Monday, December 22, 2008

A Black and White World


Our second round of snowfall has brought the level to about a foot deep. It went over the top of my boots when I took my veggie scraps out to the compost pile this morning. :-) I think this may be a record snowfall for us, especially this early in the season. Something I really appreciate about living here in our valley is the lack of wind, which allows the snow to pile up neatly on everything.




I like the way my birdbath resembles a layer cake...complete with fluffy white frosting.





Our patio dining set. Care to come over for a (very) cool drink?





Flat heads of Yarrow in the flower garden sporting their fancy conehead caps.


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"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."

~Andrew Wyeth



Thursday, December 18, 2008

Snow Moon Rising


I couldn't resist the title for this post, though I'm aware that the moon in these photos isn't actually rising, but setting. Maybe a more fitting title would be.....Goodnight, Moon.




These were taken in the morning, the day after our first snow. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue, making the moon quite visible.
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A close up of the moon above the mountain. It is in the waning stage, a few days after the full moon. (If you click on the photo, you can see it much larger.) Here is a little Moon trivia I found with a quick internet search:

The Moon is visible in the evening (PM side of the Earth) starting a few days past new moon, during first quarter until a few days before full moon. It will be visible in the morning (AM side of the Earth) starting at full moon, during third quarter until a few days before new moon. The Moon will not be visible for a few days around new moon because the sunlit side of the Moon is facing away from Earth, towards the Sun.



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"The moon, like a flower
In heaven's high bower
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night."

"...and sometimes the morning." My addendum ;-)

~William Blake, English poet




Sunday, December 14, 2008

New Fallen Snow


We finally received our first snowfall of the season. As always, it is beautiful and magical..... adding a clean layer of white to everything it touches.




A ranch in our neighborhood.....always photogenic, but especially so in the low winter light and a cover of snow.





Snow adds a new dimension to this simple, rustic fence post.





The brown remains of Queen Anne's Lace becomes a receptacle for a fluff of white snow.





Wild turkey tracks. :-)



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"The future lies before you, like paths of pure white snow. Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show."