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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