Now that I've finished the taxes, more time for fun!

[mnhtnbb]

Grabbed the camera to get out in the yard after it finished raining this morning, hoping to get some good shots without a load of yellow pine pollen in the close-ups!

It doesn't get any more "spring" than delicate pink azaleas




A shot of a section of a branch of snowball hydrangeas




This is one of the first blooms on our red azaleas to open




I noticed this nest right by the front door as I was coming inside. Turns out to belong to a momma Cardinal.




Momma Cardinal on her nest (taken a couple of hours later through the sidelight window from inside the house)




and a shot from the back deck of the gorgeous Carolina blue sky and clouds a few hours after the rain

[elleng]

1. GREAT!

Nothing like that where I'm visiting, NJ, OR probably at home in MD because it's still RAINING!

MAYBE next week!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. WOW, my dear mnhtnbb!

These are just wonderful. The colors are popping off the page.

And what a lucky shot of the Mama Cardinal on her nest!

Lucky you!

Thanks for sharing.

[mnhtnbb]

3. The first time I tried to sneak back and get shots of her on the nest, nope,

she saw me coming. Went back a little later and this was the best of 13 shots I got before she hunkered down to the point her beak was hardly visible.
Not the easiest thing to focus, either, with all the branches/leaves in the shot, so this is cropped pretty severely.

Thanks, CalPeggy. I love how the rain really washes everything clean--including the flowers--so I was hoping to get some good shots.

[aquamarina]

4. Just beautiful!