Offutt Air Force Base

In January this green is desolate. The temperature is below zero and the wind is excruciatingly cold, cutting through the six layers I insulate myself with to combat the wind chill. There are days when my 85 pound dog has trouble keeping this footing.

But this is July and those days are but a memory. Tonight we’re in love with summer.

It’s outdoor concert season and hearts are light.

On this Sunday evening, Vortex, from the Heartland of America Band, is out with their sound system and instruments. The sun is low in the sky, the light golden. The parade grounds are dotted with chairs, coolers and families.

The band is playing.

The little ones are dancing.

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And the livin’ is definitely easy here in at Offutt Air Force Base…in Omaha…in Nebraska…in America’s heartland…on a summer evening in July.

Living in Louisiana for so many seasons made me immune to spring but after just one winter in Nebraska I’ve rediscovered the joy of an earth as it awakens from a long sleep. There’s added anticipation in a season when it’s counterpart is more severe and extra joy in seeing what has been dormant in surroundings that I’ve only known in winter.

These parade grounds are right across the street from my home. How lucky am I to have these views from my front porch? This spring green is almost overwhelming and trees that were bare just a few weeks ago didn’t just leaf out quietly, but rather, bloomed the way fireworks explode in a dark summer sky.

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After months of finding beauty in the austere I found myself completely enamored with the blooms of this season and although all the world is photographing spring blossoms I joined right in.