Front Page Images

A jaunty birdhouse, a fence of flowers, fluffy clouds, and cathedral spires in the distance - what a happy image of spring! Taken by our own photovoyant, Maureen Spagnolo of Washington, DC. (for a bigger look, click on image)

The face of a single, blue periwinkle -- (aka Vinca major)-- so exquisite in its simplicity. Taken by Photovoyance columnist, Maureen Spagnolo, of Washington, DC.

A most sumptuous birthday feast in the meadow for our friend Lesley Austin - photo by her son, Caleb Austin. So that nobody feels jealous and we can all celebrate, we'd like to remind everyone of the Mad Hatter's tea party in the Disney film version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland:

Mad Hatter:
Ah, but there are
Three hundred and sixty four
Unbirthdays!

March Hare:
Precisely why we're gathered here to cheer

Alice:
Why then today's my unbirthday too!

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P.S. Check out Lesley's inspiring website, wisteriasunshine.com

The gnarly cherry trees in sight of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, as captured by photovoyant, Maureen Spagnolo. We couple this scene with a spring Haiku written by Basho during the 17th century.

Baby mice in their nest
squeak in response
to the young sparrows

The greens and blues of spring excite us with expectation! We thank our dear friend, photojournalist Maureen Spagnolo, for another lovely photo for our cover. We also welcome her to the Significato Journal as she begins her own column called, PhotoVoyance. More about that in our next newsletter!

The seasons are teasing us but clearly, even with so many phases of freezing and melting, nature continues to offer her beauty generously. ~ photo by Maureen Spagnolo, photojournalist, Washington DC ~

Sweet li'l chickadee on a balmy winter day, wondering when the cold will end - Taken by photojournalist Maureen Spagnolo of Washington, DC

Wintery Sunrise in Maryland - A sublime moment on a quiet winter morning, taken by photojournalist, Maureen Spagnolo

Our dear friend Maureen Spagnolo, a photojournalist from Washington DC, has caught Deep Creek Lake in its many moods. We've paired it with a stanza from a Sara Teasdale poem.

"The leaves fall patiently
Nothing remembers or grieves
The river takes to the sea
The yellow drift of leaves."
- Sara Teasdale

Photojournalist, Maureen Spagnolo, caught this gorgeous portrait of autumn at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. These lines from the poem, "Autumn", by Alexandr Pushkin, came to mind:

I love (the days of autumn) -
their unassuming light, their quiet beauty.
Autumn attracts me like a neglected girl
among her sisters. And, to be quite honest,
she is the only one that warms my heart.

This gorgeous black and white shot was taken by photographer/filmmaker Caleb Austin, from Bruington, VA. He says, "While driving through the Shenandoah valley I noticed this freshly cut hay field. The hay was laid out in windrows which made for a great photograph, with the lines of grass leading up to some magnificent clouds."

Any way you look at it, this line from the Psalms of David is incredibly poetic and seems to fit this image of countryside in New Zealand. Oh, to just lie down there and be! Wow! Taken by photojournalist, Grace Brown, author of The Continuous Wander blog.

"This small lady bug was crawling up a stalk of grass when I noticed it in my backyard. I liked how the bright red bug popped out against the green grass. I used a macro lens to get right up close." This photo was taken by the just-graduated artist / musician / filmmaker, Caleb Austin. The polished, bright red lady bug seems to be driving on the grass, enjoying the pleasure of the moment. Or maybe she's looking for breakfast. Whatever she's doing (or he?), we can feel the warmth of the summer day.

"My chickens and goats seldom interact with each other, but for a moment these two had a quick staring contest. The chicken relented first and went on its way," comments eighteen year old student photographer/filmmaker, Caleb Austin, of Bruington Virginia. We love the suggestion of spring warmth in this bucolic scene.

"I had to stop to take a few shots driving past this dramatic scene of The Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC. The sky was so gothic, the magnolia trees so full, and romantic. Plus, enough sun was filtering through to highlight the flowers," said photojournalist Maureen Spagnolo. (We think the effect is almost like a Sleeping Beauty Castle.)

"Why I like the Early Melt photo is that the young man, walking out of the frame, seems to represent spring (youth) leaving ol' man winter. The photo was taken at the end of February at Muddy Creek, Swallow Falls Park, Oakland, Md. A warm spell caused an early melt of the frozen falls, though ice covered the trails making walking impossible," says photojournalist, Maureen Spagnolo, March, 2011

Grace Brown with the Easter Island statue near Wellington Airport - given to New Zealand by Chile. (Ironic note: it is actually becoming autumn now in the Southern Hemisphere but we claim poetic license!)

Mrs. Betty Pell, aka Moose, lighting the sabbath candles and praying for everyone's good blessings.
Photo credit: Copyright Martin Yaffee 2009
taken on 9/11/09
From the Back Porch column "Reunion with Moose"

"We were at Ocean city, and I witnessed this interesting sight: a beam of light shooting straight up from the sun like a search-light. It was beautiful, and startling. I was told it had something to do with the snow in the atmosphere."
(Photo journalist, Maureen Spagnolo, caught this fantastic sunset in Ocean City, Maryland, in early January, 2011.)

A wonderful shot vibrant with autumn colors, taken by photo-journalist, Maureen Spagnolo, in Great Falls, Virginia.