Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Winter Wonders - Nice Ice Baby

Here in upstate New York, we've escaped the terrible ice storms that afflicted other parts of upstate New York, and other parts of our nation.

However, our winters are long, and cold, and we do not escape ice all together. 

Ice is the enemy as far as I'm concerned.  To me, ice is not nice.  I've never gotten into winter sports that depend on ice, such as ice skating or ice fishing.

But ice can also be a thing of beauty. Nature, many times, is both beauty and danger all rolled into one package.

My "guest photographer", a friend who lives out in the countryside some miles from Binghamton, New York, provided me with these recent photos taken at her country home for this Wednesday's "Winter Wonders".
My friend calls these "ice ferns", these crystals that form on window and door glass.
Here is another view.  Aren't these crystals beautiful?

My friend called this one an "ice garden".  In a way, I can see a garden in there, even though, to me, the crystals look more like evergreen branches.  Do you see a garden in this picture?

I've taken a lot of pictures of snow, but haven't tried much ice photography. My iPhone doesn't focus as well on small objects as my camera used to.

As I grow older (I'm 61 years old) I find my balance is not what it used to be, and I am thinking about how best to regain my balance.  I fall one or two times a winter, and have been lucky that I have not hit my head. But my last winter fall jarred my spine pretty good, and I have come to dread winter.

Do you (if your climate has it) enjoy winter? 

7 comments:

  1. This has been an odd winter. Unbelievably wet, but otherwise quite warm. Our first non-white Christmas in years and only a handful of heavy frosts. Much as I agree with you about ice (both for driving and walking) I am rather missing a proper winter, even if only for a week or so.

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  2. We didn't get the ice storm (unless you live in an area with poor drainage so the rain and melting snow left you a skating rink), but our snow- topped with rain- and then frigid (for DC) weather, made our trees look like bushes and our bushes look like caterpillars...

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  3. You are so right about danger and beauty being rolled into one at times. Those pictures are really majestic. Wishing you a safe winter, with no slips and falls on ice this year!

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  4. your friend captured a beautiful ice garden. i love winter but not the harsh winter of this year.

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  5. I like winter in December but that's enough!
    An older gentlemen once told me to walk like a penguin on the ice, leaning forward slightly. It does help.

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  6. The ice looks like ferns in some pictures. As you say, beautiful but deadly. I fell inside the house two winters ago. It was snowing outside so I didn't call the ambulance. I went to the hospital the next day. It's easily done--I caught my foot on a jutting chair. I reached out to stop my head hitting a low table but broke the largest joint in my thumb in the process. Weeks of being unable to do the simplest things made me very careful.

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  7. The icicles look beautiful, but I agree with Francene; I'm not keen on white winters. I normally end up slipping over in public- I'm a bit accident prone when it comes to snow!

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