Avalanche

We had an avalanche of snowfall over the last 24 hours.  I went out this morning to catch a glimpse…trudging through knee high heavy snowman-building snow with camera in hand……..

The day before I noticed too many buds for January.  And little sprigs of green poking out of the ground.

Our daytime temperature had soared into the 40’s and some might have thought spring came early.  But I knew it was far to0 early to start thinking spring.

Alas, my beautiful blue chairs need some snowpeople to enjoy them.  Perhaps I’ll make that my plan for today.

‘Dawn’ is still showing color in her buds, that remain in spite of our last icy freeze.

My little glass garden fairy is usually pouty on a good day, but covered in snow…..

…she is downright annoyed!

Then I heard the crash of snow falling off tree limbs as the sun came out.  I was happy to have seen the action before dashing back inside lest it fall on me!

Thanks to the snow plow drivers for keeping our roads clear!

And thanks to you for stopping by!  Until next time…….

The Lesser Traveled Path

I took my dog for a hike down the mountain this morning searching for a good photo of the clouds rolling through the Columbia Gorge.  I was pulled into the Shutter Sisters 365 Project by a friend so I’ve been taking and posting one photo per day and needed today’s shot.

As we progressed along the path I noticed the smaller things closer to earth.   I love the delicate detail of this lichen on the dark ground, enhanced by the sun.

The bright green moss called for it’s portrait to be taken as it bathed in the sun’s warmth.

When we arrived at the footbridge I gasped at the beauty of the sunlight sparkling on water.

What we came to see was this river of clouds moving through the Columbia River Gorge.  I love how the mist rolls in, enveloping the forest and I wanted to capture that.

From our vantage point we could also see Mt. Hood off in the distance.

Using the telephoto on my ‘point & shoot’ I could really see the clouds crashing on the mountain.

We stayed until the clouds began to lift, my dog pawing delicacies on the ground, and me just looking around in awe of the majesty surrounding us, not wanting to leave just yet.

One more shot of The Gorge and we were heading home so I could get some studio work done.  It’s due in two weeks, so I really must get to it.

By now the sun was fully awake and I spotted these twin trees with a heavy load of lichen.

I’ve always liked the name of this one, ‘Old Man’s Beard’.

And again, the dainty detail of this lichen whose name I don’t know.

When we came to this giant old rose bush loaded with hips I had to stop again….

…for a little more practice using the macro on the rose hips…..

…and the rose gall that had been frozen and thawed.  Alas I must get some work done today so we packed up and said goodbye to the open skies.

One last shot of the narrow path leading home, then I ducked in as the clouds descended again.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time…..

“Winter’s Beauty” entry for GGW’s Picture This

Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’, encapsulated in ice  ~ her little buds reaching out for spring.  I decided to participate in Gardening Gone Wild”s Picture This Photo Contest since I’ve been snapping photos on a daily basis for my 365 Project.  The judge for this months contest is Alan Detrick, who specializes with his wife Linda in garden and landscape design photography.  As usual, there are many incredible photos from those entered!  Go check them out, you’ll be gad you did!!

Winter Wonderland?

Or skating rink?!

I went out this morning to see if the ice has melted yet with my camera in hand.

I managed to stay upright and caught a couple magical moments in my garden!

The ice encapsulated foliage and berries were beautiful.

My smaller conifers were overladen with ice and I worry about their survival.

Ice laden grass …

…and shrubs…

Always looking for color, I found some in the branches of this conifer!

And in my Yucca.

Not to mention my Salix integra ‘Hakura Nishiki’.

And a frozen lavender glass star.

I loved how the pine needles frozen in place looked so windswept.

And how the tamarix branches looked like frozen fingers reaching out.

For some reason this clump of grass drew me in.

The frozen Joe Pye weed seems an apt place to say thanks for stopping by.  Until next time……..

Is It Spring Yet?

Waiting for the clouds to lift I remembered it’s winter and they’ll be here awhile.

So, camera in hand I went out to see if there was anything interesting in my garden to photograph.

You know I was looking for color!  I managed to find some in these blown glass balls lying on the ground.

A spot of yellow from my glass garden fairy hanging in a magnolia.

Not much color in this birdhouse shot, but I wondered when the next bird family might move in.

Then a couple stumps over I was drawn to this spring green moss that caught my eye.

When I looked up at the sky it was still gray.

3~365: Blue Chairs

So I went back to one of my favorite spots to capture my favorite turquoise chairs in a new way.  The photo above is my shot for today on my new blog, 365 Photos…one day at a time.  Since this blog is for my garden and my work blog is for…well, work (!), I chose to start a fresh new blog for taking a photo a day.  It’s the Shutter Sisters 365 Project, which I was pulled into by my friend Chris.  I’ll have camera in hand, shooting something daily and am looking forward to the colors I might find instead of focusing on the usual winter doldrums.

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time………