It's been a strange winter for us so far. Plenty of snow and frigid temperatures well below freezing. However, this is Ohio, and if you wait a few minutes, the weather will change completely.
We've also had warm days in the 60s and torrential rain that led to flooding. Freeeze, flood, rain, snow, and ice…the only ingredient that we've really not had in great supply is sunsine.
I miss the sunshine.
In the morning snow squall, I took a drive to look at the world. Covered with freshly fallen snow, the softly rolling fields caught my eye. They remind me of the curves and lines of a woman's body. Ok, a woman that has not shaved her legs for a few days. Still, feminine lines all the same.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timmcmurdo/11427376295/player/
We've already exceeded our seasonal allowance of snow and cold. To think that it is only December makes me wonder about January and February. At least the critters on the farm will have plenty to eat.
Monday, I turned down the wonderful snowy drive to visit my friend Debbie's home. Not because we are good freinds (though we are). Not because she is a fantastic conversationalist (she is). It's becasue Debbie bakes the most beautiful and flavorful bread you have ever dreamed of. I was on a mission to pick up a loaf of rye and of rustic white. Oh, how good that round of rustic white has been. We will cut into the loaf of rye tomorrow. Perhaps, I will take a picture of it. Just promise not to drool into your keyboard.
This is a glimpse of my three hour commute on Monday morning. Normally, my drive into work is only an hour long, but winter weather triggered accidents that had the interstate doubling as a parking lot.
After shooting the pre-sunrise in the cemetery at Mt. Tabor on Sunday morning, we rambled the back roads for a while as we headed into town for breakfast. This stream presented a pretty scene, so we stopped for a few shots. We didn't stay long because we were still cold from the morning's shoot and wanted some hot food in our bellies. Life is not so bad at all.
Have a wonderfully productive Wednesday.
Saturday morning, my friend Jim Nash and I braved the sub-freezing winds to visit Mt. Tabor at sunrise. Cold does not begin to describe our experience.
We'd braved similar cold the Saturday before, but the clouds and falling snow ensured that there was no dawn to see. This time, we only had to deal with the cold. The result was a series of shots showing the 19th century cemetery's head stones highlighted by the brightening skies. These two were my favorites.
Will they go into my annual book of favorite images? Probably not. In this case, it was the experience that is memorable, not the images.
In my last post, I complained about the amount of snow we had gotten. In this post, I will brag about how beautiful the snow we had gotten looks. You see, this is part of snow's mystique. I hate shoveling it and I hate driving in it, but I love looking at it. I am a man after all and this is generally how we feel about snow. See, I just used the word "feel", so I must not be that bad. I am in touch with my feelings and I am only just a little uncomfortable.
As you can see, snow is rather pretty. Especially this type of heavy wet snow. It piles up on top of everything. My friend Pati is from The Dakota Territories and pines for the snow when we don't get it. I think I saw her making snow angels in the parking lot at work when I arrived. That woman is not right in the head. That, in turn, is part of the reason we are friends.
Wednesday evening, on my way home from work, I came across these scenes at Leffels Creek, in my home town of Springfield, Ohio. I thought you might like to see them. Escpecially friends from sub-tropical Australia. You might have monsoon rains, but for good or bad, we have snow.
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Here in Ohio, the month of March is a little strange. Today we got ten inches of heavy wet snow dumped on us, but it is supposed to melt quickly and be sunny and in the mid fifties by the weekend. the good news is that by April we will settle into a regular routine of trading rainy days for sunny days and that by the end of May, summer will be here to stay. In just a few weeks, I'll be looking for the crocus to pop their blooms above the ground for the first time.
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| Winter Grain Silo |
The weekend before last, the sun peeked through the clouds for a few hours and then return to its winter hibernation. I loaded the car with gear and headed out for a drive and managed a couple good shots,
However, see that offending dark spot way up at the top? Dust on the mirror. Evidently, I was in too big of a hurry. This happens to the best of us. Slow down, check your equipment!
tim mcmurdo 