Winter Walk

I've told this story before, but it seems to apply to today. Years ago, when our family was living in Rhode Island, my Mom came to visit our family. It was late fall, and the leaves had long passed their peak of Autumn splendor. They were brown, and rust, and drab. Many, if not most, had already dropped to the ground. When I apologized to my Mom for not planning better so that she could have enjoyed the New England Fall leaves at their peak, she proceeded to tell me how beautiful everything was. She loved the subtle colors and textures of the season. I vowed that I would try to find beauty wherever I saw it from then on... a desert sunset, a wintry ocean, a rock-strewn mountainside. And now that I'm back in the east, I'm learning once again, to appreciate the subtle and grim beauty of the winter. No snow to soften its face, no blue sky to brighten the shadows, just gray and brown and sharp. The bare trees look like lace against the sky. Gnarled tree trunks capture the light and shadow like haunted things, reminding me of monsters and scary creatures of my childhood nightmares.

Today I took a little walk with my camera. It wasn't a pretty day at all, but there were some things I wanted to photograph that I see every day on my way to work, but can never take pictures of because there is just no time. And no place to park. And actually, no place to walk safely. But a Saturday afternoon was the perfect time- little traffic, an out-of-the-way spot to leave my car, and a bit of time on my hands. There were a few surprises: a misty pond. A mallard duck, a few lingering rain drops on the bare trees.

I hope you enjoy winter where you live, too!