Spring Dawns

As we’ve been wandering around Prague the last week or so I’ve been fascinated watching the tiny buds on the trees as everything dons a verdant hue. It wasn’t until midway through my walk this morning that it struck me that this is the first true spring I’ve experienced in four years.

Southern California didn’t really have vivid markers of season like other climates do. Seasons were generally marked more by the landscapers than by nature. There were a few deciduous trees that tried valiantly to trumpet the new season but were generally unheard, since they didn’t have changing temperatures, budding flowers and birds singing to accompany them. Temperatures seemed constant, flowers in bloom were ever present and singing birds were generally absent or lost to the sounds of the freeways.

So now we’re in Prague, where we arrived bundled up in coats, boots and sweaters and now are shedding layers and welcoming spring in all its green glory. Birds are singing, trees budding, flowers are poking up through the soil. And as to not forget So. Cal. With the windows open, I can hear traffic in the distance.

~sjt