Comfort in Patterns 1 January 2013
Last year was unusual, often lacking in the certainty of cycles as a mild winter was soon followed by heat wave and drought. For now, the first step into a new year shows promise for restored order.
The Saint Croix River is frozen, snow abounds, and swans have returned to patches of open water. Mist rises where running, open water meets the still, cold air. The frozen snowscape of the river is speckled with carnivore tracks, and deer trails are beginning to show on the hillsides. The snow promises to replenish our rivers and lakes with new water.
It was just 9 degrees Fahrenheit as I made these images, and all seems well in the world. May this great start continue on into a year of healthy land, traditional cycles and circles, a more predictable script for an age-old ecosystem. Winter cold, sweet winter cold, is back.
I made these images with a refurbished Canon 7D and Canon 300f4 IS flourite glass lens. I exposed +2/3 stop for some of the images to add light to the snow and avoid gloomy gray from overcast skies.
Thank you for sharing some of the best NW Wisco has to offer--beautifully presented through the eyes of the naturalist. These are the parts of home I miss most. So glad I stumbled upon this.
ReplyDelete-Christina Carlson (Unity H.S., Class of 2000)