Pic(k) of the Week: Light & shadow in the wood

Click on the image for a larger, hi-res version (on Flickr).

Eerie wraiths, deep in a winter woodland.

Mason Mill Park
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
12 February 2026.

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Eric Dolphy: Something Sweet, Something Tender
Album: Out To Lunch (Label: Blue Note, 1964)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Winter speedwell

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In deep winter, a tiny birdseye speedwell (Veronica persica) blooms during a 'false' (22 °C!) spring.

East Decatur Greenway
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
9 January 2026.

This is a close-up. The blossom — maybe 0.4 inches wide (1 cm) — appears much larger in the image than it did in 'real' life.

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Walter Piston:
The Incredible Flutist (Tango of the Merchant's Daughters)
Album:
Piston: Symphony No. 6, The Incredible Flutist, 3 New England Sketches
(Label: RCA Victor Red Seal, 1991)

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Pic(k) of the Week: A Sunday kind of hawk

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A red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) perched in a tree: a wonderful find for a winter's Sunday stroll.

When I first noticed this handsome fellow, he was sitting in a marsh, far from my position and partially hidden from sight. I found a fallen bough to sit on and waited, hoping he might move closer for a 'cleaner' shot. Forty-five minutes later, he obliged.

And, for a moment, I felt like a 'birder.'

Decatur Legacy Park
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
11 January 2026.

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Barry Harris: Ornithology
Album: Breakin' It Up (Label: Argo, 1959)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Ice in the Deep South

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In January 2026, a large winter ice storm swept the U.S., from southwest Texas to northeast Maine. In north-central Georgia, the temperature fell to -10 °C (14 °F).

Hawthorne Nature Trail
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
25 January 2026.

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Art Ensemble of Chicago: Dreaming of the Master
Album: Nice Guys (Label: ECM, 1979)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Sweetgum sunset

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Winter-dried fruits of an American sweetgum tree 'litter' a paved trail at sunset.

Stone Mountain Trail at the Avondale Railyard
DeKalb County (Scottdale), Georgia, USA.
21 January 2026 (6:17 pm EST).

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American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is one of the most common hardwoods in the southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. Stepping on the tree's fallen dried seed pods can feel like stepping on a toy Lego piece, barefoot or shod. This hiker was adroitly avoiding that fate.

The Stone Mountain Trail is one in the PATH Foundation's system of pedestrian trails in and around Atlanta, Georgia. It comprises nineteen miles of purpose-built paved trails and municipal-built sidewalks that connect downtown Atlanta (at Centennial Olympic Park) east to Stone Mountain Park.

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Francis Poulenc: Sonate pour flûte et piano (Flute Sonata)
Album: Bennett & Benson – Poulenc: Flute Sonata
(Label: Camerata, 1995)

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