Purple Tulips at the Arboretum

And then, on Thursday morning around dawn, the rain slowed down and finally stopped. It was my first day back to work after a few days off. Though it felt a bit strange stepping back into my old, familiar routines, I quite happily got into my car and set off, under clearing skies, driving east into the rising sun.

And then the good light arrived. You know how it is: the clearing after rain. The clouds start out dark, and there is drizzle; and then they begin to part, and you get your first glimpse of blue sky. And then in mere minutes, there is bright, yellow light all over everything, making everything golden and beautiful. To top it off, the rain left behind some morning mist, that everyday miracle of magic and mystery. I had my trusty Canon SX 50 by my side once again, and the light was good. I was happy. May it always be so.

I made a number of stops on my way. Quick ones, each one. A little pond with a boat, the dock bedecked with spider web art made visible by the droplets of rain which clung to it. A friendly white cow nearby lying placid in the mist. A spotted sandpiper doing a little juking and bobbing on a log in the middle of Spring Creek. A huge black bird, bigger than a hawk, as big as a turkey vulture, with a white face (nope, alas, nowhere to stop for pictures of that one, and I had no idea at all what it might even be). And finally, one of my very favorite places in the world, the Arboretum at Penn State.

As I walked by what may be my favorite photography spot in the Arboretum, the lily pond, I noticed a planter of purple tulips off to the side. And so I went over and framed a few shots of the lily pond with the purple posies in front of it. The mist had risen and the sun was out. I just knew it was going to be a beautiful day. Welcome home!

The song to accompany this photo just had to include the word purple in its title. The one I picked is a Prince tune from 1984. You will not find any decent versions of it on YouTube because the Artist Formerly Known As employs many people who are extra-diligent about policing and defending his copyright. But I did find a copy of it elsewhere. And so I present: Prince, with Purple Rain.