I recently visited Harpers Ferry in West Virginia. Harpers Ferry is an historic town and national park. It resides at the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. Maryland Heights, to the east of Harpers Ferry, presents a beautiful view of the town, but the hike to the top is fairly challenging—I got there just in time for the sunset:

Harpers Ferry SunsetThe sun sets on a warm summer day over Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, while two freight trains cross the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.

It seems to me that when most people think of flowers, they think of the spring. However, for someone who likes to shoot lotuses, summer is the season for flowers.

Here are a couple of lotuses I shot recently at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (click on an image to enlarge):

Two lotusesTwo lotus flowers—one open and one closed.    Lotus and dewDew formed on a barely opened lotus.

This year, I celebrated Independence Day by watching the fireworks over the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial from across the Potomac River. I shot the images from water level, so I was able to get the fireworks reflected in the water along with silhouettes of boats in the river.

Red, white, and blue over the PotomacRed, white, and blue fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Potomac River in Washington, DC, on Independence Day. Green fire over the PotomacGreen fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Potomac River in Washington, DC, on Independence Day.