Spring is a great time for taking photos of the outdoors. There’s a kind of glow, a lushness in nature—shockingly green trees, azure blue sky, and our silky blue waterways. What I love about watching nature is how it changes from one minute to the next. Last night I dined at Mahi Mah’s overlooking the boardwalk with Peter, Ross, and Jasper, as well as my mom, my brother Paul, and his wife, Robin. It was half-price wine night, so we lingered over two nice bottles of red wine, as we enjoyed our meal.

Paul remarked at how the colors of the sea and sky changed as dusk descended. Facing east, we couldn’t see the sunset, but it didn’t matter because the effervescent effect of the sunset colored our view. At one point the calm, flat ocean looked so silky and serene, its grayish-blue hue highlighted with shades of jade green. The scene fairly shimmered, and we felt lucky to see it.

Nature lovers with a penchant for picture taking will want to participate in the City of Chesapeake’s current photo contest in celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week. All you have to do is take a photo while you're out enjoying yourself in Chesapeake and include the letters “U.O.U.” somewhere in the photo.

It’s that simple! You can write the initials on a sheet of paper, spell them with found objects, or create them from an arrangement of leaves and flowers. Let your creativity shine! Prizes include gift cards raging from $150-$500. Contest deadline is May 4, 2012. See www.visitchesapeake.com/photo-contest for complete rules and regulations.

Spring has sprung in Tidewater. So get out there and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings—and don’t forget your camera.