"The last spring," New Jersey, April 2011

Spring, finally, originally uploaded by DC Products.

I took this photo in the spring on my walk to the train. The tree in full bloom with the cloud-dusted sky and the church steeple -- not to mention the late-afternoon light -- just caught my eye. It was a beautiful sight, a wonderful opening to spring and the promise of the weather to come.

On my walk today, I neared the church and felt something was amiss ... and then I saw it. Or, rather, didn't see it. The tree; it's gone. It's the second tree from in front of the church that has disappeared since we moved to the block, the first one cut down after half of it was damaged in a wind storm. I hadn't noticed any recent problems with this one, so I hope it was some sort of hidden disease or another problem not noticeable to casual passers-by and not simply because someone didn't want it there anymore.

"Smoke and spotlights," Pittsburgh, August 2008

Spotlight in black and white

Friday night Pirates games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh in summer feature a postgame fireworks/concert combination. The act on this August night was Collective Soul, their few known songs -- "hits," if you must -- interspersed with pyrotechnics so that towards the end of the set, the spotlights reflected off the smoke for a true rock-n-roll effect.