For literally thousands of photographers, from snap shooters to accomplished professionals, the annual Catawba rhododendron bloom in the Roan Highlands represents a standing entry on their photographic calendar. Hundreds of compositions and perspective variations await anyone with time and patience to explore the rhododendron gardens on top of Roan Mountain itself, as well as the three bald summits--Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge--that comprise part of the overall Roan massif. Sometimes, especially in years of heavy bloom, a photographer's primary problem is deciding exactly what to shoot; the beauty and breadth of choices are almost overwhelming. In 2006, this was not the case. That year, the bloom was much more sparse than usual, though the blossoms that did appear were individually no less spectacular than in more prolific years. The sporadic flowering of 2006 required more effort to find a pleasing composition, but in some ways that made the photographic effort more enjoyable--and the relative lack of abundant flowers certainly made for less confusion as to subject selection. Early on a weekday morning, I had the slopes of Round Bald pretty much to myself. I had arrived well before sunrise, and I had plenty of time to find potentially productive compositions before the sun began to color the skies over Mitchell County, on the North Carolina side of the bald. I liked the way the slope of this particular rhododendron echoes the slopes of the distant mountains, and how the pre-sunrise pink of the sky repeats the pastel coloring of the rhododendron blossoms. To me, it is a quiet, peaceful scene that serves to remind me of an enjoyable morning of relaxed, unhurried shooting.