When I took my trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway I didn’t have very much specific in mind. But there was one thing I wanted a picture of: a cardinal. I know, I know: to you eastern folks this is no big deal. They flit around in your backyards every day. But we don’t have cardinals out here in California, and I wanted a picture of one.

Unfortunately, they turned out to be skittish little things, always flying away when I caught sight of one. In the end, the best picture I got was from my car window. I was driving into Floyd, Virginia, for dinner, and found one sitting on a branch right off the road. I lowered my window and took a bunch of shots. Someday maybe I’ll do better, but for now this is the best picture I managed to get.

May 7, 2019 — Near Floyd, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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