Don't Blink!

"A Frosty Morning on Barry Creek"

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

This time a week ago it was a windy/rainy day, but the month had been very nice with plenty of Indian Summer weather...come Saturday it all changed!  But it was the perfect photo-storm opportunity!  Usually when blizzards come along, things are sewn up and buried for the duration, but this year was unseasonably warm and a large snowstorm on top of warm ground is quite different to see.

I've always lamented for winters with open water...streams flowing through a snow covered landscape are quite visually pleasing...much more so than frozen streams and bodies of water!  Well this first snow of the season was really quite perfect!  Well, OK...I'm no fan of driving in this stuff nor in shoveling out the home place after a storm like this (we had 12" in this one), but here was a new fallen snow on warm ground and streams still flowing relatively warm...their mist rising from the water surface; very pretty stuff going on!

We spent the morning digging out like everyone else but around 3 in the afternoon were able to get out and investigate the transformed landscape.  I drove about 3 miles to a place I've walked many times in past years...I soon realized I should have taken the snow shoes with me!  It was a tough trudge for about an 8th of a mile to Waterman Creek and the shoreline timber, where I took many pictures of snow laden cedars and Bur Oaks...every 10-15 minutes a Bald Eagle or two would cruise past me and I disturbed a few White-tail Deer bedded down for the day...it was a fun time outside!

Later we drove over to Barry Creek just down the road from us.  I've done some photos and drawings of this little creek in the past. The day had gotten too late and the light was gone but I made a note to go back at first light.

The next morning was made to order...very slight breeze and anything in low lying areas was developing a nice frosty coating.  The creek had subtle drifting steam rising from the warm water reacting with the cold air...the shoreline was frosted and glowing in the first rays of sunlight!  Very pretty stuff :)

This was a lucky break for landscape photographers and artists, the kind that doesn't come around too often in this latitude...maybe we'll get lucky again soon?  One can only hope; but on thing is sure - don't blink, you might miss out!