Are we there yet?

Spending a portion of the first day of spring on the Pennsylvania Turnpike doesn’t seem like the fittest way to honor the vernal equinox. But it was time to visit the relatives, and they live in upper Bucks County.

Someplace between the Rt. 611 and Willow Grove, there it was- one of the true seasonal harbingers. Not one of the rogue teasers like those chilly snowdrops, which appear when there are still weeks of winter to slog through. This was the real deal. The trees on either side of the highway were still the same bare grey as the road, except when the light hit them in a certain way. Even traveling in the fast lane it was possible to see how some wore a slight wash of red or pink, others slightly greenish yellow. The flower buds, like the ones on this Red maple, are beginning to show color. Leaves will soon follow, and then it will feel like spring has finally arrived.