Eternal Spring

This was the first view I saw out my bedroom window in the "castillo" in La Antigua, Guatemala . It was my last day of a month long return visit to the "Land of the Eternal Spring". I could finally see the crisp outline of the dormant volcano "Agua" after many mornings of covering clouds. It was a glorious spring day and I took a few last photos on that day in the gardens of the grounds of Escuela San Jose el Viejo http://www.sanjoseelviejo.com/. Trying to remember spring when I returned to the region of cold (Colorado) and 3 more months of winter. Here is a peek out our side  window at the activo volcan Fuego

The colors were clear and crisp. This is what I saw as I hurried to have my last fresh mango smoothie. Why was it so delicious? Because the mango had traveled less than a 1/2 hour to get to the tienda(store). 

 However I had a grand surprise when I looked out my Colorado window. Yellow, the surprising warmth of March had turned up the spring dial and there was yellow forsythia prancing about.

We have even bravely tucked winter blankets and coats away. One has to be very cautious about that here as a snow storm or two has been known to quickly cover all the bright promise of spring. Even our crab apple tree burst forth in frothy glory and I was able to hang around under its branches and paint my first plein aire of the spring of 2012.

Over here in Denver

Where the Plains surrender

Fragile blooms of yellow and

white

Are stepping out, into sunlight

Playing odds that winter's dead

To volunteer a flower bed

Weeds and grass are in a rush

To make it coarse or make it plush

Mother Earth's mountain breast

Melt and milk the magpie nest

The swelling banks once panned for metals

Now have skiers that switched to

pedals

Over all the mountains sing

Winter's over  - welcome Spring.    Poem by Don Rehling 

                                                                    2007