It’s the view above, that I see as I enter the the path around the pond, that makes my senses come alive and I think, I’ll never tire of this pond. This winter shot, taken yesterday, is one of the prettiest I’ve taken of the pond. It’s winter beautiful.
I’m lucky this year. We have an awesome grounds crew at this condo association and they have been great about running the snow blower along the paved portion of the pond’s path. We’ve had one storm on top of another all month and the pathway is always ready when I head out for a walk. At this point, the sides must be close to four feet high. How inviting is the photo below – winter wonderland, with a convenient pass.
I study the shadows of winter. Looking at the scene in the photos below I think about the sun, and the winter tilt of the earth, and the angle that causes these mid-afternoon shadows to elongate to double the actual height of the growth. And I wonder how people interpreted these seasonal changes before there was scientific understanding.
Yesterday, the sky was spectacular. In fact, it occupied my thoughts for much of the walk. I think the falling snow has cleaned the air and the whisp of clouds and blue of the sky nearly sparkled with vibrancy.
I wish I had the skill to paint the look of the sky in these photos.
By contrast, the sky today was a dull white-gray. But as a backdrop in the photo of the tree below, it allows the tree to dominate the image and the tree’s perfect shape, in contrast to the vine damaged trees that surround it, is an artistic spray of branches.
I love coming upon art inspiration around the pond, like the tree above. The picture below has great texture in the speckles in the bark of the tree in the forground, and interesting, blurred, horizontal lines in the background – all a mixture of branches, snow, and pine needles.
Again, the dismal sky lets these trees catch the attention of the eye. Lower to the ground the various characteristics of the bark can be seen as well as a depth through the trunks, as if a path has been cut through.
The birds’ nests all have a covering of snow. Below, the Guggenheim nest is beginning to crumble. The lower levels have dropped off…
And speaking of birds. At the start of my walk today, I listened carefully and could not hear one bird, not even a crow. The silence was odd. It lasted a full thirty minutes. Not one bird call. Then, as I was about five minutes from home, I heard one lone call. Determined to find the bird in the tangle of branches, I scanned the trees for nearly ten minutes. The photos below are the best I could do! The red-bellied woodpecker was about a hundred yards from me.
Click on these pictures to get a little better view, especially for the photo below. Use your back arrow to return to the post.
SilverLining 