Toby at the beach

My sweet dog Toby enjoying a warm December day at the beach!

Aaron's Beach

Aaron's Beach in Mathews County, VA. December 3, 2012--70 degrees!

Fabulous fall foliage

I don't much care for summer in Virginia but fall is amazing. The leaves are beautiful and at times glow when the sun hits just right. Especially

against the backdrop of an azure sky.

 I spend a lot of time in our little patch of woods admiring the colors. Sitting on my favorite stump and looking up, it's like a giant kaleidoscope. It's my favorite outdoor place to write. It's a vacation spot literally in my own backyard!

(Click photos to enlarge.)

I wrote this poem in third grade. Fall has always, and always will be, my favorite season:

In fall the leaves come tumbling down

Red, yellow, orange and brown

Of all the seasons I think that fall

Is my very favorite one of all.

-JPC, third grade.

Moon over Mathews

A beautiful waxing crescent moon over Mathews inspired this haiku.

Photos from the meadow

I took these photos a few nights ago after the rain. I love Queen Anne's lace and it looked so pretty with diamond raindrops. I love to photograph the meadow, there's always something surprising...I like the fly riding on a Queen Anne's lace bud. To some people my meadow is a batch of weeds but if you look closely there is a lot of life and a lot of beauty.

Homeless in Washington, DC

Two blocks from the White House
He lives in a box
Once he lived in a house
With windows and doors and clocks
Now his time is his own
But there's nowhere he can call home.

Julie P. Clark 2012