Snowberries

We had a brief fling with snow Friday.  Woke up to about 3" on the ground and lots of snow coming down.  However, by midafternoon it had turned to rain and washed all the lovely whiteness away.  There went the chance for a white Christmas.

Puddle Ice

Even the mud puddles are works of art during a freeze.

Fun is Where You Find It

When it's wet and rainy, you have to take what you can get.  Oil on a parking lot is gorgeous when wet, with the right light.  Have to laugh at my reflection in all those drops!

Ice Textures

I love the fact that the little water feature in the yard is beautiful even during a cold snap.  I don't know what caused the pillars of bubbles to form under the ice, but the texture was fascinating.

 I love seeing what different types of artists have been at work on the ice on the pond.  I have no idea how all those shapes form.  I just admire the beauty, ephemeral as it is.

 This star shape is so perfect it belongs on my Christmas tree.  And then, right above it, the ice is subtly textured with fern-like designs.  Amazing!

 Evidently the pond surface received an "A" this day...  I didn't know the work was graded!

Coated

I know I take similar shots every year, but I am fascinated by how the mist from the falls freezes on the fir needles.  Amazing how they are encased.

Frozen

We've had a cold snap over the last week or so.  It's so nice to have a touch of winter and to see snow on the ground and ice at the falls.  It was cold long enough that the mist threw on a thick layer of ice over the trees and everything else.  Even the sides of the gorge were bedecked with icicles.

 And, it was cold enough for long enough that one of the forks of the river froze along the edges.

 I loved the design in the ice.  It reminds me of waves lapping up onto a beach...

Drops of Gold

It's that time of year...most of the leaves are gone, and the rains have arrived.  (we had 3" of rain last Thursday!)  Trying to find some beauty underfoot and in the smaller things, since nature is wet, bland, and grey these days. 

 

 Love the way some of the raindrops had leached color from the leaves and turned golden.  What a surprise! I also like the way the older leaves take on grey tones...such a pleasing mix.

Ruffled

Who can resist the ruffles and all the wonderful Victorian colors?  Not I.

Sunshine Edges

I love the fancy ruffled pansies.  Obviously.

Sunlit

Too high at the top of the tree for me to catch the drops in macro, but the way the sunlight illuminated the dew on all the web strands was wonderful in itself.

Autumn Calla

Seasonal Orange

One of these things is not like the others... 

 Everyone knows that the best part of a pumpkin is the stem....

 ...and it's even better when it has "twirlies"!

Not Your Momma's Pumpkins

These evidently came from the designer section of the patch.  Seriously, who could consider a plain orange pumpkin after seeing these?

Foggy

Fall Frame

As I walked through the park this morning, the sound of the leaves falling around me reminded me of the soft patter of raindrops.  I prefer the leaves.  Mt. Si looks so festive framed in the colorful foliage.

Multi-Colored

I prefer trees that have a variety of colors when they change---so much more interesting.  The Japanese maple at my son's house was a lovely surprise.

 I love sweet gum trees---they change later than other trees (except for these...) and have such a multitude of colors--reds, burgundies, golds, oranges, yellows, greens, and shades between.  When the wind blows, the leaves look like pieces of a kaliedoscope being shaken.  Too bad they are too easily broken by heavy snow, otherwise I'd have one in my yard.