Wordless Wednesday – Take in the Quietness
The color version of this image was featured on “A Time and Place to Retrospect.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
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Take in the Quietness
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I Found Spring!
After waiting and waiting for warmth, I found spring this past week in Texas. As soon as we landed in Dallas, I was immediately basking in the warmth of sunshine.
My first full day there, I headed to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. The gardens did not disappoint. There were spring blossoms everywhere I turned. To my surprise, I had missed the daffodils and tulips by a couple of weeks.
All three images were taken at the Dallas Arboretum on March 30, 2026. A different landscape captured in the same location back in 2023 was featured on “Placid Contemplation.“.
For this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, Patti has challenged us to explore the foreground, middle, and background of our images.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
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One Step at a Time #4
Welcome to One Step at a Time #4. Last week, I got to spend some time in Dallas, Texas. The three pics featuring green were captured along the trails at Cedar Hills State Park.
The night before I made it to Cedar Hill State Park, some spring thunderstorms went through the Dallas/FortWorth area. Because of the rain, this Penn Farm Trail was only one of two open on this morning. I enjoyed this trail so much that I can’t wait to get back to try the others as well.
The surprising thing to me about this state park is that it is on the edge of Dallas and yet it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere in the hills. It was quiet, peaceful, and a temperature of perfectly comfortable 70°F. A huge bonus was coming across a field of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas.
Now it is your turn to share your images. To participate in the One Step At a Time Challenge, place a pingback or link on the comments below.
Wonderful participants from last week were:
Linda with – Ribbits and Rabbits
Donna with Leave Nothing But Footprints
Egidio with Layered Natured Photography
Sue is joining in for the first time
with Foggy Uncertainty of Life
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
A gallery of other Texas images were featured on “Along the Texas Trails.”
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Crunching Under my Feet
Leaves crunching under my feet while walking over the bridge at Ott Biological Preserve. This trail is located in Battle Creek, Michigan and was visited in November of 2025.
Another bridge along a trail in Indiana was featured was featured on “Across a Crooked Path.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for The Cosmic Photo Challenge: Over the Bridge
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Layers of Yellow
Layers of yellow glowing in the sunshine.
Other yellow blossoms were featured in “Budding Sunflowers“.
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for One Word Sunday – Yellow
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In the Bedroom & the Loft
Preening togetherness, in the bedroom & the loft.
This pair of Great Blue Herons were grooming their feathers at the Lyon Oaks County Park Rookery in Michigan. Two other herons were featured on “Hey, That’s My Fish.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Six Word Saturday and Birds of the Week
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Pink Petals
Long pink petals in the garden.
Another macro shot of a flower was featured on “Pretty in Pink.“
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour
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Into the Darkness
Step through the open door and into the darkness of the tunnels of Castillo San Cristobal. I was so sure that I had posted this door already. After searching for it, it seems I have left it out of my posts from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This is the first door, leading to all the others as featured on “Deep into a Tunnel.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Dan’s Thursday Doors
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Sprouts of Spring
Sprouts of Spring – I have been anticipating spring for weeks. Here it is April 1st and it is not feeling much warmer yet in the Midwest. As I was scrolling through some older photos, I realized that these two were captured in May of 2021. Thinking that spring has not been so much of a trickster after all in this part of the USA.
Other buds were featured on “Spring Buds Along the Trail.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Ragtag Daily Prompt – Trickster
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One Step at a Time #3
For this week, I have two photos taken on the first day of spring.
The proof that spring is here is that the Great Blue Herons are back. They have been busy building up their nests again at the Lyon Oaks County Park rookery.
I was so thrilled with all the contributions from last week’s challenge. Each one had some images worth featuring.
Linda had some amazing bridge images that left me wanting to walk across it.
Donna shared images of one of her best hiking days EVER.
Terri joined in with some lovely flowers
Egidio caught up from last week by sharing two –
First some beautiful pollinators and second,
landscapes including Inca’s Death StepsCan’t wait to see what you’ve got for this week!
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
An African Gray Heron was also featured on a earlier post, “More Than a Mouthful.“
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Prickly Upon Prickly
Macro Monday – A prickly upon prickly cactus at Matthaei Botanical Garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a lovely place to visit all year round. There is warmth in the conservatory in the winter and lovely blooming gardens along the outdoor trails on nicer days.
A contrasting image was featured on “As Light as a Feather.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
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Carefree Calmness
I have recently realized that there is a sense of carefree calmness that results from hiking on familiar trails. After hiking in NW Indiana for years, I knew where to go depending on weather conditions. Some were treacherous on muddy or icy conditions. Other trails were beautiful on foggy days. For instance, Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve (pictured below) was one of my favorite spots on foggy mornings.
For the past year and a half since moving to Michigan, I have enjoyed discovering new places to explore. At times over the winter, I found myself being overly cautious of conditions on the trails. Being unfamiliar with the trails had a lot to do with that. Now that the weather is slowly getting nicer, I am feeling more adventurous once again. I am getting back to getting more familiar and carefree calmness on the Michigan trails.
Another foggy morning was featured on “A Dreamy Morning.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Ragtag Daily Prompt – Carefree and One Step at a Time #2
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Pointed Edges of a Leaf
Silent Sunday – Pointed Edges of a Leaf
Another autumn scene was featured on “Fallen Leaf.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for One Word Sunday – Pointed
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A Bashful Peek
A bashful peek from behind her dad’s shoulder.
I am not one to photograph people often, but I do enjoy doing it occasionally. A person enjoying the beauty of Maui was featured on “The Photographer.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Ragtag Daily Prompt: Bashful
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A School in the Open Air
While in Kenya, one day we visited a school in the open air. Standing next to the blackboard on the right, is the Chief of the African village. On the left, dressed in red, is the Chief’s oldest son who is also the school’s teacher.
The class included 22 children of a variety of ages. On this one day, they were learning the English alphabet and numbers. They were all super friendly and eager to show off all they were learning.
A gallery of other photos from Africa were featured on “Wilderness of Africa.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Six Word Saturday and Weekly Prompts – One Day
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Innermost Parts of a Tulip
Have a look at the innermost parts of a tulip. This image was captured a few years ago in Chicago’s Garfield Conservatory. Within the last few days, some bulb plants have started to awaken from their winter sleep here in Michigan.
Other tulips from the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens were featured in “Show Me What You’ve Got!”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Sunday Stills – Early Spring and Spring Festival 2026
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Headed to Mackinac Island
Headed to Mackinac Island on Shepler’s Ferry back in 2022.
Another scene taken from the ferry was featured on “Reaching Across Lake Huron.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for CFFC – View from Something on Water
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Ancient to New
Looking up at rooftops, from ancient to new. This is my response to Brian’s Monochrome Madness Challenge: Look Up (it’s on the roof).
Above on the left, Castillo San Cristobal in Puerto Rico was completed in 1783. On the right is Chicago’s Wrigley Building, completed in the early 1920. Below on the left, stands the Mercer Building in Louisville, Kentucky, completed in 1991. Last, is a residence on the edge of downtown in my home town in Michigan. Date of completion unknown.
Three monochrome images of reflections were featured in “An Upside Down World.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
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As Light as a Feather
A cactus blossom as light as a feather. Captured at Matthaei Botanical Garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan earlier this month.
Another blossom from the same conservatory was featured on “Turk’s Cap Mallow.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour #23
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One Step at a Time #2
Here is the One Step at a Time #2 Challenge. According to the calendar, spring is officially here. In the Midwest, the weather has not caught up with the calendar yet.
This was my first time experiencing the 2-mile Kihchin Hiking Trail at Brighton State Recreation Area. The biggest surprise was the wonderful carvings on a huge tree trunk. These photos were taken on March 14, 2026.
An image from a different area in Brighton, Michigan was featured on “Abstract Reflections.”
All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heavens Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.
Thanks to all who participated in last week’s One Step at a Time Challenge. I enjoyed the variety of photos that were shared. If you missed seeing them, here’s a link to each one.
Frank posted Views of South Beach
Donna posted Leave Nothing But Footprints
Linda posted Mixin’and minglin’ on the cusp of Fall
Terri posted Relaxing Beside Desert Greens
Xenia posted A Relaxing Stroll