It's the luxurious time of year, when I have a few moments to put together a plan for the summer. This means I dust off the field reports from last year and the field plan from the previous season and I cobble together a plan that I know will look equally nothing like what is implemented in the field. It also means I get to look back at some photos. Every string of project photos I take has a few at the beginning and/or end that are not about the project.
They are instead about the beauty at my feet, like these flowers that were not there a month before or after. Growing in gravelly sandy substrate. A bright pop of color.
Or these a few feet away, when I was looking for the outlet of a culvert to see if it was draining clear water or sediment laden water into the vegetation.
Or these bright fireweed, so common and amazing.
When I think about my planning for returning to these beautiful places, it's nice to take a moment and savor the word 'return'. It makes me appreciate and love my job and the amazing places it takes me.
