Friday, February 12, 2010

FIRE AND ICE

It's about that time of day.
The sun is sinking in the west and shows no signs of doing anything spectacular other than disappearing behind yonder hill. No gaudy colors blazing across the sky; no knock-your-socks-off photographs.
Shadows on the snow are turning blue with a hint of purple, the waning sidelight revealing the snow's granularity. The surface looks hard rather than soft; the undulations slightly menacing. It could be the landscape from another planet.
Still, I like this time when the last of the day begins to fade away, and a sort of gentle quiet seems to replace the bustle. Birds still work the feeders. Cardinals call and the white-throated sparrow sings his vespers. In the riffle, the blue heron stands, patiently waiting, yellow eyes ever watchful, as motionless as he is deadly with that sharp beak. Mallards gabble. The kingfisher takes one more plunge into the icy flow.
The river's surface catches the light…golden against the turquoise sheen of ice.
Day and night. Earth and sky. Water and land. Fire and ice.

12 comments:

Gail said...

OH GRIZZ-

The pictures are so gorgeous. Really stunning. !!!!! Wow@ Fire and ice, indeed. And I so love how in tune you are with nature as it reflects and honors the flow of the day in to night. Such a gentle and purposeful flow - transition - a trusting surrender that I can feel from you.

Loving you
Gail
peace.....

Grizz………… said...

Gail…

Just about my favorite time of day, too. I never tire of watching the magic.

Take care, stay warm. Give that pup a good behind-the-ears scratching.

Bernie said...

You are right, it looks like another planet....love how you describe the end of the day and the beauty of the birds as they peck away at the feeders....
Happy Valentine's Day to you and your ladylove Grizz....Have a wonderfu weekend......:-) Hugs

Tramp said...

I am no artist but I find the textures in nature, as well as the colours, something to ponder on. I will come clean here and admit that a few years ago I spent 2 winters in the Antarctic where these things had a tremendous effect on me.
It's great to find someone who knows how to pick out such gems and it is clear that many of us appreciate it.
Thanks.

Grizz………… said...

Bernie…

Often, the best way to really see something is to view it out of context, in a different perspective. Snow colored and texturized by twilight, the division of water and ice when the river catches the final wash of setting sun…a strange, wonderful beauty to be discovered within that difference.

You have a great Valentine's Day, too. Stay warm.

Grizz………… said...

Tramp…

What a marvelous adventure! You are so fortunate to have seen and experienced that strange, raw, and powerful land. And it would, indeed, be a place which would make you very aware of the subtleties of texture and color—a beauty which demanded thought and process on the part of the beholder. I envy you that experience—and I would be willing to bet you've never again looked at anything in quite the same way. Time in such a place would have to change your perspective forever.

Jayne said...

Love that photo of the blue cast, grainy snow. I've lived in this part of the country my entire life, and have never seen so much icy/snowy weather as we've had in the past month.

Thanks so much for the wonderful comment on my blog about the social networking sites. You hit the nail right on the proverbial head!

Grizz………… said...

Jayne…

I wasn't sure anyone but me would like that shot; I almost didn't run it.

We have family in South Carolina, and they got at least an inch of snow last night—which I gather had lots of folks thereabouts in a real tizzy with drivers not knowing how to respond to such road conditions. That has to be a scary experience if you've never driven on snow before.

Wheee! I got to thinking I shouldn't have said most of what I did. I'm glad you're okay with my comment.

myonlyphoto said...

Wow you captured some beautiful nature textures. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Anna :)

Scott said...

Grizz,

Are you familiar with the writings of David M. Carroll, the naturalist who wrote "A Swampwalker's Journal"? He published a new book last year, "Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook." You write so eloquently and lyrically about the natural world, as does Carroll, so I thought that I ought to bring him to your attention in case you aren't familiar with his work.

Grizz………… said...

Anna…

Thank you. I'm glad you liked the post.

Grizz………… said...

Scott…

I am, indeed, familiar with Carroll's work…though I haven't read "Swamp walker's Journal" or "Following the Water." But I have his first book on turtles, his book on trout, and his memoir. He's a really fine writer and naturalist, and pays attention to detail. Of course, he's also a fine painter, with and artist's eye for detail, so I guess that figures. I'm glad you mentioned his new book (and, apparently, the one before) because I want to get both. Don't know how I missed 'em, but I did. Thanks!