Under the Bridge, Clark Fork River - Missoula, Montana

"...But only the silence and white, the shores that grow chiller and dumber,
Wherever the ice winds sob, and the griefs of winter are heard...." - from - The Winter Lakes, by Wm. Wilfred Campbell (1858-1918)

(Click text links for more from this soulful Canadian author.)

Ice Floe Detritus - Missoula, Montana

“Some time when the river is ice ask me

mistakes I have made. Ask me whether

what I have done is my life…

…ask me what difference

their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say.

You and I can turn and look

at the silent river and wait...”

― From “Ask Me” by WilliamStafford (1914-1993)

(To ponder further within the poem's full context, click the preceding text links.)
 

Snow-Capped Red Berries - Missoula, Montana

IF I were a person who sent Christmas cards (notice the big IF), today’s pic would be a contender for the card front. 

It's the backdrop to a perfect wintery day ramble - layers of snow-kissed woodland set off by Montana's iconic blue sky. 

(Who knows, perhaps these punchy red spheres might provoke a modification of my cardless habit?)

Sheltered - Missoula, Montana

“I am a writer who came of a sheltered life. 
A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. 
For all serious daring starts from within.“ -Eudora Welty (1909-2001)

Snow Shadows - Missoula, Montana

"Snow's shadow
Borrowing
Sky's blue" 
- Brian Pike @ Paiku


Sunday’s brilliant sunshine married with chilly temps to create a delightful array of snow-laden shapes and shadows. With no wind in Greenough Park's sheltered forest, the sunbeams + cozy layers + and a brisk pace made 16 degrees F temps absolutely bearable.

Winter Corridor - Missoula, Montana

“Now the little rivers go
Muffled safely under snow,
And the winding meadow streams
Murmur in their wintry dreams,
While a tinkling music wells
Faintly from their icy bells,
Telling how their hearts are bold
Though the very sun be cold…”

- From Winter Streams by Bliss William Carman (1861-1929)
(Click on the above text links for more whispery winter words from this
Canadian poet - who apparently was well versed in colder weather!)

Winter Trees - Missoula,Montana

“…Leaves have been stripped like trials of love
Joy runs like a river under the fallow earth
You come back to me without aplomb
Compassion needs no justifications….

By the oak fire forgive
Your voice is a discreet candle
It's all inward though mountains laugh
Winter trees have a quiet beauty”

- From Winter Trees by Joseph Narusiewicz
(Read this full poem and more of Narusiewicz’s verse in the text links above.)