After an evening and night of snow this past week, the following morning promised a dawn of sunshine and a brilliant blue sky. I headed out the door to begin my day at Como Park. As I walked into the park I was joined by a cross-country skier who said that the snow was going to be perfect for his outing. With different agendas we parted and went our own ways. The sun rose over the white landscape and brought a beautiful contrast to the scene. The night’s snow had clung to all the trees and they sparkled in the sunlight, especially with the bluest of skies all around. It was a delightful way to start the cold morning — surrounded by the beauty of winter, the promise of bright sunshine, and some morning exercise of tramping in the snow and photographing.
Author: lindastaatsphoto
A winter’s dawn
The past week was cold and wintry. It seemed that we had a clipper blow through every day, dropping a couple of inches of snow, then moving on. That meant daily shoveling (oh yeah!) and lots of overcast days with gray skies. But one morning I woke up, looked to the east, and thought there might be some clearing skies and a beautiful sunrise. I quickly dressed, covered up in multiple layers, and ventured out into the cold early dawn to Como Park. Best part was that I wasn’t disappointed. The thin layer of clouds to the east allowed the sun to reflect its brilliant colors onto the sky and it became of palette of beautiful hues. As quickly as the colors of the dawn reached its crescendo, it likewise disappeared to the brightness of a sunny day, all reflected in the snow covering the ground.
Two exhibits in the Twin Cities area
I’m very happy to tell you about two exhibits that I have in the Twin Cities area. The first is part of a group exhibit at Hudson Hospital in Hudson, Wisconsin. My collection of photographs is titled “My Midwest.” This group of images, including the first photograph above from the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, represent the beauty and diversity that I have found while living in the Midwest. There will be an artists reception at Hudson Hospital this Friday, February 8th from 6:00 to 8:00pm. You are welcome to come see my work as well as the work of other artists. My photographs will be at Hudson Hospital through March 17, 2013.
The second exhibit is at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Minnesota. This collection of images is titled “florabundant” and includes the lower photograph of a gaillardia. These images all celebrate the color, radiance, and wonder that exists in the floral universe. In contract to our winter landscape which is presently covered in white and devoid of any other colors right now, this collection is filled with the hues and brightness of spring, summer, autumn, and the whites of winter too. This exhibit runs through the month of February.
Bringing them home
The Saint Paul Winter Carnival is in full swing this weekend. This is the time when we celebrate (and embrace) the cold weather. There are events ranging from parades to ice carving to snow sculpting to hockey games to outdoor beer gardens to Red Bull Crashed Ice and a sleigh and cutter rally too. Although we’ve had some serious cold weather this past week our snowfall has been minimal. But there was enough for the sleighs and horses to be out today. With temperatures right around freezing and a light snow coming down it seemed like I had been transported to a different era. Many of the drivers were dressed in period clothing to match their sleighs or wagons, and the horses seemed to enjoy the open space and the snow as they trotted along. There were one and two-horse sleighs, and a few sleighs pulled by ponies whose feet had to work overtime to cover the same distance as the horses. This driver and his matched team seemed to be reveling in the event and the weather. The image made me think that they had been out for a drive and were now headed back to the comfort and warmth of their respective home and barn.
Last game at dusk
Yesterday was Hockey Day in Minnesota; one day set aside to celebrate the sport of hockey in the State of Hockey. It was celebrated with the return of the NHL and the Minnesota Wild’s game. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers played, high school teams across the state played (including some games held outside), and the US Pond Hockey Championship was ongoing too. Six years ago the Pond Hockey Championship was started to celebrate the joy of hockey “the way nature intended” on a lake in Minneapolis. The weather was mild on Friday and Saturday morning, but a front moved through Saturday afternoon with the temperatures plummeting from 37 to 11 degrees in a matter of hours, and the winds picked up until they were howling at 20+ mph. No worries though…the games went on. We wandered down to Lake Nokomis around 5:30pm to take in the energy and the excitement as the last games of the day were finishing just after dusk. The sky was dark with the last blush of sunset on the far horizon, the lights were turned on for the hockey rinks on the lake, and the wind was blowing loose snow across the ice. But all was right in Minnesota, and the cold was just another reason to revel in the winter weather and appreciate what is means to be in the State of Hockey.
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