I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by great natural beauty: in the woods, fields and gardens of rural Albemarle County, Virginia. Far from the nearest neighbor, my parents’ property, “Evergreen,” had a lush rolling lawn—bordering acres of woods—flower gardens, scattered shade pines, and on clear days a magnificent view of the Southwestern mountains. As a child walking among the shade trees and through my mother’s perennial and flower gardens—and later, through the surrounding woods with its streams, hollows, and vistas—I always found genuine peace. My mother’s carefully cultivated roses, peonies, flowering shrubs and trees, and the beauty of the ancient mountains first found voice in my poetry. My photographic work, developed later, reflects my growing intimacy with the natural world and a wider appreciation of its moods and subtleties.