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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Pic(k) of the Week: Couleurs en fin d'année

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Couleurs en fin d'année: the glory of a tree in December.

Postal Pond in Decatur Legacy Park.
City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
23 December 2025.

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Betty Carter: Tight
Album: The Audience with Betty Carter (Label: Bet-Car, 1980)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Winter catkin

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Yellow catkins hang,

Crimson buds portend,

Winter shrub un-slumber'd.

Male flowers of a hazel alder tree (Alnus serrulata).

Arabia Lake in Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve
DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
8 February 2023.

A catkin is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated. It contains many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged closely along a central stem that is often drooping. Catkin-bearing plants include many trees or shrubs such as birch, willow, aspen, hickory, sweet chestnut, and sweetfern. In many of these plants, only the male flowers form catkins, and the female flowers are single (hazel, oak), a cone (alder), or other types (mulberry). While the blooming months for catkins may vary due to factors such as climate change and latitude, the following are some general timeframes: hazel catkins bloom from January to March, alder catkins from February to March, silver birch catkins from March to May, oak catkins from April to May, and white willow catkins from April to May.

— Wikipedia.

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Phineas Newborn Jr.: Celia (composition by Bud Powell)
Album: Here Is Phineas (Label: Atlantic (1956)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Gnarly tree in winter

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Nature as artist;

Tree as canvas.

A winter portrait.

A January pine tree on Stone Mountain.

Stone Mountain Park: DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
16 January 2017.

Looking back through the portfolio can occasionally reveal a hidden gem, such as this painterly arboreal portrait. Well done, nine-year-younger Thomas!

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Freddie Hubbard: Karioka (composition by Kenny Dorham)
Album: Goin' Up (Label: Blue Note (recorded 1960; released 1961)

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Pic(k) of the Week: Night hawks at the Food Hub

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Night hawks at the food hub: several 'restaurants' share a common kitchen for take-out.

Decatur Food Hub: City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
23 December 2025 (7:54 pm EST)

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Gerry Mulligan: Night Lights
Album: Night Lights (Label: Philips, 1963)

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