Spring awakening

There are signs of spring in New Orleans, although it's easy to think we've skipped spring and gone right to summer, since in recent days the temperature has been in the high 70's.

This morning on my walk along the river, I spotted redbud trees, cercis occidentalis, in bloom.

The sun on the water was glittering, the breeze was light, and the water of the Mississippi River slapped lazily against the old wharves.