You don;t usually see the Capitol Columns or the Washington Monument from these angles

But hey sometimes you aren't quite positioned the way you might want to be regarding a given situation; you can still take a look. The sideview of the Columns is from just across the road from the Fern Valley Prairie. The cityscape is from the top of Mount Hamilton. Mount Hamilton is not a mountain by any standard, but is a respectable forested hill; the Azalea collection lives on the lower and middle slopes on the south, east, and north sides. Trails and a road (off limits to vehicular traffic) lead to the summit and it's worth a walk for the city views. I took this photograph through an opening in the canopy, but this time of year, with no leaves on the trees, you can get 360 degrees of view. The skies have a distinctively winter look.

The first time I can consciously remember seeing this sky was in November of 1961. I was a cub scout and our pack had the honor of raising the flags that circle the Washington Monument. I didn't actually remember the date, but I do remember that we raised the flags to the top of the pole and then lowered them to half mast in honor of the death of Sam Rayburn, Texas Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives. So it must have been 1961, just a tad over 49 years ago.

I've edited thousands of photographs and, though I never end up using the option, it's hard for me to resist trying "autocorrect" or it's equivalent; I like to see what a "computer" would do to my picture without my guidance. So I take a look and then undo and go whatever route I go. "Autocorrect" always wants to add green to a winter sky, actually the whole picture. I guess it misses the chlorophylliferous tint that's not suffusing the world this time of year. So do I.