Winter Wonderland 2

Today I woke to a beautiful, white, bright, cloudless day. The sun was glistening across the landscape, making the fallen snow from yesterday twinkle like glitter under its brilliant rays. It was a great day for photos, and after walking my "girls" I grabbed my camera and headed out.

What to select? It was all so beautiful to behold. I was fascinated by the snow accumulation on the tree branches...this Floridian had never this kind of snow before! Trudging through the fluffy whiteness, and being VERY careful where I placed my feet, I walked around just shooting what attracted me. The snow on the limbs, the rounded balls piled up like headless snowmen on the weedy shoots...everything that caught my eye was food for my camera.

Such wonder in the quietness of the hillside so early in the morning made me realize just how frail we as humans are and how majestic our God, who created such glorious beauty, is. It was a tremendous feeling to be out there alone, hearing the birds call and seeing the wonder of the landscape.

Just beautiful, I'm just saying.

All photos taken with a Canon EOS 40D with 28-135mm f/3.5--5.6 lens.

It's a Winter Wonderland!

It snowed again today. Much more than the first week we came. Sleet bouncing against the window woke me about 4:30 AM, and my hopes as I lay there listening to the sharp pings against the panes were that the power would not fail.

It's been a very blustery day. A mix of sleet and snow fell until around lunch, then turned to snow in the afternoon. As I walked my dogs, giving them a romp in the white stuff, the sound of the wind whipping through the ice-laden limbs was sharp and crackly. 17 degree temps took my breath away. The dogs paws made crunchy sounds as they walked through the snow. It was a great opportunity to get some shots, and I loved being out in the crisp, cold air!

It's been a beautiful winter day and I'm grateful that this winter storm that is supposed to make history has been, so far, gentler here in Blue Eye than was originally expected. My husband and I are Floridians, and as we've never witnessed snow or sleet to this degree, it has been interesting observing the weather as it changed moment by moment. The wind has kicked up something akin to dirt devils...or snow tornadoes...as it flurries furiously in circles. Ice hangs on the trees (and power lines), encasing the limbs in its frozen fingers. Icicles drip from any available surface, reminding us that the temperatures have been VERY COLD.

It's absolutely mesmerizing, absolutely gorgeous, and absolutely mysterious. It's a Winter Wonderland.


All photos taken with a Canon 40D with 28-135mm lens.