Winter sleep

Most people prefer winter scenes that include snow. The purity of the white blanket hides the undesired look of death beneath it. We don't generally associate winter with beauty, or life. Admittedly, one must look a bit closer during winter if searching for beauty. It's as if nature has shriveled up and left skeletons in her wake. Yet, I find that there is a simple beauty in the remains of the living, a serenity that beckons one to slow down and just wait. Wait for the spring that is months away. Get used to it, look at what will ultimately give new life in the next season.

Recently, I wandered around a friend's property in upstate New York during a warm spell that kept the snows at bay. Granted, there were few living things to photograph as there are in other seasons, but the calm of winter had settled in and invited me to have a look around. These are the scenes I captured on my walkabout.

Decorative milk cans from a bygone era lend a bit of color.

Winter's approach reminds folks to stock up on the fire wood.

How many winters has this wagon seen?

The death stare of a deer, the sky reflected in the milky eye.

In spring, this pond will come alive with the trills of hundreds of frogs, now sleeping under the mud.

Puffs of seeds that will ride winter winds and find a place to sprout in spring.

Dried leaves on a vine that has grown inside the barn.

A nest patiently awaits the return of phoebes.

The wasps have gone to rest during winter and find new places to build next summer.

Barn pattern detail

Winter sunset