Spring at Doyles River Falls (horizontal)Doyles River Falls in the spring in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Here are a few photos from Doyles River in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. The first two photos are of Doyles River Falls. I took the third photo upriver from the falls. I liked the tranquil pool.

If you ever have a chance to visit, the river and the falls are beautiful, but the hike is steep!

Spring at Doyles River Falls (vertical)Doyles River Falls in the spring in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

Tranquility on Doyles RiverA tranquil pool of water in Doyles River, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

A brood of ducklingsFour mallard ducklings swimming.

Springtime in Washington, D.C., brings adorable ducklings to the National Mall. Here is my latest attempt to capture the pure cuteness of ducklings. I hope the eye-level view adds some good perspective. Enjoy!

Brood of ducklings in a lineA brood of five mallard ducklings swim in a line with their mother swimming behind.

A mallard pairA pair of mallard ducks (male and female) float together.

Quack goes the ducklingA malard duckling swims with its mouth open.

Mother and child ducksA mother mallard duck cares for her duckling.

Mamma duck and baby duck swimmingA female mallard duck swims with a duckling.

A mother and two ducklingsA female mallard duck swims with two ducklings.

Shy ducklingEye contact with a mallard duckling with its bill in the water.

Swimming ducklingA mallard duckling swimming.

Duckling eye contactA mallard duckling swimming right at you.

Capitol, Jefferson, and SonEarly morning sunrise at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., shortly before peak bloom for the cherry trees. Featuring the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Capitol dome. The cherry trees in Washington, D.C., are in bloom and that means that winter has come to an end and spring is here. Winter was unusually warm this year and we received no snowfall. That was terribly disappointing. D.C. can be beautiful when covered in snow, but without snow, it can be awfully drab. But now that spring is here, the colors are coming out.

I recently went out to shoot the cherry blossoms like I do every year, but the weather didn’t cooperate. A few weeks of unseasonably warm weather brought us an early bloom, but then a sudden cold snap hit us right when peak bloom hit. I went out twice to shoot the blossoms. The first time it was cold and sunny with clear skies and the second time it was cloudy and overcast. It was pretty, but neither of those are ideal conditions for landscape photography. Oh well, one can’t have perfect weather every time. It’s fun to get out there and try anyway.

Morning with Cherry Blossoms at West Potomac ParkA tranquil morning at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., featuring cheery trees in bloom.

Overcast with Cheery BlossomsOvercast skies at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., featuring cherry blossoms and the Washington Monument.