Sure, the snow looks beautiful when it’s freshly fallen.
But after a few weeks, the piles of snow along the driveways and roads start to look pretty ugly.
Photographs from a Bloy in Wisconsin
Sure, the snow looks beautiful when it’s freshly fallen.
But after a few weeks, the piles of snow along the driveways and roads start to look pretty ugly.
So far, about 12 inches of snow has fallen at my house during today’s blizzard (and it’s still coming down). All the disruptions that occur during a major winter storm can be a real pain (and sometimes dangerous). I must admit, I complain about having to shovel heavy, wet snow. But it really does make things look beautiful. This was the scene as I walked out of my side door this afternoon.
I wish we could have the beauty without all of the aching backs and other nasty things.
Yesterday evening, I biked to Tenney Park to watch the sunset. I hung around a bit after the sun dropped below the horizon, and started to head home.
Two blocks away from the lake shore, I noticed the light show above was still peaking. I got off my bike, and took a few more shots by the lagoon.
While I was along the Mississippi River, I noticed a very large piece of driftwood passing by.
I wondered how far north it was when it fell into the river. Where is it now?
Some trees always seem to be reaching higher. Over the years they continue to strive for heights not yet attained. They wait patiently through cold winters, and resume their hard work again in spring — always keeping their focus on that goal of growing bigger.
The next time I think giving up would be easy but not the best choice, I?m going to remember this tree.
A few random thoughts inspired by the brutally cold weather we’ve been having…
1. I saw a few finches hanging out and chirping in a tree outside the building at work this morning. When I see small creatures like that surviving in sub-zero temperatures, I’m just amazed. How does such a little, warm blooded animal generate enough heat to keep from freezing to death?
2. Do you ever wonder about the Native peoples that populated this area hundreds and thousands of years ago? How on Earth did they get along in their wigwams during bitter cold spells? Makes it hard to complain when you imagine what they had to deal with, doesn’t it?
3. Often during bad winter storms, or below zero temps, some people invariably proclaim they’re ready to move south. When I hear that I think, “no thank you.” Moving in that direction means more heat and humidity in the summer. As bad as winter can get in Wisconsin, I’d rather deal with extreme cold and snow than extreme heat and humidity.
I’ve had a few compliments on some of the photographs I post here, and I know there are a few people who read this blog who like to play with their cameras too. With that in mind, here’s an interesting read I stumbled across, How to make great photographs.
The following point struck a nerve with me:
Photography is the art of communicating passion. You need to be passionate about whatever it is that you photograph. If you are passionate you’ll get great results, if you don’t care, you won’t.
Maybe that’s why I like to take outdoor photographs so much (and why those are the ones I get compliments on).
A good read for those of you interested in photography. Check it out.