Jefferson and the Cherry TreeSpring sunrise at the Tidal Basin during peak bloom for the cherry blossoms. The sun is rising behind the Jefferson Memorial and the US Capitol is visible in the distance. The cherry trees were a gift to the people of the United States from the people of Japan in 1912.

This Saturday, a print of my image Jefferson and the Cherry Tree (above) will be auctioned off at the 8th Annual Dancing After Dark, an event to benefit Children's National here in Washington, DC. I signed the print and it's beautifully framed by the generous folks at Frame of Mine. The event, which will include cocktails, desserts, and dancing, will be held at the Carnegie Library. For tickets and other information, visit the event website.

Happy holidays and a happy new year to everyone!

This year for my annual holiday blog post, I took two photos. The first features the 2014 Capitol Christmas Tree in front of the Capitol. The dome of the Capitol is covered in scaffolding. It is currently undergoing a two-year restoration. The tree is a white spruce from the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota. It was harvested on October 29. The tree is decorated with thousands of ornaments, handcrafted by children and others from Minnesota. The second photo features the tree with the National Mall and the Washington Monument in the background.

2014 Capitol Christmas Tree and US CapitolThe 2014 Capitol Christmas Tree in front of the Capitol. The tree is a white spruce from the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota. It was harvested on October 29. The tree is decorated with thousands of ornaments, handcrafted by children and others from Minnesota. The dome of the Capitol is currently undergoing a two-year restoration project, hence all the scaffolding.

2014 Capitol Christmas Tree and Washington MonumentThe 2014 Capitol Christmas Tree in front of the Washington Monument and the National Mall. The tree is a white spruce from the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota. It was harvested on October 29. The tree is decorated with thousands of ornaments, handcrafted by children and others from Minnesota.

It's getting cold here. Winter is still a month away, but with the colder temperatures and the trees mostly bare, it doesn't feel like it's too soon to say farewell to fall. Here are a couple of sunrise shots of the Washington Monument that I took at the Tidal Basin before all the leaves fell off the cherry trees.

Washington Monument and Fall FoliageAutumn sunrise on the Washington Monument, the Tidal Basin, and Fall Foliage.

Reflected SunriseAutumn sunrise with clouds reflected in the Tidal Basin. Featuring the Washington Monument and fall foliage.

This one of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial doesn't feature much in the way of fall foliage, but I'm including it anyway because I took it shortly after the other two and it seems to me that I rarely find the place vacant of tourists.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial"Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope." The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.