Sunday, January 27, 2013

Mid Winter Hues

      The other day I went out to take pictures of the boys playing in the snow. I was carefully picking my way back over the snow the boys had packed so I wouldn't get a boot full of snow. I was going through some shrubbery that the boys had used for hiding and a supply of spears. I got snagged up in the shrubs and had to back out to untangle myself. I happened to get a close look at some tree bark and said , "That's pretty interesting!"

     It's mid winter and the days are getting longer and the shadows are shorter. Tree bark and seed heads have been frozen, inactive and dried out. You get to look at tree bark that you would never see in the summer and besides it would have a much greener tinge to it. So before I took a second charge through the shrubbery I decided to try a few pictures. Things have definitely lightened up since the winter solstice. Yesterday the sun rose at 8:23 and set at 5:12 which gives us 8 hours and 49 minutes of sun. On the solstice we had 7 hours and 39 minutes of sun.


Lilacs that look much different compared to June.


Lilac seeds that haven't been eaten by the Pine grosbeaks.


Lilac seed heads and buds ready for next June. I didn't notice the buds until I  looked at the photo on the computer.


Snow rats hiding in the shade.

So ever so gradually we are inching towards spring.

23 comments:

  1. your photos show the perfect browns of winter against those blues. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I have rarely tried anything like this. After I nearly poked a stick in my eye and backed out I saw this.+

      Delete
  2. I love those pictures. They're not the typical. Yes, we are getting closer to spring!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes inching toward spring...slowly. We had sunrise at 7:50 and sunset at 5:15 for 9 hours and 25 minutes. I think that makes us 36 minutes more of daylight than you. EXCEPT the days are so cloudy most times you can't tell..:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our winter started about Oct. 20 so it's been long. We will be looking for spring. check with me in 30 days and we'll see how close the daylight is.

      Delete
  4. It's always a privilege to look at the complex forms of nature.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're a guy who really knows this stuff.

      Delete
  5. Stunning pictures. Winter with its blue skies and snow fields really can highlight patterns and textures can't it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks . Comments like this really help me to see things in a photo. I was not really considering what the background would look like.

      Delete
  6. I always notice the return of the light at about this time of year. It's coming! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Darn! You're going to miss some of this when you're sitting in Florida.

      Delete
  7. The lilac seed heads n buds are very interesting. Yes, the slow change is coming - still very cold here today at -12, however; big change from last week at -21 to -30. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are getting a blast tonight with high wind chill.

      Delete
  8. Inching...slowly...February by this weekend. It is always a relief to me to get to February.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
    http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hard to believe that January is almost gone.

      Delete
  9. Lots of beauty offered all year, but winter opens ones eyes to many new attractions

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes, I'm slowly starting to discover that.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for the reminder! Spring is just around the corner!

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's a great time of year to check out the bare bones of nature ... just a pity it's so dull and wet over here.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The light in winter offers us many views of past and future greenery that we tend to not notice otherwise. I'm glad that you did and that you shared. Hurry spring!

    ReplyDelete