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...