Bus Stop Bench

Bench in Winter © 2007

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
A snow plow would be delightful.
But the white is sure pretty, so . . .
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

We love snow in Wisconsin. But if we could dig out just enough to sit on the bench before we board the bus, it would be nice.

Madison, Wisconsin – 25.5 inches of snow in December and counting. More to come 3 out of the next 5 days.

BTW. The city is out of money for plowing and sanding the streets for the rest of the year. Hope it doesn’t snow on December 24th.

Hallway Reflection

Capitol Hallway © 2007

An interior photo from deep within the Wisconsin State Capitol. Even the areas not seen by the typical visiting tourist are amazingly designed and beautifully appointed. From the inset marble floor to the hand painted ceiling, everything has been planned for aesthetics. I love how the hallway seems to be a reflection – ceiling and floor as a reflection of each other.

State Capitol Building,  Madison,Wisconsin

Icicles

Icicles © 2007

Whether the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles
Quietly shining to the quiet moon.
~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Icicles at -7˚F. They are not dripping. They’re not even anticipating dripping. They’re very, very cold. Another winter scene from Owen Conservation Park in frigid Madison, Wisconsin

Oak Leaves and Shadows

Oak Leaves and Shadow

Leaves and Shadows © 2007

“We ascribe beauty to that which is simple;
which has no superfluous parts;
which exactly answers its end;
which stands related to all things;
which is the mean of many extremes.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher and poet (1803-1882)

“I hate quotations.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American satirist (as noted above)

The first real fall of snow (only 3 inches) fell Sunday, December 2nd, though tricky Mother Nature capped her display of winter glory with an inch of glassy ice.

When I went to shoot photos yesterday morning, I only went about 10 feet from the start of the path, and fell twice going that far. Therefore today’s photo is a simple one, though it does applaud the mighty oak leaf, who refuses to acknowledge winter’s demise of leaves, and the sun-cast shadows that make playful designs in the snow.

The Forest Deep

Antique Treescape

Treescape © 2007

Be a gentle friend to trees and they will give you back beauty,
cool and fragrant shade, and many birds, singing.  ~ Anonymous

Door County, Wisconsin on a sunny day in June with a lovely breeze and temperatures in the mid-70s F˚. Just taking a brief trip back in time to remind me to remember and be thankful of all the gifts we receive from nature’s beauty.

A note to other photographers: Another attempt at a B/W shot, my second. I like the way the contrasts play, but my eye is untrained and I am never quite sure if it is the best I can make it with the simple post processing software I have in my camera. Am I missing out by not investing in Photoshop Elements or something else?

And another note: Also is there a way to get a line around the photo to give it a framed look against all the black background. I’m thinking of getting a simple web design specifically to address the problems (not only the framing) I have with the templates offered at WordPress, but as always, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing. I just know what I want. That’s probably a bad combination! 😉