Winter’s Pageant

tanjabrittonwriter 56 Comments

This winter has brought several bouts of much-needed moisture in the form of snow to Colorado Springs, and as I’m scheduling this post, portions of the Rocky Mountains are waiting with bated breath for the next wintry wave predicted to drop two-plus feet of the white stuff. The brutal arctic blast that swept through North America in mid-February and wreaked havoc across wide swathes of the country also dropped the temperature into the subzero range along the Front Range of the Rockies, but otherwise thermometer readings have been mostly seasonal.

Without belittling the loss of life or damage caused by broken pipes and power outages from severe winter weather (if you, your neighbors, friends, or family were effected, I hope things have returned to normal by now), I find that precipitation takes on a magic of its own when it arrives in the form of snowflakes. Depending on light, wind, and humidity, the resulting effects and moods vary widely. To walk under a bluebird sky through freshly fallen snow, hear and feel it crunch underfoot, and see the sparkle and glitter of myriad ice crystals is an experience I don’t want to miss. I enjoy the sense of adventure when I’m the first to break trail, when I tread where no one else has tread before, at least no other human.

Whether the trees are flocked with cotton-like puffs, whether mist or fog conspires with temperature to create a rime-crusted reality, whether Artist Winter has applied a whimsical brush, the stage is set for a wonderful show. Without further ado I will let you take in some of winter’s displays.

Ice Hedgehog

56 thoughts on “Winter’s Pageant”

      • Tanja – We are blessed to have a really good snow base this winter. (Which hopefully means that we won’t have many or any forest fires this summer.) I personally would have liked a little more snow this winter. But am enjoying all that we have received. We are having an early spring. Will see if it continues. When do you usually see hints of spring in your area? -Jill

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      • I thought you might be affected by this weekend’s snow event, but it doesn’t sound like it. I’m glad you have a good base, though.

        It already has started to feel like spring because of the lengthening days and singing birds. In front of the house the hyacinths and daffodils are pushing through the ground. So the signs are here, but snow and night frost can continue into May.

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  11. This is a pleasant and eclectic set of winter views. From what you say about the weather forecast, you may well be showing more.

    Your mention of treading through snow where no one else has trodden reminds me that when I was a kid growing up in New York I liked the purity of fallen snow in our yard and was always sorry when the first tracks appeared in it.

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    • I imagine these images look pleasant, after your recent not-so-pleasant experience with winter. If the two feet of snow materialize, it will make a dent in the drought, but it will be a nightmare for drivers and for a number of animals as wells, including some early migratory birds.

      Fresh-fallen, pure snow is a pleasure to experience, I agree, and your reminiscences about having trodden made me check past participles of “to tread.” Tread, treaded, trod, and trodden” were given as possibilities, so my version wasn’t wrong, even if it’s not the most commonly used.

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  12. Stunning images, Tanja.

    I love the snow, but would hate to be caught out in it, or lost with no survival supplies.
    There’s something about the purity and crispness of trudging through virgin snow that really appeals to me.

    The winters that I spent up in the Victorian alps skiing in my twenties (or in Austria in 1978) are memories that I will always treasure.

    I’d love to see some more snow-covered landscapes and/or close-ups please. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Vicki. I share your thoughts about not wanting to be caught in a storm without the proper preparation or equipment. And as beautiful as the snow looks and feels when the conditions are pleasant, it can be quite treacherous when they are not.

      If we receive as much snow as is predicted, there might be more wintry photos. 🙂

      By the way, I have not been able to find any of your blog posts. When I click on vickialfordnatureblog, I am told that it is no longer available. Are any of your other sites still active?

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  14. Wunderschöne Bilder vom Schnee. Ja, wir hatten einen Rohrbruch bei Verwandten im Haus 😦 Das wird noch dauern, bis das wieder in Ordnung ist. Immerhin freue ich mich, daß ihr so viel Feuchtigkeit bekommt. Wir können es ja fast alle brauchen. LG Almuth

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    • Dankeschön, liebe Almuth, es freut mich, daß Dir die Winterszenen gefallen haben. Entschuldige die späte Antwort, der Kommentar ist durchgeschlüpft.
      Das mit dem Rohrbruch ist natürlich sehr unangenehm, ich hoffe, er wird bald behoben und seine Folgen korrigiert sein.
      Herzlichen Gruß,
      Tanja

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  15. Great pics! Since I retired a few years back, I have really come to enjoy snow. (No worries about driving to work!) Animal tracks in the snow are so interesting.

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  17. The first photo reminds me of what’s known around here as the ‘Christmas Miracle’ — a wonderful, deep snow that arrived with frosted trees in 2004. It started snowing on Christmas eve, and areas along the Texas coast got inches and inches of snow.

    The most perfect snow I ever experienced was in the Black Forest. I was staying at the home of a man who was bookkeeper at our hospital in Liberia. His parents had maintained their traditional home, and there were substantial woods around it. When I went out one morning for a walk in a new snow, the silence was stunning. I still can ‘hear’ it.

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    • I’m glad you liked our wintry scenes, Jolandi. I wonder if you might experience something similar now that you are in Portugal. I know that some region’s receive snow, but I don’t know if you live close to those.

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      • There is only some snow on Portugal’s highest mountain range the Serra de Estrella, and then it really isn’t much compared to other countries. Nowhere else in Portugal, except for a sprinkle perhaps. So no, sadly the winter scenes where you are, Tanja, is very unlike anything where I am, so I will just enjoy it through your eyes and lens. Still lovely and enjoyable that way.

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