snow

Winter’s arrival

lindastaatsphoto1 Comment

We knew it was coming.  We knew it wouldn’t be much longer.  We knew it was inevitable.  But we were enjoying our moderate temperatures and fall-like weather, when all of a sudden winter arrived.  The temperature dropped 30 degrees, the wind blew, and the snow fell.  And it fell, and it fell, until we had over six inches of wet, heavy snow.  Overnight our neighborhood because populated with snowmen & women. 

And with winter’s arrival, I’m reminded that the holidays and the new year are fast approaching.  Please be sure to check out my holidays cards and 2011 desk calendars.  With original and distinctive images, the cards are a memorable way to send your holiday greetings.  And the desk calendars will brighten anyone’s day — a great gift to give, or receive.  The information about both the holiday cards and calendars can be found as separate pages on the top of my blog page at www.LindaStaatsPhoto.wordpress.com or you can click on the links from my website at www.LindaStaatsPhoto.com.  As quickly as the snowpeople appeared in our neighborhood, the holidays will be here!  Don’t be scrambling at the last minute for cards and gifts!

Hoarfrost in the morning

lindastaatsphoto3 Comments

Just when I think I’ve gotten tired of the cold and the snow, Mother Nature puts a new spin on winter.  Yesterday morning I woke up to a beautiful scene.  The fog that had crept in during the overnight was freezing and coating everything with a wondrous layer of white.  Within a mile from the house I found these lovely flower heads that had been leftover from summer.  On any other day I would have walked right past them.  But with a frosting of frozen fog and their delicate arching, I became mesmerized and photographed for over a half-hour.  It was as if each small snowflake was layered ever so gently, one on top of another.   And yet this was all short-lived, as within a matter of hours the sun broke through the clouds and the wind picked up, eliminating any remnants of this morning scene.

Photographic exhibit now on display

lindastaatsphotoLeave a comment

I have a photographic exhibit now on display at the St. John’s Hospital Gallery of Art in Maplewood, Minnesota.  The exhibit runs from January 6th through January 31, 2010.  St. John’s Hospital is located just off Interstate 694 and Highway 61, at 1575 Beam Avenue.  The exhibit includes 26 framed photographs, including this image of “Winter dusting.”   All the images are available for sale, with a percentage of the price benefitting the Newman-Wicklund Teen Volunteer Scholarship Fund.  For additional information please email me at Linda@LindaStaatsPhoto.com.

Snowshoeing

lindastaatsphotoLeave a comment

We ventured out today into the Minnesota winter wonderland.  Like much of the country, we’ve had our share of snow, and yet there’s a beauty and peacefulness to being out in nature at this time of year.  We snowshoed within the Hoglund Wildlife Management Area in Wright County.  The air was crisp, the snow was falling, the deer were running, and there was a stillness that settles after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday.  These are the times that I appreciate the beauty and power of winter.

Winter at Como Park

lindastaatsphoto1 Comment

Snow has continued to fall this past week.  We haven’t received the dumping that the East Coast is dealing with, but rather we have a beautiful coating that’s put everyone in the holiday spirit.  The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is located in Como Park in Saint Paul, and is a wonderful gem in the city.  No matter how cold and wintry it is outside, it’s warm and tropical inside.  It’s presently filled with poinsettias, begonias, and hibiscus — a wonderful burst of color during this season of white.  As Christmas is fast approaching this week, I wish everyone a season of joy and wonder, family and friends.