Note: A real person wrote this: me. All pictures by me unless otherwise noted. There are no paywalls, ads, AI, popups, or surveys.

Each year, I review my photos and select ones that give me hope or are really good. I’ve added some reflections as our country enters a new era.

Train For Perfection, and Never Give Up—Picture of the Year

My grandson, Conley, has a perfect cast.

He’s hoping for a fish. I’m hoping for a peaceful world for him.

Plant Native Habitats and Wildlife Will Come

An American Bittern on Whiskey Creek. Photo credit Vic Laubach

An American Bittern visits Whiskey Creek. Habitat is the key for wildlife; this bird apparently likes our riparian buffer. I’m hoping for a Willow Flycatcher next spring.

Stabilize the Fragile and Work on the Level

Vertical rock-walled terraces in Pinhao, Portugal.

These are rock terraces in Pinhao, Portugal, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. The vertical rock walls stabilize a very steep slope. Let’s hope the slopes of democracy have some rock-solid walls.

Cherish the Past and Embrace the Future

The parking lot at the Convento Espinheiro in Portugal.

These are eight hundred-year-old olive trees and electric vehicle charging stations at the Convento Espinheiro in Evora, Portugal. Transportation emissions in the U.S. are the second leading cause of the climate crisis. Electric vehicles have zero emissions. I hope the EV movement keeps accelerating.

Navigating the Unknown Takes Courage

The cliffs in Sagres, Portugal, at the end of Europe on the Atlantic Ocean.

In the 15th century, Prince Henry the Navigator sent sailors and ships from Sagres to explore the Atlantic Ocean. He is considered the main initiator of the Age of Exploration. We are now in unchartered political waters. I hope the running rigging for democracy can withstand the hurricane-strength and changing winds and that the standard rigging for the rule of law remains steadfast.

Climate Change is Happening; Expect Warmer and Weirder Weather

Jeanne feeds the heifers with square bales of hay.

We’ve experienced extreme summer droughts for two years in a row, forcing us to feed some of our winter supply of hay. Here, Jeanne is feeding ten-year-old square bales that were in the barn when we bought the farm. According to the Mauna Loa lab in May, the atmosphere’s CO2 concentration is now 426.7 ppm. Mankind’s hope is for 350 ppm. Science doesn’t care what you believe; the climate crisis is here.

Plant Trees and Rest in the Shade

Twenty-year-old riparian buffer along Middle River.

It took only twenty years. When we planted these trees along the Middle River in 2004, they were two-year-old bare-root seedlings. We had a lot of hope for them. It worked. Efforts to restore our streams and the Chesapeake Bay are working. It’s inevitable that the Trump administration will decimate federal programs to clean up our watersheds. I hope states, non-profits, and the private sector can pick up the load.

Install Solar Panels and Plan For Expansion

Solar barn at Whiskey Creek.

We expanded the solar panels at Whiskey Creek, adding nine more panels to handle the demand for our electric vehicle. When we charge the EV during the day, it’s charged with sunshine, not fossil fuels. The plan, and our hope, is that soon, all electricity will be from renewable sources.

Allow Natives to Grow; Bees Will Come

A bumble bee approaches a Jewelweed blossom.

The wonder of pollination. A bumble bee is going in for a Jewelweed blossom. Whiskey Creek was lined with this native beauty this year. I hope for increased biodiversity, at least on our farms in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Science Plus Passion is a Great Marriage

JMU students surround the “Thompson Tree.”

My JMU students read Susan Freinkel’s book, The American Chestnut, the Birth, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree. Here, they surround the “Thompson Tree” in the Lesesne State Forest. This is a true American Chestnut with a high level of blight resistance. It started out as a nut that was irradiated during the Atomic Age. Its trunks were grafts later injected with a hypovirulent strain of the blight. I am hopeful for the rebirth of America’s perfect tree.

Hope for Democracy

Federal regulations and protections will begin to be decimated when the Trump administration takes office in January. I hope states will pick up the smoldering torches for the rule of law, women’s rights, environmental justice, stewardship of our natural resources, and human decency and relight them with the steady hand of democracy.

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