This photo was taken at Trout Lake on a crystal clear day.  The trees are reflected in the water which had a very gentle movement.  One branch stuck out above the water, for contrast.  I thought it looks a bit like an impressionist painting.  Trout Lake is located in Cone Park, at mp 294.

My 2008 Calendar, A Closer Look, is ready.  This year’s calendar includes pictures of: tiny mushrooms nestled up a tree trunk, a portrait of a mama and baby cow, leaves dancing in the wind, White Sands Ntl Monument, golden aspens in the Rockies, a hawk and airplane heading the same direction, a rhodo blossom getting ready to burst into bloom, a sunrise over the Rockies, a may apple flower in bloom, butterflies pollinating a thistle in bloom, misty and mysterious Trout Lake, and a field of buttercups.

If you don’t receive one in the mail during the next week, please contact me and I’ll be glad to add you to my mailing list.  Also, each month I’ll be telling about the picture for that month.

I’ll start with the cover picture: mushrooms nestled in a tree trunk, seeming to grow on each other’s shoulders.  I took this picture at the Cascades, an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mp 271.9.  A 1.2 mile loop trail is self-guiding, explaining many features of the local flora.  Half-way around is a cascading waterfall.  On the way back, I found this tree and mushrooms.