At the end of last week the afternoon weather was as close to perfect as possible, here in central Florida. While much of the rest of the United States was suffering from a winter storm that brought cold weather and plenty of snow, we were having sunny days with afternoon highs in the low 70s. And what do I need to do on afternoons like that? I need to go outside. So I decided to hike some of the trails in the Gothe State Forest. The area is still pretty brown, but there were definitely a few trees and bushes that were showing occasional green sprouts. I also saw the first butterfly of the year, a little yellow I think, but I couldn’t get close enough to it for any photographs. There were still plenty of pictures to take though, including this gnarled oak tree in the middle of a stand of pines. I love the contrast between the straight, tall pines, and the curving, spread limbs of the oak. The late afternoon sun lit the scene perfectly, making the underbrush glow. It seemed to be a near perfect moment on a near perfect afternoon.