Happy Halloween

I’m scared of spooky sh*t, so I put the scary mask between two photos from my favorite biscuit bakery. I’m all about the treats, not the tricks!

Hopestars

Another gift from Jan Falls and her Heart Poems.

Here's To you
Who got out of bed today, 
who maybe put on shoes,
got dressed, ate food, 
drank water, walked. 
Here’s to you who made
something–a doodle,
a loaf of bread, a poem.
Or maybe you planted
seeds like you still have
hope that things will grow
despite it all. Here’s to
you who listened to the
news then turned it off and
smiled at the next stranger,
because you know better
than to buy into despair. 
Here’s to you, hopestars, 
the ones who will bring
us back from the brink
with love, with kindness.
—by Julie Bolton 

Wild Persimmon Tree

Wild Persimmon Tree, Spotsylvania Courthouse, October 2025

 

I look forward to photographing this tree every fall. This year the leaves on the tree have all fallen already, but the persimmons still hang from the naked branches like small Christmas ornaments. The persimmons, not a fruit but actually a berry, provide food for wildlife. Birds that dine on persimmons include wild turkeys, robins, cedar waxwings, catbirds, pileated woodpeckers, and mockingbirds. Squirrels, opossums, and raccoons eat right from the tree, but other animals like deer, fox, bears, rodents, and skunks have to wait for the fruit to fall, which is actually when they reach their peak ripeness.

It’s challenging to find views of the tree that showcase its beauty. Some years I focus on the bark, other years the berries. In 2022 I managed to photograph the tree with lush leaves and nearly ripe persimmons. Another year I dragged a few branches home and styled the persimmons for still life pictures. This year I walked around the cemetery behind Berea Church and studied the tree in crisp morning light as a committee of vultures congregated on the water tower above. Happy to see my old friend.