display. It's either the first or the last of the season's flowers there -- either way, the little red flower stands out in a sea of green leafy beauty.

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May 05

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

Compare and contrast this photo to the Photo of the Day from April 27. Same street, same approximate shooting location, but visually different results. It's chilly and rainy in Boston today, and with winds in the teens many of the blooms have blown off the trees. Everything is refreshingly green, of course, which is still nice to look at.

I thought it was most pronounced looking at St. Botolph Street this afternoon after parking my car for work. Along the sidewalks and around parked cars there's a carpet of white flower petals. Traffic, winds and rain have washed clean the streets.

I also snapped this picture in a brief respite from the rain, when I felt it safe to take my camera out. Rainy days depress me a bit, so I took the opportunity to get a photo when I could.

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April 30

I caught sight of this lady sitting in her lawn chair by Jamaica Pond on the way to work today. To say that I envied her this relaxation as I hurried to work (where I arrived late) would be an understatement.

Today was spent doing damage control. I realized last night that my car's registration was going to expire at the end of April. I had to drive up to Everett today to pay an outstanding parking ticket. I've never been to Everett in my life, and the ticket is obviously a mistake, but because of the registration issue it was more expedient to pay the ticket than to contest it. Getting to Everett was a pain in the ass, and driving through the town was depressing. Suffice it to say, Everett lacks the cachet of Lynn and the charm of Worcester.

The trip, according to Google Maps, should have been a 30-minute drive each way. It took an hour. The parking clerk, while nice enough, was very busy, so I had to wait. And I ended up getting to work late.

On the plus side, it was a nice day for a drive.

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April 27

St. Botolph Street in Boston's Back Bay is lined with blooming trees -- apple blossoms, I think -- that form a canopy in places.

This spring has caused all of the trees to bloom beautifully, and the result has been stunning to see. My neighbor has a pretty apple tree that is also blooming, and the trees in my backyard are bright yellowy-green with new leaves. Everywhere you look, things are blooming.

I noticed the bright white arch over the street as I drove in to work today, and I have to admit that it made me smile. It's almost enough to make it worth surviving the winter when the spring unfolds so magnificently.

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April 23

My neighbor has an apple tree that blossoms beautifully every spring.

She has a green thumb and ... let's call it eclectic taste .. when it comes to landscaping. Her yard is an ever-evolving experiment in unlikely combinations of plants -- sometimes deliberately planted, other times not. Wildflowers ring her fence line and grow halfway out over the sidewalks, and anybody allergic to bee stings treads carefully when visiting or passing by.

When the tree blossoms, it's really quite beautiful, though the fragile blooms don't last very long. It's always a special treat to walk by and see it in all its glory in the springtime, and usually it's the first true harbinger that warm weather is on the way.

Besides, it makes for a very pretty picture.

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April 17

Normally I don't go in for self-portraits. They're just not my thing. But today, a convergence of factors made me decide to go for one.

This is the first really pretty day of Spring we've had, and with the temperature set to drop dramatically over the next few days, it makes you want to make the most of it. I was also having a great hair day, which is a precious and rare thing in and of itself. And, having done laundry, I had the most appropriate shirt to wear for the weather -- a light cotton shirt described by my friend Scott as "both great and extremely queer." Boyfriend brought it back for me from India, and I think it's awesome.

So with everything having fallen into place so beautifully, I hauled the tripod out onto the sidewalk, plonked my butt on the front steps and used my remote control to get the photo. It came out pretty well, didn't it?

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April 14

For most of the year, our house is home to two families. In the spring and the summer, though, it gets a little more crowded when the house sparrows come out. We usually end up with a nest in the window by our air conditioner upstairs (this drives Pretty Boy crazy), but now they're establishing a new tradition of building a nest in our porch light.

Alas, getting a good photo of a porch light with a half-built nest isn't as easy as it might seem. It's just not that interesting. So you're going to have to settle for this photo of a happy couple of birds hanging out on the tree in the front yard.

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April 09

There's something about 60-degree weather and blue skies that almost makes up for the insufferable winter Boston just had. Almost.

I downloaded "Twiggy Twiggy" by Pizzicato Five last night. It's a catchy little tune, and while I've heard it (on the Prêt-à-Porter soundtrack) before, I never knew the group or any of its other work. I'm not music savvy by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know what I like. If you're interested, you can find this and more of their work on YouTube.

So, with my iPhone plugged into my car stereo, the windows down because of the great weather, and some of my favorite music playing, the commute into town to go to work was considerably nicer than usual.

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April 06

It's chilly and rainy in Boston again, which really limits my opportunities to get out and get photos. I've also had a cold the past few days, which further limits my motivation. I'm never quite sure if it's true that your mood can vividly affect your photography style, but I have to say that this image pretty much nails my mood today.

The beauty of it is that this was a very serendipitous shot. I was outside trying to get the drops of water on the tree branches when I looked down at the guy walking by in the raincoat and the umbrella. Aim and shoot, one shot, and I got it.

Photoshopped to desaturate image, crank contrast a teensy bit and add a blue wash to better suit my mood.

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April 04

Aren't these crocuses pretty?

I was walking my dog when I noticed that these flowers had popped up in the landlady's garden. I complimented her on her tulips, only to be corrected. Considering my lack of a green thumb, I was doing good to identify it as a flower.

It's been rainy the past couple of days -- today less so than yesterday -- and tomorrow is supposed to be downright beautiful. I'm really looking forward to more days where I can venture out without a jacket and enjoy a sunny day.

Meanwhile, I know perfectly well that the flowers in the back are tulips, and they're going to be magnificent when they're in full bloom.

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March 27

I had a pretty good day today.

I woke up after a good night's sleep, and was able to accomplish some small stuff I needed to get out of the way before headed to work today. My commute in was unremarkable, and I actually was able to find a parking space on my first round of the block, which put me several minutes ahead of schedule. Oh, and continuing my unhealthy obsession with the weather, it was a gorgeous day outside, with temperatures in the upper 50s and mostly clear skies.

So, as I was walking, I happened to cast my eyes skyward to take in the beautiful day, when I spotted a tree that had began to bud -- more proof that the relentless winter has passed and even more pleasant weather is coming.

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March 23

You know it's windy when there are whitecaps on Jamaica Pond.

Spring is here officially, though you'd never know it by the temperatures. Today's forecast was for a high of 32 degrees, and fortunately, it did get a teensy bit warmer. The skies were beautifully clear, though, which made it a nice day to look at from inside a warm house. But the winds were blowing briskly, which only makes it feel colder -- although there is no snow in the forecast for the immediate future, which is always a good thing.

Meanwhile, between work duties, I've been investigating a short trip to Atlanta over the weekend. No final decision yet, but I may be getting on a plane soon. Should make for an interesting weekend Photo of the Day, at least. :-)

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