Maple Flowers

One of the first signs of spring is that the maples start flowering. Their flowers fascinate me -- like little sea creatures, a kind of barnacle or something. Especially when they first bud, they look like something you'd find in a coral reef. This occurs to me now, when we're well into spring, because I was just sitting outside being pelted with them as they're falling off the trees.

There's something very serene and Japanese about a couple (make that three) branches of maple flowers in a vase. Also something weird and alien. I like it.