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.
Como Park
Early winter moonset
Our weather has been cooler since Thanksgiving when we had a bit of snowfall. The consistent cold temps have allowed ice to form on our lakes and ponds. With the promise of a crisp and clear morning I headed to the nearby golf course, not knowing what to expect. What I found was a beautiful dawn with pink skies, a full moon that was slowly making its journey to the horizon line, a frozen pond without snow cover that provided a beautiful soft reflection to the trees, and a wonderful stillness and peace that prevailed in the early hours. The warning signs for “Thin Ice” have already been placed, and some of the ducks and geese are being forced to larger lakes as they search for open water. Slowly we are moving into winter.
Petals of fall
I’m fortunate to live in close proximity to the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in Saint Paul. No matter what season or what the weather’s like outside, there’s always a view of color and warmth at the conservatory. And as we’re quickly approaching Thanksgiving, the sunken garden is filled with the warm colors of fall – yellows, oranges, and all the shades in between. As I was photographing here this morning I was reminded of so many things I have to be thankful for: my eyes, my health, my friends and family, a warm house, plentiful food, and the joy of living a wonderful life. I hope your week of Thanksgiving gives you pause to appreciate all that you have and the world around you.
Fairyland
I awoke to a gray and cool morning and had plans to go to the McNeely Conservatory in Como Park to photograph the fall floral display. The gardens were filled with the usual photographers all intent on getting the best images they could of the mums and grasses that decorate the Sunken Garden. It was quiet and would probably have been considered quite boring if you were not a photographer. But then we had an unexpected guest. A fairy named Bud came into the conservatory gardens. Her temperament and demeanor was youthful and energetic. She flitted from garden to garden, amazed at the flowers and the palms, delighting in the koi that were swimming in the pools. Her voice was high and impish and I noticed she’d caught the attention of all the photographers. Someone asked Bud if she would sing a song for us. She thought for a moment, then opened her mouth with a beautiful voice and rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Her energy and enthusiasm was infectious, and my morning in fairyland was most unexpected and delightful.
Spring pastels
My earlier spring photographs have been bright and full of color. But today’s photo is more of a pastel, with shades of blue and purple. I was at the spring flower show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory today. And just as cloudy and gray as the skies were outside, the flower show was full of colors – blues, pinks, reds, and greens. It was a wonderful sight and yet the colors were almost too many and too much. My eye was drawn to this lovely crocus that was stretching skyward and set off by the blue hydrangea behind it. The subtlety of the colors was wonderful and the bit of orange that the crocus threw skyward was the perfect accent color. The blues reminded me of the bluest of skies that we can get after a spring rain as well as the lovely blue lakes that grace the landscape here in Minnesota. So I’m now adding pastels to my palette of colors of springtime.
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