8 VIRGINIA FORESTS VIRGINIA LANDSCAPES Second Place, Jeremey Falkenau Frosty, cold days have become some of my favorite in which to work. The quiet and still can be so serene with unmatched beauty. The forest reflection off the river this particular morning in Providence Forge, Va., was stunning and seemed to be an almost perfect mirror image; a perfect representation of how trees and water influence each other. VIRGINIA LANDSCAPES Third Place (tie), Mark Rowles A quiet evening at Lake Arrowhead in Luray, where I spend most of my summer evenings walking the trails with my dogs—a place of peace that leaves me feeling incredibly lucky to live in the mountains of Virginia, and grateful for the respite after a long day working behind a screen. WINTER 2024 9 VIRGINIA LANDSCAPES Third Place (tie), Fred Schatzki Spanning from Nelson County in the south (left of frame) through Albemarle County, and ending in Orange County to the north (right of frame), the Southwest Mountains are one of the easternmost mountain ranges in Virginia. Here we find eerily orange sunlight breaking through the tail end of a recently passed thunderstorm, sending stabbing beams of light through late-afternoon haze as if to put an exclamation point on the grandeur of the natural wonders we are fortunate to have here in the Commonwealth. VIRGINIA FAUNA First Place, Michael Kemp A charismatic gray squirrel takes center stage as it perches on a tree branch preparing its winter food stash with expressive eyes that convey a moment of intense curiosity and awareness at Windsor Castle Park, Smithfield, Va.
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