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Posts Tagged ‘iPhone 16 Pro Max’

Pride Parade 2026

Posted in Photography, Pride Month, Summer, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 22, 2026| 9 Comments »

It was uplifting to see so many different countries represented in the Pride Parade on Saturday in Washington D.C., including Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Nordic countries, Switzerland, and many others. It was a joyous celebration for folks of all ages, genders, and nationalities.
More than in previous years, I was struck by the family vibe that permeated the parade. Decades ago, many people tended to look at parades like this as freak shows and some members of the community really leaned into that rebel image. Now, it seems that there is greater understanding and acceptance of non-traditional sexual orientations and relationships and people feel freer to simply be themselves.
Love is love. Happy Pride Month.
Ireland Pride
Nordic Pride
Switzerland Pride
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Pink Lady’s Slipper wild orchids

Posted in Flowers, Nature, Photography, spring, sunrise, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on May 18, 2026| 2 Comments »

I am back from a weekend church retreat at Shrinemont, a retreat center of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, in the mountain village of Orkney Springs, where I was thrilled to spot some beautiful Pink Lady’s Slipper native orchids (Cypripedium acaule) in bloom at the edge of the forest during an early morning walk, just after the sun had risen.

The rays of soft golden light made the moments when I was capturing these images with my iPhone seem almost magical. So often we associate the beauty of flowers with manmade, cultivated garden, but these little beauties spring up from the forest floor when the conditions are right. My understanding is the soil requirements for these flowers are so specific that they cannot  survive being dug up transplanted to new locations (and in some places it is illegal to remove them).

Pink Lady's Slipper

Pink Lady's Slipper

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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First spring flowers

Posted in Flowers, Nature, Photography, spring, tagged , , , , , , , on March 7, 2026| 12 Comments »

I was delighted yesterday to spot my first spring flowers of the year during a visit to Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, Virginia. Woodlawn is a 126-acre estate that was originally part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The main Federal-style house was designed by the architect of the U.S. Capitol, Dr. William Thornton, and constructed between 1800 and 1805 as the plantation house for Washington’s nephew, Major Lawrence Lewis, and his wife, Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis, according to the website savingplaces.org.

During the month of March, 63rd Annual Woodlawn Needlework Show is taking place at this location, reportedly the largest judged needle arts show in the nation, featuring hundreds of embroidered works by artists from around the world. As I was walking from the parking lot to the main building, I spotted  a patch of snowdrops (g. Galanthus) and a few purple crocuses (g. Crocus) already in bloom. I did not have my “real” camera with me, but managed to capture these images with my iPhone.

Winter may not be completely over, but the weather forecast for the upcoming weather indicates that the high temperatures may reach the upper 70’s (25 degrees C). I hope to be outdoors as much as I can, soaking up the warmth of those days. Within a month, I hope to start seeing dragonflies again, one of my favorite subjects to photograph.

snowdrops

crocuses

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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