Magnificent Trees in Winter Glory

There’s nothing quite so magical as trees that have their bare winter branches covered in a lovely white frost.  It makes everything look like a fairy waved her magic wand and made the entire world beautiful, and not the dull colors of winter. I don’t really have much to say about each individual image – or rather, I’d be repeating myself if I did comment on them, because I think each of them is so breath-takingly beautiful and makes me glad we do get just a touch of winter (most years) and willing to tolerate the Midwest-type winter we’re getting this January, at least in terms of snow!

Winter Magic

A Gray Day

Snow Storm Tree

Frosty

Willow in Winter

Weeping Winter

Enjoy!

 

 



Winter Drive

A couple of weeks ago, we had one of the worst winter storms in New Mexico weather history.   All the weather folks talked about a storm in the 1990’s as being really awful, and this one sort of blew that one out of the water, so that’s why I’m getting the idea that this was the worst.  Here in our little town, we had 26” of snow in roughly a 24 hour period from Dec. 26 – 27.  On the 28^th, it wasn’t snowing, so I thought it would be a nice day to go and seek out some photo ops!  All of these beautiful winter trees were found along the road just outside where we live.

Winter Day

Two Trees in Winter

Winter Drive

Winter Road

Enjoy!

 



December Sunrise

One morning in December, sky conditions were perfect for one of those incredible sunrises we get from time to time.  The weather folks went into great deal about the scientific reasons for this, but I just think of it as the magic of New Mexico!

Sunrise Clouds

What strikes me about this image is the way the clouds look as if the color is about ready to drip off them, as if they are oversaturated with color.

Purple and Pink Morning

A few minutes later the color of the sky changed to be this incredible purple and pink palette in the sky.  If I did paint this, people wouldn’t believe it was a realistic painting!

Winter Morning

I just wanted to prove that these colors were based in reality and weren’t some abstract of my imagination!  I was standing at one edge of our back patio so I could capture a bush barren for winter and our mountain, South Mountain, in the background, for that taste of reality!

Big Sky Morning

I can’t imagine skies any bigger than we get here, but Montana does lay claim to Big Sky Country.  Should we challenge them to a contest?  LOL!

Morning Abstract

I thought I’d end this post with again a sample of the wonderfully abstract of the sky on this wonderful December morning.

Enjoy!



 

Soaring Hawk

Sometimes nature is just right outside our window……or, in this case, just off our back patio!  I was so lucky to capture this true creature of nature, among the civilized, but still holding true to his wild self.

Hawk

At first, I wasn’t certain if this was a falcon or a hawk, but Jeff later determined it was a hawk – a large soaring hawk.  Here, he’s sitting on our neighbor’s fence, just sort of surveying the landscape around him.

Taking Off

Suddenly, he decided he was off to explore.  I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be standing in the right spot with my camera already focused on him, so all I had to do was snap!  His wings look far too big for his body – and check out those talons!

Wingspan

I love this view of his wingspan.  He looks so graceful as he charts his course of flight.

Flying

And he’s off!  He’s heading off to where the hunting is better, perhaps.  In any event, his graceful soaring was certainly a sight to behold.

Enjoy!

 

Trees in Late November

The trees were really striking on this day.  I loved playing with the images to recreate the feeling I had while out there with them.

Cholla and Tree

There was something about this scene that reminded me of days gone by.  I finished this image off in somewhat of a vintage tone.  It also seemed to accentuate the loneliness of the scene.

Two Trees in Winter

Here’s another lonely view.  I didn’t apply a vintage finish to this one, but did highlight the color of the ground that wasn’t covered by a light snow.  I tend to shoot these trees quite a bit, so you may recognize them from previous blog posts.

Reaching

This is an image of one of the trees (above).  I loved the starkness of the dark branches and the white frost on its branches, snow on the ground and white-grey of the sky in the background.

Enjoy!



Deserted Cabin in Winter

In late November, we had a great winter day.  I went off to my favorite photo subject, a deserted cabin which actually semi-collapsed earlier this year (actually, earlier in the fall).  Still, this place has so much character, even half collapsed, it’s cool!

Gone

A tribute to what it once was, and is no longer.  To accentuate (or complement?) the fact that it’s fallen down, I processed this image to create a vintage feel to it.

Faded Light

Here’s another perspective on this little cabin.  This time I left the image sort of stark, with the background the foggy and the sky sort of faded into nothing.

The Shack

This is a different deserted tiny building.  I think it was actually some sort of storage shack.  Perhaps at one point, there was a cabin near it, but not any longer.  I decided to shoot this thru the barbed wire fence and dead blooms.  Dead blooms never looked so good, right?

Enjoy!



January Morning

On the second day of January, I awoke to a sort of hushed sunrise.  It was very gentle, almost easing me into the day, as if it knew the news the day would bring.

Whisper of a Mountain

I looked out to the northwest for “my” mountain, South Mountain.  It was almost hidden by the fog.  And, the corral where Jazz and Patches sometimes are, was empty.  Still, there was a warm tint to the upper sky, promising sunshine.

Winter Morn

I looked further to the east and saw more of the sun’s warmth shining on the cold morning.  It snowed a week ago, and because the temperatures haven’t risen much, it’s still here.  Rather unusual, as is the feel of this morning.  Still, the scene is peaceful.

Frosty Branches

I’m looking thru the branches of a tall bush just off our back patio.  It’s as if there’s something for me to see, yet hidden from view.  I do love the look of the frost on the branches is nice.

January Morning

And, now the sun is warmer, starting to burn thru the fog so my mountain is now visible.  The rest of the day is soon to be clear, too, and the news I get later makes me appreciate this moment of this day all the more.

RIP Teri