NEW SNOW TODAY !

This morning, Monday, started out in the best way: new fluffy snow and no school! I just stepped out off our front porch for these shots, and hurried back inside. The one above I call Three in a Row: our cherry trees which bring such pleasure in any season.
I call this "A rose is a rose. Except when it snows."
I don't know this shrub in my own front yard ( something andromeda?), but in the winter bitsy red pods hang loosely. The pods are no larger than a caraway seed (rabbit turd, if you prefer!). So, nameless though they are, I love the red under ice.

Snow Day!

A change in the weather? "To the Falls!" is our battle cry; our 'weapons': cameras. Once at Snoqualmie Falls with Pat, I found myself more interested in what effects the Falls' own weather had on the little things close-by. I love this miniscule ice drop for two reasons: it looks like a sconce because of how the limb tip is curved around it, and it catches a little color as the sun tries to come out. I think it cannot be called an icicle because it was about 1/2 " long.

Same thing here, below. The shape of the ice drop depends on what was supporting the water in the first place.
And I found a smile of beauty in what is usually snubbed around here: lichen.
Thought I had better uncrink my neck and look up and around for awhile...we were at the Falls, after all! This is the RR tressle to the south of the Falls, across the river.

The Old Mill Pond, Snoqualmie

It's one thing to take a neighborhood walk in fresh snow, but soon the urge to go beyond sets in. Day two of wonderful snowfall, Pat and I went to the Falls, and here, to the mill pond. This was my favorite part because it was so quiet; no cars, no folks, just the fresh snow and the beauty it showed us.

Below: just cattails with the pond's icy surface as stark background.

The Old Mill Pond, Snoqualmie

I almost think I had more fun at the edge of the frozen mill pond than I did at the Falls that morning. Hard to say, but there was something magical about seeing something like this practically in our own "back yard".

This is from the edge of the water, looking to the other side; so it is not a field of snow, but a totally frozen pond.
I especially loved getting up close to the "dried" stalks (is that called stalking? hee hee) and cattails which stood straight even though they were standing in ice and loaded with snow.

COLOR CHALLENGE: GREY

On the international website there is a "color of the month" challenge. (Remember when I won the "orange " one a couple of months ago?) Well, this time of year it is easier to capture monochromatic scenes, like this one from yesterday. On the way home from errands, I saw this photo opportunity, as the tallest trees had begun to loose the fresh snow, leaving a dark outline on top of each ridge. I love the natural shading.




Snow again, actually falling here, but the winter scene would have been just as grey without it.

I had to sneak in this, from Castle Hill in Budapest. All winter long it is grey and white there!

A SNOWY WALK ON THE SHORES OF RATTLESNAKE LAKE

Oh, what a perfect morning for new snow! We were the only ones with the idea of checking out that area; well, one snow-happy dog attached himself to us. A hundred different shades of grey made for a more exciting walk than one would think.

Pat and I headed early to higher elevation, even as our morning snow was starting to recede, we were pretty sure there would be more up there at the lake.
Since Pat posted the different moods of the morning as demonstrated high on R. Ridge, I will add some ground level stuff here. It was so peaceful. Cold, crunchy, quiet.


Ice caught in thorny limbs above our heads.