The transcient beauty of flowers

We visited my dad this weekend, and everything was starting to bloom. Dad has a long-standing tradition of photographing the spring flowers, and so he and I walked the property and took pictures.

That's Dad, at left, zooming in for a closeup of a dogwood bloom. The outdoor fireplace was built by his father in the 1950's and was the center for many Fourth of July family gatherings over the years.

For me, the experience was bittersweet. I know that there will come a day when we'll have to give up this house. And when we do, the azalias put in by my grandfather in the 1930's, the dogwood planted in memory of my grandmother, and the perennials planted and tended by my mother will all disappear.

But I'll still have the memories of the sights and smells of our family homes. And these images, too. (click on any image to enlarge)