Puzzle Ice! -I Heart Macro

Yesterday I drove through the Great Columbia Gorge in a snow and ice storm.  The ice followed me all the way home.  This morning I awoke to a quiet world, crackling with ice.

My precious Grandfather would say this storm was a Silver Thaw.  What a pretty name.  When I was a child such storms were magical.  One could pull away an entire ice leaf, perfect in every detail, from the tree.  Of course, ice leaves taste wonderful!  Yes, I tasted one--and the magic of childhood is still there.

The ice is melting now, and as it does it begins to define each droplet where it first froze--making patterns which look like gorgeous puzzles.

This one was so pretty I wanted to share it with you.

Have a lovely week, dear Friends!

A Pink Roiling

Here is another photo of the vilolent storm that surged trhough our area last week. The clouds were turbulent, boiling up and around in the skies--and I caught this photo of all that purple and pink energy roiling!

My Afternoon Walk

Yesterday afternoon, just before the terrible thunderstorms which swept through our area, I went for a walk. The first thing which caught my eye were these tresses of blossoms. Aren't they gorgeous? I feel inspired to draw a little fairy with luscious flower hair like these. Some of my best inspirations come from nature herself.


The next thing I noticed was a perfectly shaped daffodil puffer. Yes, puffer! These were made specifically for children (and those young at heart adults), to pick, puff and watch in glee as the little parachuters float away into the air.


Here I caught our black cat Snow sunning herself in my garden. Yes, she was sitting on my catnip plant. Silly me to plant such a thing in my garden!

There was a spat of rain. I hid beneath a tree until it passed, then noticed a bluebell drenched in raindrops. She was so lovely I could not help but to take her picture.

Then I walked home and settled into daily life. That was before the storm struck! The lights flickered, the wind pounded in gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The rain pelted down so furiously it actually pushed itself through the ancient wood of the double hung windows of our old home.

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When I went back outside, it was as though the world sighed in relief. Blue skies accented the dark clouds quickly moving across the skies. They blustered away in an unusual northeasterly pattern signifying the enormous power of the storm. In the front yard I found petals scattered deeply across the grass. And the beauty of a raindrop in the blossoms left behind.

What a wonderful day for a walk!

Hemmed in Ice

In January the cold ice slicked and sparkled over our entire world. My Grandfather called this phenomenon a "Silver Thaw." Which is a lovely and whimsical way to to describe an ice storm.

Over the space of a week the icicles on the eves of our home grew to over three feet long. This is the view from one of the upstairs windows. It looks for all the world like a hem of icy fringe.

Years ago I remember my siblings and I flocking outside to marvel at a magical world covered with glittering ice. We would slide across the little pond and pull ice leaves from plants to eat them. Ice leaves seemed to have a flavor all their own. Then there were the icicles, which, held in our sock-clad fingers, also made a lovely winter treat.

Ah, Winter. Though you are intriguing, I am glad Spring has finally melted you away!