Ice Art

 

The rain was coming down and freezing upon contact one February afternoon.

When it finally stopped, I was anxious to get outside, but being in the middle of something, my walk was delayed.

The temps were quickly rising, and I could see the ice falling from the tree branches as I watched from the window.

I was going to miss my ice photos opportunity - one is lucky to get these perfect conditions once a season when it all comes together just right.

By the time I made it outside, there wasn't much ice left on the bushes, berries, branches, or pines.

A few mediocre photos made it onto my camera, and I was getting ready to retrace my path back into the house.

Then I saw it out of the corner of my eye.  That perfectly shaped ice leaf - all alone hanging from a branch.

It had separated from the leaf on which it had been formed, and it was just there - in the empty space between the branches.

I snapped a few photos of this little beauty before it joined all the other ice creations that had succumbed to the warming temps.

I had been fretting not ten minutes before about being too late in getting outside.  

Had I been earlier, this piece of ice art wouldn't have been finished and I would never have seen it.

And just a minute later, I would have missed it as well.

Timing was perfect for this shot, and I was most lucky. 

Things do have a way of working out if we just let them.

 

Winter in Rye Harbor

This photo was taken about four years ago on a winter trip to the ocean at Rye Harbor.

Part of the State Park system in NH, we have visited here at least a couple times a year for as long as I can remember.

This past year we were never able to make the trip and the ocean was surely missed by us both.

No matter what time of the year, there is nothing like smelling the salty fresh air and seeing the everchanging beauty of the water and waves as they rush along the shore.

The sea gulls, ducks, and sand pipers that are numerous in the summer are no where to be found in the winter.

But if one is really lucky, there are a couple of Snowy Owls that have been known to visit the area.

To them, this is their "south" as they nest and breed in northern Canada each spring and summer.

I have never been able to get a decent photo of one of these beautiful owls, but I was lucky enough one winter to see one.

He was easy to find though - the group of tripods and photographers were a dead give away that something interesting was going on down by the shore.

They were respectful and kept their distance as not to scare him away so we could all enjoy his winter visit.

 

 

Frozen Lake

We spend a lot of time during the summer at the lake.

A daily swim is not unheard of for us two old timers.

Our winter visits to the lake are usually short and we only go a couple of times during that season.

On a recent visit, we were surprised to see that the usually snow covered lake was missing it's snow.

It was solid ice and was just beautiful.

And so smooth too.

In all the years we have been at this lake, I have never seen it in this condition.

It was a treat, and as it was a sunny day - it just added to the enjoyment.

I didn't have my dslr with me, but my phone sure worked overtime that afternoon.