The marsh around the corner no longer looks like a skating rink - the ice has a fresh coating of snow. The sparrows were hiding down in the grasses (trying to stay warm I presume) - so no bird pictures today.
Something has been walking across the frozen marsh....
As I turn off the road and onto the trail, I see that at least one deer has been there before me.
The favourite tree is looking good, with branches stretched out over its snowy carpet.
Wind-carved snow dunes ripple across the fields.
I love these feathery grass seed heads - they remind me of caterpillars.
The shadow picture is becoming a habit....
Across the field and next to a pond, young birches are peeling most interestingly, with smudges of rose and tiny flecks of a pale bluish-gray against the brown bark.
Nobody seems to be home today in this birdhouse. Bits of the deserted nest hang out of the cracks.
I fall in love with this tree and the bit of winding trail that skirts it....
Bittersweet grows at its base, with berries glowing bright in the westering sun.
Trudging through several inches of snow is good exercise. At the end of the third field I decide to turn back.
Vapour trails have been twisted by the wind into ribbons across the sky. (A good picture for Annie's Project :: Sky 365. See Knitsofacto for more information on this worthy project. And Annie, you have no idea how hard it was for me to keep the trees out of this shot. :) I do love trees.)
Today's sun is setting - not in flames, but in soft smoke - making a rather Impressionistic backdrop for the various dried flowers of the prairie restoration project...
...and some shots inspired by Deb at Snowcatcher (who loves to capture flowers against the sky).
Here are the trees I had to leave out of the vapour trail shot - lovely and lacy, with a misty sun sinking behind.
Miniscule plants on the homeward trail - just a few inches high, but beautiful and perfect in the light of the setting sun...
...with tiny leaves gracefully bearing a delicate icy burden.
Another good Sunday walk on the snowmobile trail.
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I do love that sky on the last one with the trees! It looks so whispy. Oh, and Bittersweet! Bittersweet grew where the Goatmother grew up in Oklahoma. She actually has some planted here, but who knows if they will ever bloom in this, not their native, environment. And, by the way, if your legs are really that long, you should be seeking a career in modeling. :)
ReplyDeleteAaaah, I love your photos. Looking at your blog is always so calming! The seed-heads that look like caterpillars remind me of a bright ginger furry caterpillar I saw at work once (I worked in an agricultural museum with its own farm) - it looked for all the world like a moustache ambling across the footpath :-D.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, what a beautiful post, your photographs are stunning Sue!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Project :: Sky 365 mention, and so sorry about the trees. I thought long and hard about whether to ask folk to exclude them, but as the idea is to encourage people to really look up and see the sky allowing earth bound things rather seemed to defeat the object. Perhaps for 2013 we can do Project :: Horizon 365 ;D
Enjoyed your pictures, but boy am I cold now!!!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Silver Birch bark flake like that, how interesting. Smashing photos, as usual.
ReplyDeleteYour photos remind me of how much I like winter. Gorgeous shots, Sue.
ReplyDeleteI love the color and texture of the snow. And the shadow! And all the silhouettes, but most especially the trees with the setting sun. That's a greeting card or poster for sure. Now for your next challenge, put a motivational quote in the sky... :)
ReplyDeleteI love the pics, all beautiful, nice to go on the walk with you.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you buy your trousers from? We have a company called Long Tall Sally here, but not sure they go that long.......
Exquisite pictures, Mrs. Micawber! I can see why you had trouble keeping the trees out of the one shot for Annie - they are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIs the little house a bluebird house? I've seen ones similar in fields - evidently bluebirds like their space.