i heart spring

i heart spring, originally uploaded by pr9000.

"The sun is out, birds are singing, bees are trying to have sex with them ... as is my understanding." – Bart Simpson

Spring in Tennessee is more than we ever could have imagined. I say this knowing full well that it could turn "colder" next week – 53 is considered "cold" here – and that, in fact, I might be inviting that cold front down from Minnesota with this statement.

Nevertheless, spring has been an eye-opener here. It won't take me long to unlearn that "dreading March" feeling that Minnesota gives to its residents. April may be the cruelest month, but March in the upper Midwest is a close second. The calendar says it should be spring; the sun is out longer, the birds chirp more loudly, but it might still snow at any given moment, and you're likely to hit ice if you try to dig more than two inches into the ground.

My digital photography class is going well -- I only lost two students after week one -- and we were outside taking photos yesterday. Click here to see samples of the group's work. We had our first "photo walk" yesterday, and have another one planned for later in the month.

I'm really enjoying the class. It's giving me a chance to clarify what I've learned over the years, including the realization that I've been wrong about some "received wisdom" on a few topics. And I had forgotten how much work it is to distill all those annoying "yeah, buts" and "well, maybes" into a clear statement of fact that people can grasp.

Not that I do that all the time, of course. Trust me when I tell you that I find myself explaining more than presenting some of the things I put in the slideshow. But on the whole, it's a very satisfying class, and it's a fun group too.