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.
Photography
Intersections
Where are the intersections in your life? With people, with pets, with nature, with your emotions? I’m grateful for the intersections and interactions of this past Thanksgiving week. I’ve been fortunate to spend it with my family – a group of interesting, adventurous, diverse, and fascinating people ranging in age from 15 to 83. So many interests and activities, and yet we all found a way to be together for the holiday. There were laughs and stories, food and love. Sure there might have been stress in the interactions, and maybe the meal wasn’t the perfect Norman Rockwell interpretation, but it was an intersection of intent, of appreciation, and of thankfulness. And to me that is huge.
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.
A search for color
Our weather has turned wintry today with falling temperatures and rain and sleet. I looked around the yard and found it void of color. But just earlier this week the sedum had turned a beautiful rusty-red. I don’t usually pay too much attention to the sedum, but each small bud and the deep color reminded me of cranberries (another of my fall favorites). I am glad to see that I stopped to photograph the sedum before it bore the brunt of the freeze and slap of the cold temps. Sometime in the near future our landscape will be refreshed in another color – the white of winter.
Bee balm in the fall
Fall is quickly vanishing across our landscape. The colors that blazed so brilliantly are now gone. The leaves that valiantly clung to the tree branches have let go and fallen to the ground. We’ve been working in our yard and gardens, preparing them for winter. As I was pulling out plants that were way past their prime I found a stand of bee balm, their flowers having dropped many weeks ago. I paused for a moment and realized how beautiful this seedhead was — a globe of intricate pieces that wasn’t noticeable during its summer bloom. Sometimes I feel the need to appreciate those things that are stripped of their original beauty and taken out of the context we’re accustomed to. Here too was beauty and form, even out of season.
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