Mystical Ice - Missoula, Montana

"There’s always that first step in skating, from dry ground to slick ice, when it just seems impossible. Impossible that two thin blades of metal will support you, impossible that because its molecules have begun to dance a little slower water will hold you up."  - Carol Goodman, The Lake of Dead Languages

And this is the last of the mystical ice pictures, confluence of freeze-melt-shimmer shadow-reflection captured in the blink of a digital lens. Winter does, indeed, have its particular charms, if we will just bundle up with only our eyes showing and go take a look.

Serious Winter Birds - East Missoula, Montana

"In November, some birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes. The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now. They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious, too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures." - Cynthia Rylant, In November

(I couldn't resist another chunky view of these winter-brave songsters, hence the two-part mini-series.)

Of Bird And Tree Shapes - East Missoula, Montana

"Yet farther up the road, near a hole in the river where people were sometimes dipped in baptism, a cloud of martins erupted out of a maple tree nearing the peak of its color.  The sun's bottom limb was just touching the ridge and the sky was the color of hammered pewter. The martins flew from the tree as one body, still in the shape of the round maple they had filled. Then they banked into the wind, slipped sideways int he moving air on extended wings for two heartbeats, so that Ada viewed them in thin profile and saw much silver space between the individual birds.  Immediately, as if on signal, they swept into a steep climb and the fullness of their wings turned toward her and closed the bright gaps between the birds so that the flock looked like the black image of the red maple projected into the sky.  The bird shadows across the long field grass beyond the road flickered." - From Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Light And Dark - Missoula, Montana

"Much of the beauty of light owes its existence to the dark." - Brene' Brown, Daring Greatly, p. 169

Brown continues this thought: "The most powerful moments of our lives happen when we string together the small flickers of light created by courage, compassion, and connection and see them shine in the darkness of our struggles."

Let your little lights shine!

Winter Glade - Missoula, Montana

"Black brooms of trees sweep the sky clean..." - from Snow Dance by Evelyn Scott (1893-1963)

Ethereal Ice Shadows - Missoula, Montana

"She had never known that ice could take on so many shades of blue: sharp lines of indigo like the deepest sea, aquamarine shadows, even the glint of blue-green where the sun struck just so." - Malinda Lo, Huntress

Wishing a beauty-filled new year to you!

Winter Sapling Shadow - Missoula, Montana

"I wear my shadows where they're harder to see, but they follow me everywhere. I guess that should tell me I'm travelling toward light." - Bruce Cockburn, from Birmingham Shadow

Perfect Reading Day - Missoula, Montana

"On gray days, when it's snowing or raining, I think you should be able to call up a judge and take an oath that you'll just read a good book all day, and he'd allow you to stay home." - Bill Watterson, There's Treasure Everywhere