“When you paint Spring, do not paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots, but just paint Spring. To paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots is to paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots – it is not yet painting Spring.”
Dogen, Plum Blossoms; Baika.
Dogen, Moon in a Dewdrop, Writings of Zen Master Dogen. Edited by Kazuaki Tanashi. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1985.
Rosy pink buds on a Red Huckleberry bush (Vaccinium parvifolium) grace its smooth green twigs.
In the forest, Sword fern (Polystichum munitum), Salal (Gaultheria shallon) and moss, though evergreen, are looking more verdant these days.
The bark of a noble old Western Red Cedar glows with color.
Under a sunlit Fir and Hemlock canopy, a fern lined mountain stream tumbles quickly over mossy rocks.
Away from the forest, a slough behind the tiny town of Edison reflects a promising cerulean sky.
In town, blue sky bounces off a window as green grass pushes through last year’s dry stalks.
On a high spot in a field, an old Big Leaf Maple festooned with mosses and Licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza), shines greener each day.
Delicate lichens adorning the branches of smaller trees reach toward increasing light.
Along Puget Sound the rocks have their own colors.
And as the sun sets beyond Samish Island, the clouds seem a little pinker as the waves softly roll in.
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I enjoy sharing images. But please take Dogen’s advice and feel-see-smell-hear
this subtle, in-between season for yourself, before it passes.
Information about Dogen, a thirteenth century Japanese Zen teacher, can be found here.
The photographs were taken within the last week or so at these locations near Seattle, Washington: on Samish Island, in the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area in Carnation, in Edison, and at Wallace Falls State Park.
The Edison photos were taken with a phone (Android); the others with a Sony Nex 3.
bluebrightly 
Excellent pictures
Nice reading about you.
Thanks. for visiting my blog Ajaytao2010@wordpress.com. Browse through the category sections, I feel you may definitely find something of your interest.
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Thank you very much!
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I particularly enjoy the beautiful, beautiful contrasts of texture in these pictures – and the range of feeling responses they evoke is immense.
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That’s good to hear – thank you, Louis.
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Beautiful. Beautful. Beautiful. My kind of scenery. Beautiful. (again)
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I’m glad you enjoyed them Lynne! Glad. Again! thank you!
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Everyone is waiting the spring awakening it seems 🙂
Such gorgeous images .
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Thank you very much.
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A beautiful and magical place I wish I can just stay forever. All images were amazing but the last one simply says, “I am home.” Have a great weekend my friend.
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Thank you. I am beginning to think there’s something magical about this area. The last one – well, it’s literally pretty far from my actual home, but I know what you mean, and I thank you for commenting. You ave a good one (as they say in NYC, where I used to live) too!
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your photos are so gorgeous! each one invites the viewer to hang around and savor the view.
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Good! thank you – inviting is a good thing, and goes to the heart of what I like to do – share what I sense.
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Beautiful images, Lynn…I love the rocks along Puget Sound…….
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Thank you very much – it’s a really beautiful little spot.
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You’re welcome…and I can see that it surely is….
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Such a wonderful collection of photographs. Takes me on a journey of mind and heart. And Dogen.
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Thank you so much. And I’m glad you appreciate a little Dogen. Goes a long way.
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As always, Lynn, I’m in awe of your photography. I adore the moss and licorice fern on the Big Leaf Maple, the pink buds on the huckleberry bush, the stream under the hemlocks, and that barn. I love Washington state and all its lushness. Absolutely stunning. Thanks for taking me, from the land of brown, to such a green luscious place. 🙂
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Such contrasts between the American PNW and the dry Mideast, eh? But both have their fabulous views and interesting scenes, and you’re always capturing them in Oman. I really enjoy seeing tat. If I drive about 2, 2 1/2 hours over the mountains here, I can be in a very dry landscape – nothing like yours, but completely unlike this area. Gas is pricey though!
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Oh, and these days, it’s snowy on the passes – we haven’t bought tire chains yet and they’re required – so maybe we’ll wait a few weeks.
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Reblogged this on ELANA – The Voice of the Future.
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Wow – fabulous photos!
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Thank you very much!
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I’ve been looking around, appreciating your photography and the thoughts that you share here and there. It is a great pleasure meeting you.
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I’m honored! Thank you very much. We are miles away from one another on planet earth, maybe not so far apart in spirit.
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Love the way you capture nature with your third eye! 🙂
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