Winter Wanderings…..

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.” ~ Anne Bradstreet

On the day before the first day of spring, I thought I’d post just a few photos of winter in my woods.   I always feel peaceful when walking in the woods.

After a heavy snowfall, that turned the world into a fairyland……
*click on image to enlarge*

The winter woods.

The winter woods.

The spruces stand tall..

The spruces stand tall..

Winter leaf...

Winter leaf…  A fall leaf shows strength and perseverance as it clings to a branch through the long winter months.  I made this photo into B&W, then brought the leaf color back.

 

 

Foggy winter morning...

Foggy winter morning…  Sometimes fog greets us on winter mornings.  I’m always trying to capture fog!

Thanks for viewing my post!  Happy Spring!
Judy

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Snow!

Snow. Snowstorms. Snowflakes. Winter.

Well, it IS that time of year in Michigan.  And it IS much better than looking at brown leaves, brown and gray tree trunks, brown weeds in the woods, and dormant grass.  It also means that skis and snowshoes can come out of their hiding places soon!

So LET IT SNOW!

Like hands reaching toward the sky, viburnum leaves cradle snowflakes within.

Like hands reaching toward the sky, viburnum leaves catch snowflakes within their outstretched foliage.

snowporkies_8186 - Version 2

 

The porcupine grass becomes heavy with its headdress of snow.  

I love to photograph porcupine grass during every season, but wind is the “grass” photographer’s enemy!  The wind during the snowstorm played with the “porkies”, making it difficult to capture a clear shot!  *click for larger image*

Happy New Year everyone! May you be Blessed with good heath and happiness!

Love to all~

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2013 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

 

Snowshooz!

We finally got enough snow last weekend for snowshoeing.   I was so excited to strap on my “shooz” !

My snowshoes and me trekking through the woods.

The snow was not as deep or as fluffy as I’d like, but I figured this might be my only chance this year!

A beautiful day in the woods...

It was a lovely day to be out.  It was so peaceful. The only sound I heard was the swoosh, swoosh of my snowshoes, and the occasional bird call.

Animal tracks.

Lots of animal tracks criss-cross our yard in the snow.  Deer, rabbits, squirrels and turkeys are the most common ones.

The end of a nice walk.....

Now that I’ve enjoyed winter, and finally used my snowshoes….there’s just one more thing I want to do!

Beach babe!

Time to hit the Beach!  😉

Thanks for visiting!

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Les Belles Fleurs L’hiver (beautiful flowers in winter)

Hello great blog readers!
I’m ready for spring!  If we can’t have spring let’s have some nice, deep snow!  I haven’t had a chance to cross-country ski or snowshoe yet.  It has been a different kind of winter for our whole country!  The south is freezing and the northern ski slopes are struggling for lack of snow.

I’m controlling Mother Nature today and I declare it’s SPRING in my house!
I like to buy inexpensive bunches of tulips at the market in the winter.  It brings color into the house and it brightens a dreary day.
Plus….it gives me something else to on which to practice my indoor Macro shots.  I’ve taken photos of all the pens, boxes, plants, lamps, paperweights, coasters, floors, candle holders and plates in the house already, so this gives me some variety! 😉

The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.
–  Gertrude S. Wister

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 ~And just a reminder from Mother Nature that winter isn’t over yet…..we got 2″ of snow overnight. 😉

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Have a colorful, happy day!
Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

 

2012 Water Dragon Weekly Sunday Post: LOVE ❤

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 Love is the enchanted dawn of every heart.  ❤     ~Lamartine    

Good night friends!
Judy 

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Is that really a snowflake?

Note…  I had three photos on my draft but they would not upload to the actual post.  I tried for 40 minutes to reload them and downsized them to a thumbnail.  They still would not load.  I am very frustrated.  This has happened before.   Has anyone had a similar problem?  

Hello blog readers!

We’ve had warm temperatures, rain, freezing rain, sleet, golfing weather and high winds but not much snow!  We are far behind our annual snow totals for this season.  It concerns me for our beautiful Freshwater Seas….our Great Lakes, that surround our state of Michigan.  The lakes depend on moisture, such as rain and snow to keep their water levels up.  This low-snow year is not boding well for our lakes.  We need much more snow to ensure higher lake water levels.

Today we awoke to a snowstorm.  All the trees were covered with white “frosting” and the flakes were falling from the sky at a heavy rate.  I have a quest to try and catch snowflakes on my photos, so I set my image speed high and went outside.  The wind was furious and the snow whirled around me.  But I was able to capture some snowflakes.

About 3 hours later, the sun came out and the skies turned blue with puffy white clouds.  I can’t tell you the last time we saw blue skies like this!   In Michigan we say: “If you don’t like the weather…wait a minute, and it will change.”   I have a feeling Michigan is not the only state that takes credit for that quote!

Blue spruce

The Blue Spruce stands tall and mighty against the wind, protecting birds from the elements.

 

Good night! Sleep well…
Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

“Berry” Wet

Hello everyone!

 I’m sure you’ve noticed I like taking photos of the ornamental tree fruit in our yard!  I call the fruit “berries”, because I’m not sure if they are Ornamental Crab or Cherry trees.

No matter what their official name is, the bright red color is a nice contrast to the browns and grays, as well as the backdrop of snow at this time of year.

By this time of year, our berry crop is becoming depleted as the deer find them very  tasty.

The photo I have today was taken after a recent snowfall, when temperatures had started to rise again.

Good night, all…

Judy

All images are copyright © 2005-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Welcome to my snowy world!

Hello friends!  

We’ve had some wonderful snowstorms lately.  In fact, the other day we had what our family calls…”living in a snow globe” snowfall!  A “snow globe” snowfall means the snow is falling gently and steadily; sometimes the snowflakes are very large and sometimes they are small, but the snow is continuously drifting from the sky.  It is my favorite kind of snow “storm”.  

When I was a child I tried to catch a snowflake on my tongue, but that day I tried to catch one on film!  Oops!  Film?   Correction: I tried to catch a snowflake in an image on my camera!  Stay tuned to see what happened!

Welcome to my yard.  I hope you enjoy the Snow Globe effect in some of the photos! It’s not easy to capture!

Our front door is open to welcome you!

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I have many favorite trees, but the Sycamore holds a special place in my heart.  Its bark is a work of art!

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Here I’m trying to catch a snowflake…(above)!  I tried different apertures to see which one would show the snowflakes best.  Different apertures gave me different depths of field.  (meaning: sometimes the background was more clear…sometimes the background was blurry as it it here, depending on the aperture number)  Can you see the marvelous snowflake I got?  I was really tickled with that one! 😉

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Snow on the limestone ledge.

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The Viburnum looks almost ready to bloom!  We had such warm weather earlier this season, it’s been fooled.

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The last leaf…….. I love this little leaf, hanging on for dear life.  The only thing keeping it on the ledge is the end of the stem, tucked into the siding of our house.  The wind and snow did not tear it from its mooring.  Plucky little guy~ and not ready to give up!  I feel that way about Fall too!

Good night and sleep tight…..
Judy 

All text and images are copyright © 2005-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

In The Bleak Mid-Winter~

Hello friends!

Sometimes in winter where I live, when the snow piles higher than your boots, it looks like fairyland in the beginning of the season.  The snow is beautiful, powdery soft, fun to be in and it sparkles in the sun.   Then the long months of cold set in, and we sometimes wonder if spring will ever arrive.   These middle-winter months always remind me of a hymn I love called: “In The Bleak Mid-Winter”**.   It’s really a Christmas hymn, but I love to hear it any time of the winter.

“In the bleak mid-winter,  frosty wind made moan,

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 Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone,

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 Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow……”

It’s a beautiful song and it lifts the spirit.   Music has a way of taking us to another place.   I’ve always believed that there is a strong emotional connection with music; it has the ability to change our moods and it connects us to memories.

Flowers are another mid-winter life-saver for me!   When I bring some into the house, it makes me feel sunny and upbeat!  I’ll share one with you now.  This purple Clematis photo was taken last summer.

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**In The Bleak Mid-Winter” Lyrics by: Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894.  Music by: Gustav Holst, 1874-1934.
To see the entire hymn, click here.

Good night all~
Judy
All text and images are copyright © 2005-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Winter

This photo was taken shortly after sunrise, after a 10″ snowfall in November.

The woods, usually dank and dark, become illuminated with the increasing sunlight.  The sun brings warmth and love to our world.

“Hatred paralyses life; love releases it.  Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.  Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” 
~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Let us all follow the wisdom of the great Martin Luther King.  Let your love light shine onto others; give the gift of unconditional love and chase the darkness of hate away.  Hate does not belong in a world filled with love~ ❤

❤ Judy