Global Sojourns Photography
Photography & Philosophy
The Melancholy of a Czech Spring
Spring inspires. Her enthusiasm reflects the warmth of sunshine and I cannot take my eyes off her. A flash of her wry smile and I’m slowly lured in…
For me, the season of spring is the innocent version of Eris, the Greek goddess of strife. When the weather turns warm and life becomes comfortable, she arrives with one goal: to weave a web of discord. It’s my home for the season. Her laughter, the wind. Her tears, the rain. Her thunder, to be avoided at all cost.
An unperceptive shift in mood and the tranquillity of the day explodes… her warm breeze shifts into high gear and my well laid plans scatter throughout the Czech countryside. All is lost and the dance begins. The electricity of her breath fires every neuron and it’s no longer possible to quiet my desires.
This Czech spring demands my attention.
Her unpredictability is her essence.
Around the world, spring has always inspired reflection, growth, a bit of the human spirit spurring us back into life.
Personally, I enjoy the havoc of spring as long as it’s from a distance. This year, however, she has drawn me out. She has shaken me ~ a Czech country girl making my uncommitted soul rethink its allegiance.
Weighed down by the world, she breathes life back into me. She’s my lifelong crush and we’ve developed this springtime ritual: a ridiculous dream sequence destined to end in disappointment. Heartache with such gravity nothing can escape, and to be honest I don’t want to leave.
Sigh, she holds a seductive spark of the unknown. Something I’ve always been intimidated by yet at the same time drawn towards. A moth to a flame, so the story goes.
Cannot deny her spirit, after all the ability to bring the dormant back to life, to revive a soul wasting away under a blanket of snow. She does the impossible.
Watching her wash over the world, I always wish to be at my best and with this she inspires. I want to be good. I want to be better. I want to speak her language.
There is never a time where she doesn’t have me soaring in ecstasy or drowning in agony. There is no other season which holds so terribly an awesome power.
She leads me along the razor’s edge, between the bliss of renewal and the crackling energy of the unknown. Laughing as she pushes me one way and then the other. This mythical place she calls home, where life begins to tingle. The edge of hope, edge of fear, edge of something spectacular.
Bliss of a comfortable life or the thrill of an adventure. There is no choice, I feel her tickling my heart…
I run in the rain. Run up a mountain. Run the stairs at work. Why? Simple. She inspires. To be something more, every day a little more.
A memory of a Seattle spring long ago: a billy goat standing on top of the world. The youthful me bounding up alongside the mountain as well ~ sharing in something peaceful and perfect.
“Ignore the inevitable heartache and continue the climb, take the miracles as they come.” I can hear the younger me shouting at the current me collapsed somewhere below on the trail.
She is passion built upon an undercurrent of melancholy, a paradox of love and rejection dancing as one. Never knowing where one begins and the other ends. While it is foolish to take such risks, it would be more foolish not to revel in this spark of glory while it exists.
Sacrifice? Just continue to walk the razor’s edge between agony and ecstasy. Spring is the wildness we all need.
The melancholy of spring is not easy to become addicted to, but of course I find a way. While she brings in the new, I hold onto the past: the hope to revive the flicker of lost love. An ancient myth.
She offers to sweep away this paralysis, to lead me from the darkness of winter and into the blinding light of a new world. It’s long overdue to slip on my Ray-Ban’s and get moving.
Her brilliance is in the turbulence she creates. There is no better motivator than dealing with strife and moving forward. New joys, new pains, a new way of thinking.
Writing about this ridiculousness loosens the vice wrapped around my heart. I wonder if hidden in our DNA is a small desire for self-destruction?
Dipping a foot in this pool of chaos cannot help but sweep a soul along this torrent of reality. Bruising us with the emotions of a real, eventful life. A variety of life from those living the American Dream to those battling for the Ukrainian Dream… and of course all of us in-between. We take risks to build a life we believe in. With support and love, our greatest destiny is obtainable.
This spring is one I haven’t felt in a long time: a little hope, passion, and the anticipation of the crushing melancholy when it ends. It is life on Earth. It is quite magical.
A mistral wind blows, whispering the possibility of love. Spring smiles knowing the nothingness I hold inside will melt away ~ her words igniting the spirit, igniting the soul.
She sends my mind and heart racing. I feel as if I am 15 years old again, and I grimace remembering those dreaded teenage years…
She’ll break my heart, yet here I am as if floating on clouds, not sure if I’ve ever felt better. How can this be explained? She is a fantasy… and in this world, fantasies can come true.
Not following through with the hope spring provides would be tragic. Not just because such opportunities are rare, but because we owe it to ourselves to evolve, to grow. As we grow, those around us grow.
There is a time to be selfish, to want to make our world better and more to the point, make my world better. She’ll understand.
Spring avoids souls who fear death, and my guess, she wishes death for those who fear life.
She is like a cold breath in winter you try to capture in your hands… a reflection on the water or a cloud in the sky, she is simply unobtainable.
Who am I to explain the infinite complexities of Mother Nature, or (based on my track record) try to comprehend the mind of a woman. What am I doing? Her intelligence is beyond my capabilities.
Maybe I’m forever to roam the world, listening for the song of the Sirens so I can pick up my guitar and strum along… if only I had a guitar, and even more embarrassing, if only I knew how to play.
As to the inevitable aftermath of Spring? I’ll leave no more a mark on her soul than a stone thrown into a raging river. This is the sadness.
This morning, with a mug of French-pressed coffee in hand, I find myself looking around wondering where I am… I’d ask how I got here, but frightened by what the answer could be. But damn, I am happy. A “floating on clouds” happy.
The goddess of chaos. My plans ripped to shreds, scattered across the Czech countryside where the warm winds of summer will soon carry them away.
Possibilities of peace? Possibilities of love? Dreams of living with both, reality of living with none?
I’ve been doing that for a long, long time 🙂
May peace and love be with everyone during these final days of spring ~ and follow your spirit, follow your spring, to wherever the path leads.
Global Sojourns Photography 
Wonderful post, Randall. Stunningly fantastic photos.
There are some times out shooting when the lighting and scenery makes getting a bad shot is almost impossible. I had to put ‘almost’ in there as I found more than a few ways to not get the shot, but in the end when I end up with a few that makes me smile, life is good 🙂 Wishing you well, Timothy, and thank you very much.
Photography outstanding as usual. It makes me hark for our Spring as we slide into a bitter Winter – thank you for the hope x
Thank you very much, Sue. We had a tougher winter than I had expected, but as you lead to ~ the glory of spring ahead always gets the heart pounding a bit. I hope your slide from autumn to winter is a smooth one. Take care and hope for the future is always worth it 🙂
It’s nice to see you back sharing your musings and beautiful photos Randall. It seems that spring has stirred an exquisite variety of thoughts and feelings for you. Enjoy the dance. I’ll meet you in the fields with Rumi!
Yes, this spring has had a more profound affect on me than I had imagined ~ I think part due to all the chaos around, there is such perfect imperfections in life to enjoy rather than worrying and thinking about too much :-). Never too late to dance and enjoy all that spring brings. It sounds you are doing well yourself, and many fields all around to run around in. Cheers to a great finish to spring for you, Brad, and thank you very much.
Thanks Randall. I’m glad we’re both finding ways to enjoy and move through the chaos.
Exquisite as always Randall. Not surprisingly, your landscapes are truly marvelous but I must say that capture of the mountain goat on the rock is the one I loved the most 😊. Your thoughts about the season reminded me how much I loved having true seasons when we lived in the north, but only during spring and fall LOL. Here in the south spring is behind us and summer has arrived – happily, still early summer so the intense heat hasn’t yet landed. Your thoughts on our psyches as spring arrives are beautifully expressed although I suspect the highs and lows are not quite as extreme for most of us. I loved the feelings of joy you shared and can almost sense your smile. Wishing you the most beautiful and joyful of seasons my friend
It is always such a great feeling to read your comments, Tina 🙂 The memories of the mountain goats on Mt. Elinor is something I will always remember, and I am heading up there again at least a couple times over the next two months as I am back in the States now (although the goats have become much more rare these days). I do the different seasons, and while late summer/autumn is my favorite, this year I realize how much I have underestimated spring ~ and there is a sense of elation with everything this year, and yes I am still smiling :-). Wishing you a wonderful finish to this season and great start to the summer when it arrives. Thank you, Tina, and take care ~
Wowed by your breathtaking images and mesmerized by your poetic description of spring, I am scrolling up and down to keep looking at the marvelous beauty you’ve captured. Love this post Randall. Thanks for sharing.
The magic that spring can bring to the photographer I’ve always admired, and it was fun to finally get out and focus on this a bit with this post 🙂 Thank you very much, Balroop, very happy that you enjoyed this and wish you well.
“Ignore the inevitable heartache and continue the climb, take the miracles as they come.” I loved that line, Randall. What a beautiful post and paean to Spring, full of gorgeous images, rife with light. I love your reflections. I hope this spring brings more hope than despair as she storms through our lives. ❤
To hear you compliment me on a written line is an honor, Diana, and part of the rejuvenation of this spring was to take this line to heart. It seems this year, even with all the turmoil of the past and current present can act to drag down the spirit ~ but there is so much beauty and positivity to be found out there and spring truly epitomizes the youthful spirit we have inside. 🙂 Thank you so much for your nice comment and wishing you a great finish to the incredible season.
So many people I know are stuck between uncomfortable melancholy and relentless hope. It’s disorienting. And it’s always helpful to be reminded of the beauty in the world. 🙂
👌🏻👍🏻 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you very much, Francesc ~
Beautiful images and beautiful words. Food for the soul.
I can’t think of a better way to explore parts of the world I have never been to thin through your words and pictures.
Thank you very much, Georgia, wishing you a wonderful final days of spring and coming weekend 🙂
“We take risks to build a life we believe in.” – Yes! And we are blessed to be part of the lucky ones who do just that.
What a wonderful way to describe spring and your relationship with her, Randall. I love looking at her through your eyes. And your photographs exude a sense of peace that make me want to linger here a little bit longer.
Yes, Jolandi, I think you are definitely one to understand taking risks to build a life to believe in 🙂
There is something about taking a few steps out of one’s comfort zone knowing things may be a little bumpy but the feelings and emotions experienced (both good and bad) are the gifts life has for us and give us the ability to go out and create more. It makes the world move and will forever remain interesting for us. Wishing you a great summer season ahead ~
These are gorgeous. I can almost feel the fresh and coolness of morning along as if I am there. I beg to differ. My feeling is the opposite from the title of this post. Not melancholy but simply joy that feel, not havoc but ordinary flow of entropy…
Thank you very much, YC, and yes I can definitely get behind your description of spring ~ a feeling of pure joy 🙂 It is an amazing time to see the world (and us) come alive with this season of rebirth and chaos. Wishing you a great few final days of this great season, and greater happiness in the coming summer. Take care, my friend!
I’m left very moved by your lyrical photo essay. The photography is just stunning. When I was in high school, I always thought of spring as “exquisite melancholy.”
Your description of spring as “exquisite melancholy” is beautiful ~ and it is funny during the writing of this post I kept thinking about no matter how hard I try, there will be a word or description I would have liked to have used… but it will only come after I’ve posted. Your description would have fit perfectly 🙂 Thank you very much, Liz, for the nice comment and wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead.
You’re most welcome, Randall! I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well.
Wonderful photos, some as lush as illustrated fairy tales. Yes, spring infuses us with life’s force. We can’t get enough but are soon drunk with wonder. The rebirth, the rejuvenation, the lift it gives to our wings …
It is funny, at times I see some of the scenery in the Czech countryside and I immediately think the scene belongs in a fairytale, and during spring this sensation seems especially true. More than in years past and even with all the chaos of the world, it seems as if this spring holds more wonder for me than those before. I hope all is well in Hood River, and with you and your family. Wish you a weekend of sunshine ~
What a beautiful gift you have been given Randall, and give us.
To travel into unknown worlds. To see and capture it’s endless beauty and to hear the whispers of wisdom and understanding in your heart.
‘She leads me along the razor’s edge, between the bliss of renewal and the crackling energy of the unknown.’
I love this line and it’s message that everything passes.
And maybe there’s a reason everything is fleeting?
Maybe it’s simply to force us to see and discover the eternal spring within us. Or the light within that never goes out? Either way. Your posts guide us to consider it all, and for this we are grateful. 🙏🏻😊
Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply, Karen. It made my weekend. When writing this post, there was one thought and feeling I had and it became the line you mention 🙂 It seems this spring, and I imagine every spring season, we have this feeling of everything coming to life and opening up that it cannot help but affect the way we move in the world ~ balancing the bliss of the life we’ve created and continue to create with the excitement and wonder of the unknown and adventure ahead. I like this idea of an eternal spring within us, and definitely something to be grateful for. Wishing you well and enjoy the weekend ahead 🙂
🙏🏻
Well written post, beautiful photos, Randall. What else would you deliver? 😉
Your words speak to me… Spring and May, my favorite month, the glorious days that put memories of winter out of mind. Renewal of the living world, so special. I wonder how many more springs I will see? I reach out and grab with both hands!
I can definitely see you as a Spring person, Eliza, enjoying the renewal process and flowers in bloom ~ the opposite feeling to winter and it is something special. Thank you very much for the nice comment, and I’m with you too in enjoying the seasons (spring and autumn for me) a little bit more than I usually do… Wishing you a great summer ahead 🙂
Stunning images and beautiful words.
Thank you very much, Vicki, and I hope you are well and preparing for the winter down under 🙂 Take care ~
As a person who was born and raised in a tropical country with only two seasons (wet and dry), the concept of spring was foreign to me until I traveled abroad and saw how magical she truly is. One common theme of my spring travels is the abundance of flowers, lots of vividly colorful blooms that will brighten up even the gloomiest of moods. And I don’t mind the occasional downpours for the water will help bring back life to those who slumbered during the winter months. Those are some really crisp and beautiful photos of spring, Randall! They certainly help set the tone of your writing.
There is something magical about being able to experience four seasons. While I love the tropics and especially Hong Kong and SE Asia, my heart always beats a bit faster when I experience a change of seasons… autumn and winter especially, but in the past it was always in part knowing I could retreat back to the tropics and warm weather 🙂 But one thing, even in HK, the coming of spring is always an uplifting feeling (even if spring lasts only for a day or two!). Thank you very much for the insightful comment, Bama. The blooming of flowers is still going strong in the Seattle area right now and it is a sight to see. Wish you a great summer ahead!
Tes photos sont de toute beauté !
Merci beaucoup, la campagne Tchèque est si belle !
Wonderful written word and photography as usual, Randall. So many thoughts and insightful reflections about Spring and what it brings and how we feel. Agree with you Spring is magical, the transition between the death of Winter and the life of Summer – and essentially Spring is a metamorphosis from the darkness to light.
Really enjoyed the part of the younger you shouting at the current you. Sometimes I think like that – like what would younger me think of me now. And that younger me would have so much more impatient drive and impatient for hope to unravel right now. New is something so many of us jump at and it can be a catalyst for hope.
Agreed peace and love can co-exist. It comes with time…after a lot of hope along the way 🙂 Over here in the Southern hemisphere it has just turned winter and a very biting and frosty start to winter. A season where many of us hope for that extra bit of warmth, sunshine and light. Follow that path and follow your heart 🙂
Thank you very much, Mabel. I think the feeling of the arrival of Spring is even more powerful than seeing the renewal of nature taking place around us ~ and I like your explanation of the metamorphosis of darkness into light. From a period of dormant existence into the fluid, excited state of life and growth. I think it is a season where we can embrace the younger part of ourselves and have the freedom to explore everything without much thought 🙂 A very natural way of enjoying life around us.
This is one of the nice things about having four seasons, each one holds a different mood and we reflect the mood of the season. With the hope and freshness of spring, we can’t help but feel a bit excited about the world and what we can do… perfect for our youthful nature and reflecting on what the younger versions of ourselves would say or do 🙂 While autumn still remains my favorite season, this year I’ve enjoyed the feeling of spring much more than in years past… but I think experiencing a harsher/colder winter than normal also helped with this 🙂 I hope you are set for the beginning of your winter season ~ I too love the beginning of winter, but it is one season I can get tired of pretty quickly! Wishing you the best as you bundle up for the season, and just think… spring is only a few months away for you 🙂 Take care ~
Yes, so agree that Spring is a season where we can embrace the younger part of ourselves. With Spring comes growth and light, and that usually comes a desire to go out and explore, be free and see what’s coming around. I also think each of us see and feel seasons differently as all of us have our different favourite seasons. My favourite season is summer but also share your sentiments that winter is a season that I can get pretty tired of quickly. And I’m already over winter and ready for summer 🙂 Take care my friend.
What a beautiful post Randall. That goat is my all time favorites. I’m smiling at that crazy dude who climbed so high and put his life in danger. He is still within you as is the talent and appreciation of the planet we live on.
This was quite a Spring! May nature continue her cycles and keep up awake to her/our moods and offerings. 💐🙏💖
Thank you very much, Val. I wonder if I was up on the summit again pursuing the goat with my camera, would I still push myself along those ledges as I did back then?!? I’d like to think I would… but I think I could just instead enjoy the views. But then again, Spring does makes us do some crazier things than we normally would do 🙂 Wishing you a great summer ahead!
Thank you Randall for your thoughtful response. I have an inkling if it was a “first” for you, you would go for it still ☺️
What a glorious post Randall, one I devoured for its richness of words, the feelings it evoked and those magnificent photos of course. Here we’re sliding headlong into winter yet like you I also harbour feelings of hope and have a sense of happiness. By the way, I have a guitar and I can play too, though your Spring words are musical enough. Thank you 💜 I so loved this post. 🥰
Ha, ha, I love your guitar comment ~ perhaps you are the siren I hear playing whenever I travel 🙂 There is this great sense of hope and happiness that comes with spring, like a discovery of a great new album that sets the tune for the months ahead. I do love this time of year, and I’m also hopeful it will reflect a wonderful a summer ahead as well. One nice thing about roaring through the spring and summer, is it also sets the stage for contemplation in the autumn and then that perfect feeling of regrouping, relaxation and hibernation that is necessary in winter. After the adventures you’ve had during your summer/fall seasons I think you deserve a nice winter break :-). Thank you, Miriam, and wish you a great season ahead.
Thanks Randall. It’s the first time I’ve ever been referred to as a “siren” 😁 Enjoy the warmer days and the season ahead. I love your words of contemplation here. Warmest wishes to you. 🙏
Exquisite photos that made me very homesick. I lived in Prague for a year and loved getting out into the countryside. Fell in love with the country and its people.
It is great that this post was able to take you back to your time in Prague and the Czech countryside. It is truly a magical country, and the people there are so down to earth, reminds me so much of my home town 🙂 Thank you very much, Noelle, for the nice comment and wishing you a wonderful transition into the summer season! Take care ~
Czechoslovakia must be a fascinating country.
It has an interesting name, it certainly is beautiful, I never saw such
amazing photos of it before! Spring is the best time it see this lovely
country and let your mind wander as well as the shutter on your camera.
Interesting thoughts my friend. You’ve been missed Randall,
good hearing from you! Eddie
The Czech Republic is a fascinating country, such a rich history ~ and the way of life there is something quite pure. I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve fallen for the place, and the magic of its springtime is something to experience. I like how you say that spring is a time to let your mind wander, and with a camera in hand, it was been a nice one for me. Wishing you well, Eddie, and cheers to a wonderful summertime ahead!
Hello dear friend and great hearing about your adventures! Travel always interests me and would turn my head around to times when. Do it now Randall! Life changes too fast. Have a most enjoyable summer. Eddie
As I traveled through your prose and admired the Czech scenery, one thought kept bouncing through my head. Poetry, in motion.
Thank you very much, Dave. A wonderful comment and very much appreciate the thought. You’d love the Czech countryside ~ very similar to pieces of Oregon. Cheers to the upcoming summer!
So much time the world being set in one place, into a dull existence, I feel all that energy that usually was spend exploring, traveling, interacting, is being released in the spring there, with a touch of violence. The tension you describe about what can happen in your future is beautiful, Randall; it made me happy to read you in this way after so long.
Hello Francis, and yes you say it very well ~ this spring is the intersection between the normal flurry of activity of nature coming to life and then the added flurry of people breaking free from restrictions, a renewed desire to get out and travel, and also sadly the violence of war creating even more chaos. It brings to the forefront the value of life in our minds, of getting out to surround ourselves with the energy and beauty of everything around us… and even within the chaos there is a great feeling of hope. The hope of something special just around the corner. I wish I could always feel this way 🙂 Wishing you a happy beginning to your winter season in Peru, and I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place to be than your own country. Take care, my friend 🙂
I am very happy to see you back with this wonderful post.
Great choice of images! I especially love the field of cozla…
Thank you very much, Dana. It seems that spring has flow past so quickly but I still feel it 🙂 The fields of cozla are always a sight to see and this year they seemed even more inviting than before. Wishing you a wonderful start to your Romanian summer ~ take care and enjoy your day!
A wonderful post Dalo… both Art and “copy” as my friends in Advertising would say.
May the Spring be with you. 😉
There was something special with the springtime this year, I think pent-up desires of the past couple years breaking free ~ so it felt good to write about it with this post… and the beauty of the Czech countryside was a perfect muse. Wishing you a great summer solstice today, Brian, and happiness throughout the season. Thank you very much for the comment ~
Oh yes. It is today. Which explains why it is near drizzling in Mexico. 😉
Likewise Dalo.
Take good care of yourself…
So nicely said… “I feel her tickling my heart.” Such an amazing post, Dalo, each and every image and paragraph was a delight to see and read. It almost felt like surfing on sun rays… Roaming across early morning meadows, resting in the grass. 🙂 The title photo is my favorite, looks like a soft cozy shelter with a lovely view to the sunrise. Wishing you a nice weekend ahead, also hoping summer too will be as inspiring as spring seems to have been. Looking forward to it. 🙂
Thank you very much, Nicole, your description of spring “Roaming across early morning meadows, resting in the grass…” is one of my favorite feelings of spring, especially in Czech as the hikes around the area I live are perfect just for this (and is where I took the sunrise/spider web shot). This spring really contained much more energy than I remember in other springtimes, which made writing about it a lot of fun. I agree with your hope as well that the summer too will hold a lot of inspiration for us as well. Take care and have a happy summer solstice today 🙂
Just WOWWWW, making me missing spring in the other end of the world so much! Thanks for the post!
🙂 It is great to hear from you ~ and to bring back the memories of spring from the other end of the world 🙂 Wishing you a great start to the summer, there is also something special about the summer solstice too ~ and I hope you find the magic of the season. Take care and look forward to the next time we connect.
As always stunning photography of the stillness of life and such melancholic narrative which inspires. I especially love the photos of the lake taken from higher ground, with the tree branches over it. The water looks still and peaceful.
The shot from above with the tree branches falling over the scene is one of my favorite spots ~ it is about an hour’s hike away from my place in Kamyk nad Vltavou where I live, and once I am there it is so easy to relax with the scene and fresh air. Thank you very much for your comment, it seems this year is the one where we have the opportunity to breakfree from the isolation and begin the journey again ~ wishing you a wonderful day and a great start to the summer 🙂
I’ve had this post in a holding pattern for awhile because it was a bit of a roller coaster ride… the exuberance, yet there was that web of discord, the melancholy… I never know where to picture you being (literally or metaphorically). Hard to get a feel for a melancholy Czech spring. So close to Ukraine. Even the field of yellow below that brilliant blue sky is like the neighbor’s flag leaking over the border.
And for the moment, I have to confess to being a bit depressed, overwhelmed by all the misery happening in this world of ours…
Your images, as always are amazing and inspirational, but… ???
Still and all. It’s so good to see and hear from you! No matter what.
A wonderful comment, Gunta, and it seems this season (and with summer ahead), we have a bit of a break of all the restrictions we’ve been living with over the past couple of years ~ a roller coaster ride with all the chaos of the news of the world ~ but through it all still so much excitement and beauty this life has to offer 🙂 More than ever it is important for us to get out and find the inspiration and I know you certainly have so much around you and the magic your place holds on the Oregon Coast… and in such turbulent times it is nice to have such escapes to go out and explore. Wishing you a great start with the summer solstice and to enjoy all that is out there 🙂 Take care ~
delicious spring time Randall…lovely greens and sunshine ☀️ sending joy hedy💫
Thank you very much, Hedy. Yes, the greens, fresh air, and sunshine of the spring can inspire like nothing else 🙂 Wishing you a wonderful start to the summer ~ take care, and keep smiling 🙂
Amazing captures. These are all so stunning.
Thank you very much, Anita. Springtime this year was almost a perfect start to the year and to get out exploring life in a deeper sense. Wishing you well and safe travels as we begin the summer season. Take care ~
Randall, your gifts and talents are our reward this spring. I must say my spring season went zooming by as I dropped off one child off at an airport for an internship in DC and another one into the thrills of high school graduation. I missed the season which brings me hope for a summertime full of beauty. I’m nestling in towards a period of getting back to normal. Your photos show so much promise. I’m in awe. True awe. I love the way you write. Your words bring encouragement. Peace to you, my friend.
It sounds like your spring was packed full, and I bet the proud Mom must be feeling pretty good heading into summer 🙂 It seems summer is the perfect time for us to unwind, relax a bit and let the world get back to some calmer resemblance of normal. Whether that happens or not, who knows, but at least it is the perfect attitude to have heading into this new season ~ and I’m happy for you 🙂 Thank you for your words, Aud, they always hit the right spot. Wishing you well and peace to you too, I like that thought. Take care ✌🏻
Awe, thanks, Randall. It’s been a wonderful journey up to the here and now. Sigh. Full speed ahead! 😂
Wonderful photography ! Well captured.👍
Thank you very much, Priti ~ wishing you a great summer ahead.
Thank you very much you too. My best wishes to you 💕😊
Hello Randall,
(WordPress seems to be marking my comments as spam so I am not sure if you will see this or not…)
You never fail to amaze with your wonderful combination of words and stunning images.
Our “Spring” seeming jumped right into Summer, so at least I could pretend I was experiencing Spring through your blog post 🙂
Hope you are continuing to stay well my friend.
Best wishes,
Takami
Wonderful to hear from you again, Takami. This year, it seems as if spring carried on until the very end, and I am quite happy with this. Czech spring was close to a perfect a spring as I could have wished for, and then coming to Seattle a couple weeks ago there is still the cool weather and light rain which I do like. However, like you, it seems summer has arrived and temperatures have crept up ~ but sometimes it feels so good to be out in the heat and sun. Thank you for your nice comment, and wishing you a beautiful summer ahead 🙂
Thank you my friend, really appreciate your reply (as I know you must receive a lot of comments – your work is just stunning 🙂 )
Our heat wave continues so it’s a “relief” to re-visit this post and view the lovely Czech spring through your lens. I can almost pretend that I am experiencing Spring again 😀
Take care and all my best to you and your dear ones. Will look forward to what you share next 😉
Such lovely photographs!
Thank you very much, Becky ~
You’re welcome!
Hi Randall, A bit late to the party in these first days of summer, but your enthusiastic and upbeat post made my day. Your images are spectacular and pair so well with your embrace of a time that’s full of possibilities. The skies in your landscapes are gorgeous, the yellow field full of happiness and the mountain goat peeking around the rocks made me smile.Thanks! Hope you are well. 🙂
This was a terrific spring for me, the cool weather and perfect for getting out into the freshness lasted truly up to last week until Seattle (where I am now) got its first days above 80 degrees 🙂 After such a season, I am looking forward to the more relaxing vibe of summer, even though with traveling and activities it is usually the busiest time of year. Thank you for the nice words, Jane. Wishing you and your family a wonderful summer ahead.
The photos caught my attention ❤️
Thank you very much 🙂
Breath-taking in every sense Randall, Your love affair with Spring and her explosive beauty that fills one’s heart to overflow with exquisite joy of standing in her radiance as the sun falls on upturned face and penetrates the soul.. Is overwhelmingly beautiful..
” Not following through with the hope spring provides would be tragic. Not just because such opportunities are rare, but because we owe it to ourselves to evolve, to grow. As we grow, those around us grow.” ………..
I so agree, does Spring stop pushing through the hardground after a frozen winter? Does she forget to bloom on a frosty morning? or does she open her heart to a new day, Because she has just awoken from her slumber and she know only one way, And that is to turn towards the Light… And GROW…..
May we all find our Spring and grow in all ways as we turn away from shadows into Light..
A beautiful post dear Randall… And each photo superb.. ❤
Thank you very much, Sue. I do think I’ve always been intimidated a bit by spring and all the explosive beauty and craziness it inspires… and I’ve always been an autumn guy. But, yeah, I think the gardeners of the world have it right ~ spring is where a lot of magic happens and it is essential to be overwhelmed during the season, as summer is when you can take a breath and relax 🙂 I love the wisdom you write above, the transition from winter to spring is an incredible period, vital to nature and our physical world as well as our spiritual. Well said, and I hope you have a brilliant summer ahead 🙂 Take care ~
No, thank you Randall, for sharing beauty, and your heart.
Snow drops are the first to usually push through the ground to flower, to look at them they are delicate, fragile looking flowers.
But they push through the hardest ground.
Humanity may look weak and delicate at the moment, but it’s only in our most challenging of times, do we push through, reaching heights we never thought we’d reach.
We dear Randall are in our Spring..of awakening…. things may seem tough, but we are all pushing through to our own dark ground, as each discovers the strength they hold within their soul..
Many thanks and happy safe travels. 💚💕💚
Spring is finding another exquisite expression through your words here, Randall. Your visuals are a real treat. Be well…🤗
Beautiful pictures, early Spring, and Autumn my favorite times of the year by far, life its made of plans, and then things turn otherwise, from my experience, so now I try to live day, to day, and do not worry, as to what next day will bring, and take life a day, at a time, Its about lunch time, will see what I have in the fridge, and will take it from there…
Best wishes, and a lovely Summer to you whatever you are!😊
Really beautiful series.
The first picture with the spider web is really cool. But the others I live very much too.
Sadly I’ve only been briefly to Czech Republic… I will need to change this some day soon.
Dear Randy, you leave me speechless!! By God, you are a one-in-a-million writer and visual storyteller. I truly am in awe of your mastery: the way you capture the intricacies of the human mind and being and weave your deep perceptions together so poetically with your love for nature and life… Just OUTSTANDING.
I really to have to say, you are absolutely brilliant at your craft, and I am so profoundly grateful to call you my friend! So mesmerizing and captivating. I love all the pictures and loved so many of your poetic lines here: ” She is passion built upon an undercurrent of melancholy, a paradox of love and rejection dancing as one. Never knowing where one begins and the other ends. While it is foolish to take such risks, it would be more foolish not to revel in this spark of glory while it exists.”
I gotta go over this post again and really let it all sink in. Just outstanding. And I have an inkling you DO know a thing or two both about life and the inner workings of women 🙂 Where else would all these accurate and moving insights emerge from? Gotcha!! haha. Big warm hugs my friend, may you have a wonderful and exciting summer, keep shining your brilliant light! 🤗🤗🤗
“a little hope, passion, and the anticipation of the crushing melancholy when it ends. It is life on Earth. It is quite magical.” Beautifully stated. I’m learning still how to hold onto hope and sadness at the same time. How to adapt to the cycle of life and find peace in knowing there’s an end, while still continuing the daily practice of widening my imagination to what is possible. Wishing you a summer filled with dreams and visions of all that you can become in this time of growth.
Beautiful and poetic. Are those yellow came from rapeseed flowers? I remember years ago, landing in Prague seeing fields and fields of yellow underneath. Brings back memories.
Yes, the yellow fields are rapeseed flowers, the colors of spring in Czech… after a cold winter, seeing these fields take bloom always gets the heart beating a bit quicker 🙂
So beautiful!
Nice post ! Beautiful photos !
This is a wonderful set of gorgeous photos, Dalo.
The first photo is already an eye-catcher. How golden the evening sun makes the spider web shine is really fantastic.
How beautiful and full of wonder our earth is!
I love our planet.
And I love your poetic words!
Rosie from Germany…🥰
Wow! You have talent both in beautiful photography and writing. I am a wannabe photographer and writer, but you are what I what aspire to be in both abilities, Randall. Thank you for the journey!